Alberta loves Furmint and Kadarka!

Christina Masciangelo, the owner of Salivate Wine Consulting imports Zsirai (Tokaj) and Heimann (Szekszárd) wines to Alberta, Canada with success – so far she has ordered 36 pallets between the two wineries! Her interest for Hungarian wine was sparked by a friend, who had visited our Hungarian Gettogether event earlier, so we are part of this success story, and we are so happy about it! Read our interview with Christina.

More about Salivate Wine Consulting here

– How did you get close to the world of wines?
– I started working in restaurants when I was 19 years old, which is where my interest in wine was sparked. In 1994, I worked at my first wine shop, where my interest greatly increased. I subsequently worked at a few different wine shops, where I met the agents on the wholesale side, and immediately knew I had to work in wholesale, closer to the wineries and winemakers.

– What brought you to the Austrian wines?
– In the early 2000’s, my husband at the time, was travelling a lot to the US for work. I would ask him to go to wine shops and bring back a few wines to try. One trip he came home with a Grüner Veltliner and I was hooked!  Around the same time, I was attending annual Society of Wine Educators conferences and attended some Austrian tastings with Terry Theise, a wine importer with Skurnik. I became obsessed with Austrian wine and Terry became one of my wine heroes.

– You have a nice selection of Austrian wines, so how did it occur to you to enrich your group of suppliers with Hungarian wineries?
– I started my wine import company in 2016 with six Austrian wineries, knowing I would diversify within a short time. I wanted to add unique wines to my portfolio that had a greater opportunity in the market.  In 2018 I came across the Hungarian Gettogether wine event and was curious to learn more about Hungarian wines. It didn’t work out for me to attend that year, but the following year a friend of mine attended and raved about her experience. She connected me with Zsirai Winery, and we started communicating in late 2019. I placed my first order in 2020. Salivate was the first importer in North America for Zsirai!

– Before you were invited to the Hungarian Wine Summit, had you known anything about Hungarian wines?
– Prior to 2020, my Hungarian wine knowledge was basic. Thanks to Zsirai, I had the opportunity to visit Hungary in 2021, where I discovered the regions of Tokaj and Szekszárd. When I attended the Hungarian Wine Summit in 2025, my knowledge expanded significantly by learned about more grape varieties, more regions, and by tasting plenty of wines!

– What caught your attention at Heimann and Zsirai?
– I thought the quality of wines from Zsirai was fantastic. I tend to favour wineries that are small and family owned, as well as great value for the quality – so they fit that profile.  When I was in Hungary in 2021, Máté from Zsirai introduced me to the Heimann family. I fell in love with their wines and the family and knew I had to add their wines as a compliment to what I already had from Zsirai.

– Have you already introduced these wines to your partners? What feedback did you get?
– By late 2020, the Zsirai wines had arrived in my market. Heimann wines followed in early 2022. Both wineries received very positive feedback!  In 2021, during the pandemic, Salivate co-hosted a virtual consumer tasting as well as a virtual dinner with Máté from Zsirai. Consumers were very impressed with the wines!
The Heimann wines have also been well received, especially the Kadarka, as many consumers are choosing to drink lighter, fresher reds. In November of 2025 Zoltán (Zoli) Heimann Jr. came to the Alberta market, where we did a winemaker dinner and a trade and consumer tasting. One trade guest said to me following the tasting that it was the first Hungarian tasting he had every been to in 30 years of working in the industry! Just this past June, Máté Csanaky from Zsirai came to the market to do a trade tasting, as well as store and media visits.  Again, everyone was impressed!  Both Zsirai and Heimann wines are also in the province of Saskatchewan and are gaining greater awareness.

– Which wines sell the best?
– For Zsirai, the dry whites and late harvest Tokaj have been the most popular, followed by Olaszrizling from Somló.  For Heimann, the Kadarka, Piros (Siller) and Kékfrankos are the best sellers.

– Do I understand correctly that you sell to wholesale and retail as well? Or due to the Canadian liquor boards, do you have to enter a tender to get to retail?
– I am the importer/wholesaler, so I sell directly to wine shops, restaurants, and hotels.  In Alberta we have a more open system, so we do not have to wait for tenders. All retail shops are privately or publicly owned.  As the agent, we can list whatever we want, and we are solely responsible for selling the products.

“Hungarian wines now have more of a presence in the Alberta market where I am based, as well as in Saskatchewan.  So far, I have ordered a total of 36 pallets between the two wineries, so I think it’s going well!”

Congratulations, Christina, and thank you for being the ambassador of Hungarian wines in Alberta!

More about Zsirai Winery
More about Heimann & Fiai