15 wineries await at Tornai Winery

The 11th edition of ‘Juhfark Ünnep ‘ (‘Juhfark Celebration’) will take place again at Tornai, the winery celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. Tickets are available at early bird price until the end of September. Let us celebrate the fruit of this unique volcanic terroir!

“The only way I can describe it is that this is a grape born angry. Tasting Juhfark for the first time is like meeting a little Celtic warrior, stone spear and rough pewter blade thrust in your face with the smell of woad and clay and rain and cold and sulphur up your nostrils.”
Tamlyn Currin wine writer, JancisRobinson.com
Read more about Juhfark grape variety below

Date and time: 17 October 2026, 11.00–20.00
Venue: Tornai Winery, Somló
How to get to Somló? By car it takes about 2 hours via M7. By public transport it takes much longer, 3.5 hours, including a longer walk. Free transfer is available from the town of Devecser, to avoid the long walk, but prior registration is needed via email until the 10th of October.
Tickets: 13 900 HUF (until the end of September)
The ticket includes the tasting of 31 wines from 15 wineries and some wine bites (pita, cheese, olives, fried nuts)
Get your ticket here (in Hungarian, but google can help)
Cellar tour is also available at 4.30 pm, the 60-minute cellar walk includes tasting from the barrel and costs 2900 HUF, get your ticket here (in Hungarian…)
Exhibiting wineries: 5 Ház, Baráth, Barcza, Csordás-Fodor, Fehérvári, Fekete, Hegedűs-Szabó, Kabor, Kancellár, Kolonics, Kőfejtő, Kreinbacher, Somlói Vándor, Szalai, Tornai
More information (in Hungarian)
You can also contact Hungarianwines.eu, we are here to help you.

Juhfark, the sheep’s tail

Juhfark takes its name from the sheep’s tail, as the long cylindrical shape of the bunches resemble the sheep’s tail. It is often cited as the ‘wines of the wedding-night’, since it was believed to help when a couple had been longing for a son. (The myth is debunked, see below.)
Juhfark is grown almost exclusively in the small volcanic hill of Somló, a small amount in Balatonfüred.
Rather neutral, restrained nose with some flowers and green apples. High, sometimes brutal acidity. It is really difficult to tame this variety, but there are amazing examples of it in history! If you are not afraid of straightforward acidity, take a chance on it. In Somló, the minerality paired with high acidity results some outstanding wines with great ageing potential.

Read Eric Danch’s (Danch & Granger Selection, US) about his Somló tour and about his Juhfark experiences

The myth is debunked, but Juhfark is forever!

Love & Juhfark

Our earlier article about the new release Tornai Orange Wine made of Hárslevelű

New release orange wine from Somló

Vella Terra will have its 12th edition in Madrid with 89 artisan winemakers from 13 countries. Hungary will be represented by an amazing cellar called Csetvei, named after the founder, Krisztina Csetvei, who will pour the wines personally. Taste the “foxy” wines from Mór, a tiny Hungarian wine region!

Date and time: 26 October 2026, from 12.00 to 20.00
Venue: Próxima Estacíón event venue, C. de Aniceto Marinas, 10, Moncloa, Madrid
Tickets cost 25 EUR / person, and they include a tasting glass. Visitors will have the chance to buy directly from the exhibitors.
Exhibitors: Most of them (27) come from Spain, obviously, but Austria, Chile, the Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia will also be represented.
More information

Vella Terra credo:

“At Vella Terra, we value every winegrower committed to producing wine with the lowest possible level of intervention, and we stand against fake natural wine. We are the only natural wine fair in Spain, and one of the very few in Europe, that requires wine analyses from every exhibitor. We travel to visit wineries and follow one of the strictest participation criteria among natural wine fairs. We believe that until there is clear labelling within the wine sector, and as long as fake natural wine can still be easily sold on the market, those of us who organise fairs like this have a responsibility to provide clarity for the end consumer.”

Tornai Winery celebrates 80th anniversary

This year is a special one for Tornai, the celebration goes on all year long. It started with the release of the first traditional method sparkling wines of the estate, and in the summer the orange wine made of Hárslevelű has hit the shelves. 100% Hárslevelű, 100% flavours!

Orange wine boom still continues, as Decanter wine writer Gosia Young in her article analysing the results of the 17th Decanter World Wine Award. Hungarian producers are also eager to try themselves making the long macerated, amber colour wine, and adventurous wine connoisseurs greet their efforts.

