10 October 2024 / Dániel Ercsey
When did the idea of organising a trip to Hungary for Masters of Wine come up?
I started organising this trip with Master of Wine Natasha Hughes four years ago, before Covid. She was my mentor during my MW studies, and I invited her to Hungary for the first time in 2018. She actually suggested that as the Institute, that is The Institute of Masters of Wine, had never been to Hungary before, we could organise a trip like this. She also became responsible for the Institute's programmes, so there was no question of not doing it. Then, just as we were getting into the swing of organising it, the pandemic hit.
Ágnes Csiba-Herczeg
How does such a trip get organised?
The institute organises two or three tours for its members every year, so when an idea comes in - whether it's from South Africa, Chile or Hungary - it has to go through a series of pre-screening processes. They check whether the programme is interesting enough, what the accommodation is like, what the participants can expect to taste, and only then will they announce the trip to the Masters of Wine. Once the programme has been approved, the second phase of organisation can take place in the destination.
Why is such a trip special?
To start with, MWs on these tours are not paid per diem, so everyone gives up their own time, and the cost of travelling to the country is covered by each person. This, for anyone who knows how MWs work, needs no explanation, and is quite extraordinary in itself. Moreover, they did not come from just next door, they came from Australia, California and New Zealand, so it is a significant investment on their part. They spent not only their time but also their money to discover Hungary and learn about Hungarian wines.
How did you finally get the programme off the ground?
We picked up the thread again last summer, and by October we had the Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency behind us as sponsor. The final programme was announced in February this year, with a deadline for applications at the end of March. Fifteen MWs took part in the tour, which is a great success, as it shows that there is a growing professional interest in the region and in Hungary.
What did the Jedi knights of the wine world end up doing in Hungary?
The official programme started on 31 August and most participants left on 6 September. On the evening of arrival, we went to the White Raven Skybar, with the whole city spread out below us - there's no better way to impress people visiting Hungary. We were treated to a simple sparkling wine reception with only traditional method Hungarian sparkling wines, including three brands well-known abroad, Törley, Kreinbacher and Sauska, and we also tasted the first protected origin Etyek sparkling wines.
Sorry to interrupt, but why is this good for us? More specifically for the producers? I mean, it's OK that fifteen MWs are tasting Hungarian sparkling wines in the Buda Castle, but will it result in anything directly?
There are many results, but I'll give you a concrete example. One of the Etyek sparkling wines we tasted was from the Nádas Winery, which was had no label at the tasting, because this was actually the debut of the origin protected Etyek sparkling wines. The wine had been given the working name "oaky" because the base wine was matured in used barrels, but MWs pointed out that the name "oaky" would not be good for a sparkling wine with no obvious barrel aromas and flavours. Szilárd Nádas took their advice and renamed his sparkling wine that very evening. I think feedback like this can help a lot with sales.
How did the programme continue?
The next morning, we drove to Etyek, where our guests were introduced to Hungary's protection of origin systems and regulations, its main grape varieties, climate and bedrock. What they heard and learned, they were able to taste straight away, often in pairs, to better compare, say, Irsai Olivér with Cserszegi Fűszeres (same producer, same vintage) or Furmint with Hárslevelű (also one producer, one vintage). This was followed by lunch and a walkaround tasting, where the Danube and the Upper Pannon wine region were presented, with each producer showing a maximum of three wines.
I guess everyone was tired by the end and went to bed.
Well, not quite... First we got on the bus and headed for Lake Balaton. After dinner, we had organised a "then and now" bar at the hotel, where we showed the development potential of the same wines by looking at two vintages. For example, there were Oremus Mandolas 2011 and 2022, Szepsy Furmint 2008 and 2021, Bock Cuvée 1999, 2000 and 2020, Sauska Cuvée 7 from 2009 and 2019, and Grand Tokaj 5 puttonyos Aszú from 1988 and 2019. It was an informal option, but everyone took advantage of it, and enjoyed it!
But after that you could just go up to your room, right?!
Of course! (laughs) It wasn't the intention for them not to survive these six days, but I wanted them to leave thinking: wow, how come I didn't know about Hungary before? How can I buy a vineyard or a holiday home here? Why haven't I lived here for the last thirty years? In short, the aim was to strengthen the image of the country, to impress them, and fortunately the MBÜ was a partner in this all along.
Let me guess, you went sailing the next day!
