The process of the award

This prestigious accolade is presented annually together by three associations:
– the Hungarian Wine Academy,
– the National Council of Wine Communities and
– the Hungarian Association of Wine and Vine Producers.

During the nomination process, 850 industry participants are invited to vote for the winery they believe is most deserving of the award. The three wineries with the highest number of votes are then asked to submit a detailed presentation of their qualifications. These submissions are reviewed by the board members of the three organizations, who then cast their individual votes to determine the final ranking and select the winning winery.
When deciding, the professionals take a lot of aspects into consideration, like these:
– The quality of wines produced in the winery.
– The impact of the winery on local, regional, national and international level.
– The role of the winery in increasing the good reputation of Hungarian wines.
– The work of the winery to make quality and moderate wine drinking more popular.
– The image of the winery and the wines.
– The look of the winery building and all its facilities.
– Innovations, recent development of the winery.
– The size, condition, age of vineyards.
– Working conditions of the employees, the number of new workplaces created.

Earlier award winners

(The award was not given every year.)

2025 St. Andrea Winery, Eger
2024 A. Gere Winery, Villány
2023 Pannonhalma Archabbey, Pannonhalma
2019 Günzer Tamás Winery, Villány
2016 Patricius Winery, Tokaj
2015 Frittmann Winery, Kunság
2014 Koch Winery, Hajós–Baja
2013 IKON Winery, South Balaton
2012 Mészáros Wine House, Szekszárd
2011 Thummerer Winery, Eger
2010 Pannonhalma Archabbey, Pannonhalma (they won twice)
2009 Szöllősi Winery, Neszmély
2008 Vylyan Vineyard and Winery, Villány
2007 Bock Winery, Villány
2006 Garamvári Vineyards, South Balaton
2005 Disznókő, Tokaj
2004 Hilltop, Neszmély
2003 Tokaji Oremus, Tokaj
2002 Szőlőskert Rt., Mátra

6-wine flights are available to taste

The menu lists those traditional dishes as they are called, like potato cream soup, fish soup, smoked rainbow trout. Gergely Somogyi wine expert and owner of Tokaj Today appreciates the wording of the menu as well: “The menu features Hungarian classics, which are even called by their good old original names – a welcome step away from the habit of rechristening familiar dishes as something unrecognisable and the list-of-ingredients type of naming schemes that often plague menu cards in Hungary these days.”
The chef is Bence Várkonyi, with experiences from Michelin-starred and recommended restaurants (though these places are not listed, and with google we only found the restaurant of Andrássy Kúria, where Bence Várkonyi worked as chef before his recent position).
The restaurant offers three wine tastings, which is undoubtedly an idea to welcome. Wine travellers will have the chance to taste 6 wines from different wineries, to get a deeper insight of the region. Besides “Sweet Dreams” and “The Dry Side of Tokaj” the third tasting offers wines of Tokaj Oremus and its parent winery, the iconic Spanish Vega Sicilia. Also, a wide selection of wines is available from these two estates on the wine list, including four vintages of Unico.

From McDonalds to fine dining

We cannot avoid mentioning the owner, who is Sándor Scheer, the 16th richest person of Hungary (Forbes Hungary, 2025). In 2021 he was “only” the 30th richest one, but within four years his wealth grew 4 times bigger. Obviously, he was close to the previous, Orbán-led government, without that this fabulous growth would not have been possible. He also received 1.1 billion HUF for Galuschka, which is 60% of the whole cost of the establishment. One of the many business ventures belonging to Scheer is the company running all the McDonalds restaurants in Hungary. The 2024 profit was a record one: 8.8 billion HUF – yes, we spent more than ever on hamburgers that year. At least he created something really valuable with Galuschka, and let us hope that the restaurant will survive in real market circumstances as well.
More about Galuschka Bistro & Garden

3 dishes with wine recommendations from the menu

Pan-seared pike perch with asparagus, ramsons and butter sauce
Wine recommendation: Holdvölgy Vision 2021

