26 February 2025 / Borbála Kalmár
„Feast your eyes on Paris and what is prepared for you” wrote János Batsányi in his poem, where he used France as a role model for Hungary, which was on the verge of transformation. Since then, the world - and the wine world in it - has been continuously changing. While the reasons may differ now, Paris is still a place worth watching: between February 10-12. the French capital hosted the first internationally significant wine trade fair of the year, the Wine Paris.
Increased Interest
Although earlier the French expo couldn't compete with ProWein in Düsseldorf in terms of popularity and recognition, it is now clear - despite being only six years old - that it has grown to stand alongside its German counterpart. Looking at the numbers, the picture is as follows: 50 exhibiting countries, 50,000 visitors, traders, professional writers, and sommeliers from 140 nations. In other words, the key players in the international wine industry participated in Wine Paris 2025, where, for the first time this year, Hungary exhibited under the organization of the Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency. Moreover, Hungary made a significant debut, with the effective help of outstanding wineries and wines representing our country!
Since, based on preliminary surveys, the Paris fair has become the focus of more and more wineries in Hungary, the Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency (MBÜ) decided to rent a 72-square-meter space in the international pavilion. After securing the location, it announced the exhibition opportunity to Hungarian wineries. As Nikolett Garai, Head of International Marketing at the MBÜ, mentioned, due to oversubscription, the originally planned stands had to be slightly adjusted to accommodate everyone’s application, except for those who applied after the deadline. In the end, 15 individual exhibitors and three wine community stands were set up, allowing attendees to taste products from a total of 25 wineries.
On the Wine Paris website, exhibitors and potential traders had the opportunity to connect well in advance of the event. It could be likened to an online dating site, where both parties filled out profiles and exchanged photos to find the perfect match – whether it was a winery and a trader, or vice versa. The meetings could take place in a specially equipped meeting area or even at the stand itself.
However, this was not the only way Hungarian wineries drew attention to themselves. In cooperation with the MBÜ, three influencers from three different countries helped ensure that Hungary's presence at the fair did not go unnoticed by its most important export markets. From London, Luma Monteiro, an international wine academic and one of the leading buyers for the prominent English retailer Davy's; from Poland, sommelier and wine judge Ewa Relidzyńska; and from Germany, the influencer couple behind Wine Two Moments, all contributed to promoting the Hungarian stand.
Konstantin Baum MW
Those interested had the opportunity to discover Hungarian wines not only at the exhibitors’ stands but also at one of the opening lectures of the Wine Paris Academy. Master of Wine Konstantin Baum, who recently visited Hungary, introduced the volcanic wine regions of our country to a packed audience through six featured wines. Meanwhile, Péter Blazsovszky, the MBÜ’s wine and gastronomy expert, guided guests through Hungary’s grape varieties and wine regions in two thematic walking masterclasses held every day.
If it's February, then Furmint!
Taking advantage of the February timing of Wine Paris, the Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency supported an event called Furmint Février (Furmint February), which was also open to Hungarian Furmint producers through an application process. The event welcomed French traders, négociants, and sommeliers, and Hungary’s Ambassador to France, György Habsburg, also attended to show his support at this slightly more formal gathering.
Anyone familiar with the Budapest Grand Tasting, Furmint February, will know that this event is all about showcasing Furmints—whether in sparklings, blends, Aszú, or as single wines. The Paris „little brother” event was no different. In advance, the organizers made a special request to exhibitors: if possible, they should bring wines from older vintages to be tasted alongside the current, commercially available ones. As a result, Hétszőlő brought a 2011, Tokaj Kikelet a 2009, and Samuel Tinon a 2008. The MBÜ itself topped off the event with a 1968 Grand Tokaj 6 Puttonyos Aszú, presented by the main organizer, Gabriella Orosz, who reminisced about how much had happened that year. The Furmint February series continued with a masterclass in Seoul and local events in Warsaw and London, where sommeliers, traders, and other wine enthusiasts had the chance to explore one of Hungary's flagship grape varieties.
For those who may have been skeptical about presenting Hungarian wines in Paris at first glance – after all, „why carry water to the sea?” – we’d like to share that, based on initial feedback, experts and enthusiasts from many countries, ranging from Canada to Asia to the Scandinavian countries, are eager to discover what Hungarian wines have to offer and where Hungary's wine culture stands today. While exhibitors are nurturing new and existing business relationships, the Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency feasts its eyes on the next major events: ProWein in March, along with a three-stop roadshow in China.
Photos: Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency
