Spring meeting point: the Winelovers Grand

The Winelovers Grand was the first wine festival of 2022. Held at the Corinthia Hotel Budapest, the event showcased the best of the Hungarian wine scene, with more than 150 Hungarian exhibitors, masterclasses and presentations.

In addition to a very colourful selection of wines (more than 750 different wines), the festival offered visitors the opportunity to participate in masterclasses and various professional training courses after pre-registration. The two full-house wine education courses, organised by Winelovers and Wines of Hungary Personally, were led by Mátyás Szik and László Bálint DipWSET.

The morning training session focused on the role of typical Hungarian grape varieties and wine styles in the hospitality industry. During the training, participants learned about the process and criteria of wine selection for a restaurant, the basics of wine-related catering, and tasted seven typical Hungarian wines to gain detailed knowledge of the wine styles of Hungary.

The afternoon session, led by László Bálint, focused on exciting, lesser-known grape varieties and new wine styles in Hungary. This time, too, a seven-lot tasting session was offered to help the participants, including some unusual varietal wines. These included a Kabar (from Füleky Winery - 2019), which a relatively new variety from one of the most unique Hungarian growing areas, Tokaj-Hegyalja, and also a Villányi Csóka (from Vylyan Vineyard and Winery - 2017), made from the Csóka grape variety that has returned from the brink of disappearance.

The full gallery of the event giving a glimpse into the rich programme of the event is available here.