Holdvölgy ‘meaning ‘Moon Valley’ is a state-of-the-art winery with outstanding, world standard wines. They are an exception in Tokaj naming all their wines with a concept instead of the usual Tokaji Furmint and alike. Vision is a dry blend from three classified, renowned vineyards: Holdvölgy, Nyulászó and Becsek. And why Vision? “Our Vision wine demonstrates that, in our view, a dry Furmint can be produced successfully and remain exciting every year if we blend it—in proportions that vary subtly and thoughtfully according to the characteristics of each vintage—with the pleasantness of Hárslevelű and the spiciness of Kabar.”
Holdvölgy offers award winning wine experience in the cellar labirinth under the ground. A must-do activity in Tokaj!
More about Holdvölgy

Pancake with homemade, spiced apricot jam
Wine recommendation: Zsirai Fordítás 2021

Zsirai Winery is owned by two sisters, Petra and Kata, they do a great job showing the young face of Tokaj along with the inherited traditions. ‘Fordítás’ is a barely known style of Tokaj, nowadays only a handful of winemakers make it. ‘Fordítás’ is made of the second maceration af the aszú berries. It has the structure and character of a 4 ‘puttonyos’ Tokaji Aszú. However, it is lighter than an Aszú. Besides the fruitiness it has firm acidity in perfect balance with the residual sugar. The wine is not available in many places, so it is a special opportunity to taste it.
The cover photo above features a single vineyard Hárslevelű from Középhegy vineyard by Zsirai Winery. Középhegy is a “cru” placed on the map by the Zsirai girls.
Zsirai Winery offers cosy rooms in a charming guests house, plus they have some rooms within the winery building as well!
More about Zsirai Winery

Cheese selection from Zemplén county with fruit chutney, bread chips and roasted nuts
Wine recommendation: Barta Furmint Pezsgő 2020 (traditional method sparkling wine)

The grape for this sparkling comes from the prestigious Öreg Király vineyard (meaning ‘Old King’) and that it is made with the traditional method, of 100% Furmint, with at least 3 years of ageing on the lees. The sparkling has just been selected the best sparkling wine of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Barta Winery offers stunning accommodation as well in a mansion from the 17th century, with lavishly renovated large rooms. Unmissable!
More about Barta Winery

Danes vacationing at Lake Balaton have their wish fulfilled

“We import all our wines ourselves, and thanks to our close relationships with the wineries, we guarantee our customers the best quality at the best price.”
That’s where they are now, but how did it all begin? A good ten years ago, Patrícia was working in the hospitality industry, and guests would often ask her, upon hearing her distinctive accent, where she was from. Whenever Hungary came up, guests would regularly share their experiences of what a wonderful vacation they’d had, what delicious wines they’d drunk, and what a shame it was that these weren’t available in Denmark.
“Back then, you could only get Tokaji dessert wines, or dry Szepsy wines, but at very high prices. Anyone who hadn’t heard of Furmint wouldn’t buy such an expensive wine.” The idea became a plan, and the plan—not quickly, but rather thoughtfully—finally gave birth to PaTrioVin in 2015.
When putting together their portfolio, they were careful not to encroach on anyone else’s business; under no circumstances did they want to work with a winery that already had a representative somewhere in Denmark. The wines of Bock from Villány and Kovács Nimród from Eger were already represented by someone Patrícia and her team knew, and since that person had just retired, PaTrioVin took over these two wineries from them.

Danes tend to drink red wine

Patrícia remembers how it all began with each of their partners. Gróf Degenfeld in Tokaj is one of their oldest partners, while they sought out the Dúzsi family in Szekszárd because of their wide variety of rosés. They found Feind at Lake Balaton through an acquaintance, while they discovered Etyeki Kúria and Konyári wines through Bortársaság. And what sells best for them?
“The Danes primarily drink red wine, though light whites are also very popular in the summer. The Etyeki Kúria Frizzante and the Feind Irsai Olivér were very popular, but Hungarian varieties aren’t typical here.”
PaTrioVin focuses on international varieties because they believe their customers are more likely to try a wine made from a familiar grape variety. The Kovács Nimród Battonage Chardonnay is a real star, but Nimród’s Pinot Noir is also popular, and they love Etyeki Kúria’s Pinot Noir as well. As for Hungarian varieties, there’s Furmint, of course, and Sárgamuskotály, but it’s not their goal to stock wines from every domestic variety.