Tornai Narancsbor 2025 (‘Narancsbor’ means ‘Orange wine’) is made of 100% Hárslevelű grape with prolonged skin maceration. “The dry sip on the palate is reminiscent of figs, but there is no hint of sweetness. A tight sense of acidity and a clean, unique flavour. Notes of oily seeds and herbs, earl grey tea and dried peach alternate. A long, complex and particularly likeable finish, with a slight phenolic character, rounded off by a nutty oil flavour.”
Recommended food pairing: pumpkin cream soup with artisan pumpkin seed oil. (In the west of Hungary, in “Őrség” region, there are several traditional small pumpkin seed oil producers.)
It costs 3600 HUF / 10 EUR on the webshop of the winery.

More about Tornai Winery

Tornai wines are available in several countries, for example in the United Kingdom, imported by Astrum Wine Cellars. If you are interested in importing, contact the export manager.

Our earlier article about the new sparkling wines

New release by Tornai: Sparkling made of Csomorika

Winelovers River Night on 23 July in Budapest

Unlimited tasting for 4 hours, including a 2 hours’ river cruise with breath-taking sights all around with the top attraczions of Budapest. Don’t miss the 150 wines by 31 wineries, including the brand new Tornai sparkling wines made of the rare Csomorika grape, the new releases of Kancellár Estate, the creator of SomlAI, the “AI wine”, the best non-Austrian sparkling by Falstaff magazine: Etyeki Kúria Rose Brut (with 92 points).

Date and time: 23 July, 18.00–22.00
Venue: Europa Boat / Jégverem Street Port, Budapest, Hungary
Tickets: 19 900 HUF / person (until 22 July)
VIP tickets are available in limited number for 36 900 HUF, it includes dinner and extra samplings.
See all the exhibitors and get your ticket here

More about the new tradtiotional method sparkling wines made by Tornai Winery

New release by Tornai: Sparkling made of Csomorika

More about the international success of Kancellár SomlAI 2021

(Sold out, but the estate has many other great wines worth tasting)

Breaking news: the Best White Wine of CMB is Hungarian!

More about the recent debut of Etyeki Kúria traditional method sparkling wines

World sensation: sabrage with an airplane

Traminer is a grape capable of great wines in great wine regions, but it can also give mediocre wines with excessed perfumy notes. Terroir and balance are the two keys to this wine. In case of Fehérvári Reserve Tramini both is given: the volcanic Somló terroir gives an extra touch to the wine, while meticulous winemaking results a balanced, aromatic, yet elegant wine.

1.
Tramin is a cute wine village in the Alpine region of South Tyrol, at an altitude of 276 metres, by the Lake Kaltern. Is it the origin of Traminer grape? Quite unlikely, Traminer was already cultivated by the Romans. However, the grape might have been named after Tramin, since in the medieval times it was a busy centre of wine trade.

2.
Rose petals, orange blossom, lemon zest with some spicy notes – these notes could well describe a perfume in the beauty store. Grapey aromas similar to that of Muscat, relatively high alcohol, many times moderate acidity. No wonder, in Russia Traminer is used to add a hint of “perfume” to sparkling wines.

3.
Mala Dinka, Savagnin Blanc (not Sauvignon Blanc) are all names for Traminer. In Hungary it is called Tramini. Gewürztraminer is a close relative, but they are not identical.

4.
In Hungary it is grown in several wine regions, mostly in Pannonhalma, Mór, Mátra and Eger. Only 700 hectares are planted with Tramini (in 2025), much less than other aromatic varieties, like Cserszegi Fűszeres (3380 hectares) and Irsai Olivér (2770 hectares). The amount is decreasing, in 2019 there were 740 hectares.

5.
In Somló wine region there is just a small amount of Tramini, only 9 hectares, while Olaszrizling leads with 98 hectares, then comes Juhfark with 77 hectares, Furmint with 76 hectares, Hárslevelű with 25 hectares, Chardonnay with 14 hectares and Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris) with 11 hectares. Yet, with the extra touch of the vocanic soil, Somló Tramini is a more than exciting wine, a true “must-try”.

