Vesztergombi Alpha 2017, Szekszárd

2017 was a “once in a lifetime” vintage in Szekszárd, especially for Vesztergombi Cellar. Apart from the several gold winner wines, Csaba Vesztergombi felt that there was something even more precious in the barrels. An icon wine was about to be born – but what will be the name of it? We asked our readers around the world and we received almost 50 names!

Csaba Vesztergombi chose the winning name, which was submitted by Michal B. Paradowski. Then the wine was released, won numerous awards, and finally the godfather received his reward, a wooden box with 6 bottles of Alpha. Michal B. Paradowski is not a wine expert by profession, yet he takes wine seriously. Here is our short interview with him.

– Being a university professor, how come that you are so into wines?

– I’ve always enjoyed cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. During master’s and PhD studies, I managed to win a number of exciting culinary competitions; that also opened doors to internships in the kitchens of five-star hotels. Interest in wine—and wine and food pairing—came naturally along the way. Alongside academic activities I gradually started freelancing as a food and wine writer and a restaurant critic (among other activities, I was the representative of ZAGAT SURVEY when they started including Warsaw and Kraków in their Europe’s Top Restaurants guide). I’ve been doing much less of it now given the workload at the university, but I still receive invitations to and enjoy attending wine tastings and gastronomic events.

– How did you learn about the “godfather” thing?

– I read about the competition in your newsletter.

– As a professor of linguistics, do you think that the name of a wine influences our choices of purchasing?

– That’s definitely a factor. Market research shows that even details such as the presence or absence of the currency symbol/abbreviation on the menu may influence customer choices, let alone a name (and matching label) that invokes the desired qualities. Speaking of which, I really like the label that was designed for Alpha.

Huge congratulations Csaba on this masterpiece—it is real honour I could give a name to such a stellar wine!

More about Vesztergombi Cellar

Nagy Sebestyén wine writer selected Alpha the best red wine of Hungary

The best red wine: Vesztergombi Alpha, Szekszárd, 2017