Oh, yes, but not just sailing! Three iconic 75 cruisers came to pick everyone up, Nemere II, Sirocco and Lillafüred. Before that, everyone tasted wines from the Balatonboglár wine district on the beach, and then we sailed off in a good wind, glasses in hand of course, because two winemakers were on each of the three boats with us, each bringing a bottle with them. The MWs drew for who would be on which boat, so there was no favouritism. We saw Füred and Tihany from the water, then headed back to the harbour and off to lunch at Petrányi Cellar and Wine Terrace, so as not to miss out on the view of Lake Balaton. Afterwards there was a volcanic masterclass, featuring the Balaton witness mountains, but also Mátra, Eger and a little Tokaj, then a walkaround of the north shore, Füred, Tihany, Csopak, Badacsony, Somló and the other witness mountains.
And finally, the sunset over Lake Balaton?
Unfortunately not, the programme was too tight for that. We got back on the bus and had dinner in our hotel in Szekszárd, welcomed by three winemakers from Szekszárd: the Heimanns, the Vidas and the Taklers.
There really wasn't much time left over for rest...
They didn't seem to want to rest very much! (laughs) The next morning, there was a Bikavér seminar planned for 10am, but an early morning vineyard tour by car was an optional extra: up and down the gulleys, with a hundred-year-old Kadarka vineyard and a view of the city. Everyone came without exception! Afterwards there was an Eger-Szekszárd Bikavér masterclass, lunch and a long break, and then three more Szekszárd wineries presented themselves. Finally, they were treated to a Villány masterclass and another walkaround tasting, where of course the Villány producers were present in person.
Pretty intensive programme!
Yes, but it wasn't over yet! The final masterclass of the day focused on Hungarian oak, with two tastings of three different barrel samples in a very informative way. Then it was off back to Budapest for a relaxed dinner at Stand25.
And the next day …
…The bus set off for Mád at 7 am. We had just enough time for coffee before István Szepsy Jr started to talk about the vineyards and the terroir, while vintage wines were poured from the Nyúlászó, Szent Tamás, Percze, Urbán and Úrágya vineyards, first dry wines, then some sweet ones. You can guess!
Well, if there's one thing that would have swept me off my feet, it would be this programme!
Afterwards, we went for a walk at Disznókő, had an Aszú tasting and lunch at Sárga Borház, followed by a dry Furmint masterclass at Royal Tokaji, where six winemakers paired up to show their wines. Finally, in the late afternoon, there was a choice of programmes, as MWs, like any other group of people, are extremely diverse. Some are scientists and some are travellers, some are journalists while some are winemakers. Their interests are very different, so we offered them four different programmes. Time travel with old Aszú, a conversation in French with András Bacsó about the past 45 years of Tokaj, a vineyard tour by jeep and a Hárslevelű tasting with female winemakers. And in the evening, at the Angels & Rebels Wine Bar in Andrássy Mansion, they could taste wines that do not comply with the Tokaj product description. Pinot Noir, Syrah, Riesling, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc made their appearance here. The spa was also open for us until 9pm, but not many people went for a dip, they were more interested in the wines.
Where are we now in time? I'm a bit lost.
We are now waking up in Tarcal on the morning of the last day, 5 September.
What did you do on that day?
It was time for a rest, at least compared to the past few days. (laughs) We headed for Tolcsva, went down into the Oremus cellar labyrinth and András Bacsó Jr explained the style of sweet Tokaj wines from start to finish, the puttony numbers of Aszú, botrytis and Aszú making, everything.
I guess that was the highlight of the whole trip!
No, we were even able to top this with an Aszú masterclass at the Oremus Mansion, where we also tasted pairs of wines, including some interesting things such as, say, a sweet Szamorodni that has almost as much sugar as its Aszú pair, or the same producer showing his 6 puttonyos Aszú from, say, 2017 and 2007, then 2017 and 1997, or from the same vintage but from a different vineyard, or from a warm and a cool year, like 2000 and 1999. From here we drove to the outskirts of Rátka, to Padi Hill, where Attila Bicsár was waiting for us at the new Sauska estate with a lunch that I am sure will be remembered for years.
Is this the end, end of story?
The bus ride back to Budapest and an unscheduled, but all the more enjoyable, dinner at Rosenstein Restaurant were still to come. I secretly checked to see who ordered what to accompany their dinner and to my delight, the most frequent choice was Kadarka, along with Kékfrankos and Furmint-Hárslevelű blends.
Has there been any feedback?
Our email accounts and WhatsApp groups are full of messages of thanks, it seems that Hungary and Hungarian wine have won fifteen ambassadors who are spreading the word around the world that not only is there such a thing as Hungarian wine, but that there is also a range of delicious, elegant, diverse Hungarian wines as well as beautiful landscapes.