Fehérvári Nagy-Somlói Tramini Reserve

“Our Tramini is recommended for those who like gastronomic specialties. The scent of Tramini Reserve is intense, rich and varietal. Each sip is a real flavour-journey, as the rose oil and rich aromas go down a perfect dance with the classic minerality of Somló lurking in the background. The aging in wooden barrels awakens the soul of the wine, at the same time giving it a sophisticated softness, which only makes the overall effect even more spicy.
This wine is the perfect highlight of the richly spiced Hungarian dishes as well as the exotic flavours of Asian cuisine.
The richness of the Tramini Reserve connects people, distant landscapes: whoever tastes it, returns to it again and again.”
The retail price in the winery webshop is only 3099 HUF / around 8.5 EUR.
More about Fehérvári Wine Estate

Fehérvári wines are available in some countries, for example in Poland on Wina Wulkaniczne webshop. If you are interested in importing, contact the export manager.

May is the favourite month of many–especially in the Northern Hemisphere–due to its beauty and its abundance in flowers. In the Ancient Rome, people celebrated Maia, the goddess of fertility and the coming of summer. In Hungary today we celebrate the beginning of a new era with a new government, and with the promise that we will never be oppressed again by our own politicians. Bubbles are to celebrate, so let us recommend three novelties from the sparkling scene

A. Gere, Kancellár and Sauska will be there

The most vibrant wine thing today – this is the tasting, where participants can indulge themselves in unknown varieties, fruits of remote, historic terroirs, ancient cultures. From Armenia to Poland, CEE Wine fair showcases novelties even for the seasoned British wine trade. Regarding Hungary, A. Gere from Villány, Kancellár from Somló, Gilvesy from Badacsony, Sauska from Tokaj and Villány have already confirmed their participation along with a Szekszárd regional table. Save the date!

“There’s almost nowhere left in the wine world that hasn’t been fully discovered – apart from the heart of Europe. The central and eastern end of Europe, from the Danube to the Black Sea, is home to a long, authentic wine history; a myriad of unique grapes; amazing personal stories and many dynamic winemakers producing great wines in all sorts of styles.
The Ultimate Central & Eastern European Wine Fair aims to give buyers, merchants, distributors and writers the chance to discover why Central & Eastern European wines should be on the radar of anyone seeking the next big wine story.”

Experts about the 1st edition CEE Wine Fair

The wines from the cover photo

Gere Kopar 2021, Villány
More

Kancellár Nagy-Somlói Juhfark 2021, Somló
More

Sauska Furmint 2025, Tokaj
More

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED TO PARTICIPATE AS AN EXHIBITOR, CONTACT US!

Natural, organic and biodynamic wines

Confetti claims to be the largest natural wine festival in Poland, but actually it is one of the largest in Europe for sure with more than 100 wineries from 16 countries, including Hungary. Csetvei Cellar (Mór / Somló) and Kristinus (South Balaton) will also be present at the 6th edition of Confetti. The event looks so awesome, that it might be worth converting to organic to be able to participate!

“Being precise does not mean standardizing” – it is an important sentence from Mirtha, an Italian winemaker. She means that natural wines are not accepted to be unclean, the era of the “funky” wines is over, natural wine lovers want great terroir wines without faults. You can listen to Mirtha and others talk about “that cool thing in wine that everybody loves and she does not” here, within the Confetti Questionnaire.

Date and time: 19 Apr 2026, 12.00–19.00 (from 12.00 for trade members and from 14.00 for all guests). There is an afterparty from 19.00 to 22.00!
Venue: Stara Zajezdnia, Św. Wawrzyńca 12, 31-060 Kraków, Poland
Tickets: trade: 129 PLN / person (approximately 30 EUR), 199 PLN / person (approximately 47 EUR)
More information

The wines from our cover photo

Csetvei Juhfark 2024, Somló

Csetvei Cellar is located in Mór wine region, but they own a vineyard in the volcanic Somló wine region as well. This wine is made of Juhfark, the emblematic grape of Somló. Gentle pressing, spontaneous fermentation on the skins, aged in stone clay amphora, unclarified, unfiltered, bottled without adding sulphur. Spiciness and dried southern fruits, raisins in the sip. A total of 340 bottles were made.
More about Csetvei Cellar

Kristinus Liquid Sundwoner 2022, Balatonboglár

An orange wine made of 40% Gewürztraminer, 20% Pinot Gris, 20% Welschriesling and 20% Chardonnay. Fermented spontaneously, long skin contact (30–90 days), aged in several vessels: amphora, used oak barrel, stainless steel. Unclarified, unfiltered, bottled with a small amount of sulphur (33 mg/L). “Sundowner means a drink that you enjoy in the late afternoon, around those few minutes when the sun disappears behind the horizon – a feeling that reminds us of this complex and structured orange wine.” (Movin Agency)

More about Kristinus

Wine & Painting at Tornai Winery

Zsuzsanna Kővári artist will share her passion of creation with joy at Tornai Winery on 11 April. Wine, wine bites and paint will be provided, guests only need to bring their heart. Plus: do not miss the chance to stock some of the 4 recent gold medal winner Tornai wines!

Date and time: 11 April 2026, 13.00
Venue: Tornai Winery, Somló hegy 1242., Somlojeno, Hungary, 8478
Participation fee: 12 000 HUF (approximately 30 EUR)
It includes: refreshing wines from Tornai, some wine bites, guided painting
Booking: +36 70 663 6641 / rendezveny@tornaipince.hu
More about Tornai Winery

Tornai Winery celebrates its 80th anniversary this year with several events all year long.

Painting with heart

Vivid colours, different techniques, several styles – Zsuzsanna “Zsanna” Kővári does not want to stay in her comfort zone, she wants to try herself in new techniques and genres to evolve. She grew up in Balaton Uplands, her love of the lake district is reflected in many of her paintings.
11 April is the Day of Poetry in Hungary, commemorating one of our most famous poets, Attila József, who was born on this day. Then why a painter? First of all, why not, secondly, Zsanna’s painting is poetry. She often reads poems for inspiration, because, as she says: “good things inspire me the most”. She “paints with heart”, and she can transfer this passion through a workshop like the one at Tornai Winery.

More about Zsuzsanna Kővári

Kancellár Estate, Somló: 7 gold out of 7 wines!

Mundus Vini Spring Tasting results are out. Unfortunately, the search field of the contest does not function well, we simply cannot find all the Hungarian results of the latest tasting, so we cannot share any statistics at the moment. We wrote to Mundus Vini tasting team, they replied, but their reply did not include the requested information. We wrote again, so far, we have not received any answer. If we get any list or the search field is fixed, we will update this article.
Bacground photo of the cover picture: Pexels / Monica Silvestre

Champion wine at champion price

What we can surely confirm – based on the information sent to the winery by Mundus Vini team –, Kancellár Estate from Somló entered 7 wines and received 7 gold medals. What is more, Olaszrizling 2022 has been selected the best Hungarian white wine. “Pale yellow, citrus colour. Lime blossom, citrus, and flint lead the nose. Light on the palate, medium-bodied, minerals and white fruits, with a fresh finish. Youthful and lively, yet complex and long-lasting, a well-balanced wine.” And it costs only 7-8 euros in retail! If interested, contact Gyula Bertalan, the export manager of the estate.

All the 7 gold winner Kancellár wines

Nagy-Somlói Magna Cuveé 2023
Szent Ilona Késői Szüretelésű Édes Fehérbor 2024
Nagy-Somlói Juhfark Prestige 2022
Juhfark 2022
Nagy-Somlói Olaszrizling Barrique 2023
Olaszrizling 2022
Irsai Olivér 2025

12 years, 22 hectares, countless medals

Kancellár Birtok is one of the youngest wineries in the Greater Somló wine region. Ferenc Horváth, Chancellor of the Somló and Environs Wine Route Association and Order of Wine Knights, together with his family members, launched the wine estate of Somló and its surroundings in 2014, which were then 11 hectares, now cultivating grapes on 22 hectares and producing characteristic wines from Somló. “Making Somló wine should only be done responsibly. We are committed to the place of production, the terroir. In addition to the geological, climatic and other conditions, we believe that terroir includes the respect and rich experience of the people who work here.”
The winery received the White Revelation trophy at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles last year! And it is just one of the many international acknowledgements.
More about Kancellár Estate

Kancellár Estate will exhibit at ProWein, find them at HALL 3 / C41. More information here.
6 Kancellár wines will be available to taste at Mundus Vini Tasting Zone at ProWein:

Kancellár Olaszrizling 2022 Best Of Show Hungary White
Kancellár Irsai Olivér 2025
Kancellár Juhfark 2022
Kancellár Nagy-Somlói Juhfark Prestige 2022
Kancellár Szent Ilona Late Harvest 2024
Kancellár Nagy-Somlói Magna Red Cuvée 2023