He drinks water, but thankfully preaches wine

The current ambassador representing Hungary in Denmark isn’t exactly a wine lover, but thank goodness he understands just how important the wine industry is, and the economic attaché is active, putting principles into practice. One example of these actions is the recent Bock masterclass, as the Bock family happened to be in Denmark for a PaTrioVines tasting and wine dinner. The masterclass was a success, and Patrícia hopes that as a result—and generally speaking, thanks to their work—their wines will find their way into larger wine retailers; they are currently working tirelessly toward this goal, and we wish them every success.

Hërka, the girl who fooled the devil (Vylyan Vineyard and Winery, Villány)

Once upon a time there was a blonde girl, Hërka, who was so beautiful that even the devil fell in love with her. In his desperate love, the devil agreed with the old witch (Harka’s mother) to plough the rocky mountain of Harsány within one night. The job seemed impossible: the rocky surface was hard and solid, thus nobody had been able to plough it before him. The witch told him: „if you don’t succeed, you have to promise to go back to hell immediately!” The devil was strong and devoted: it was not even midnight when he almost finished. The old witch loved her daughter, she was afraid of losing her, so she was thinking hard to come up with a solution. Finally, she ran to the hen house and started to crow, just like roosters do at dawn. Though sunrise was hours away, she could wake up the roosters of the neighbourhood, who replied to her voice, and suddenly the cocks of the whole village were crowing. The devil was shocked, he had not finished yet! He was furious but had to leave, the place where he went down the hell is still there in the town of Harkány, hot water has been coming to the surface since there to supply the famous Harkány spa. And if you drive from Harkány to Villány, you can still see the traces of his plough, a quarry on the rocky mountain.
Hërka is one of the most popular wines of Vylyan made of 100% Chardonnay, with the enchanting legendary girl on the label.
More about Vylyan Vineyard and Winery

Adél, the enchanting pretty woman (Dominium Winery, Mátra)

Adél is made of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Furmint. The varieties aged separately in new oak for 8 months and after blending the wines matured in stainless steel for 4 more months. Only 1200 bottles were made and the indicative retailed price is around 23 euros. Rich, elegant, long finish, complex, fiery, concentrated. And the following notes: dried figs, quince, walnut, pistachio, tropical fruits, juniper, pine, lemongrass, toffee, gingerbread, brioche (and many more). It was selected The Best Sustainable wine at Budapest Wine Festival in 2023.
More about Dominium Winery

Gabriella, a devoted wife and mother (Borbély Family Winery, Badacsony)

Gabriella is a juicy, lovely summer wine made of Muscat Ottonel. Pale lemon colour, medium intense nose typical of the variety. Lilac, lily of the valley and genuine Muscat notes. Some almond, sage and lavander in the background. Ripened white fruits on the palate, good acidity, round sip. A lovely, refreshing wine, a beautiful representative of the variety. And it is named after the founder’s wife, and she is Tamás Borbély’s mother, who happens to be the Winemaker of the Year 2020, the youngest holder of the prestigious title ever.
More about Borbély Family Winery

Katinka, a sweet girl, Patricius Winery, Tokaj

Katinka is a blend of Furmint and Yellow Muscat with 116.3 g/l residual sugar and 5.9 g/l acidity, perfectly balancing the sweetness. A reference point among the late harvest wines of the Tokaj Wine Region. Selected bunches containing healthy, over-ripened and partly botrytized berries which were picked during the late – autumn harvest. The characteristic varietal notes of Furmint and Yellow Muscat form the foundation of this wine, braced by minerality and zippy acidity for great balance and topped off with an incredibly long finish and creaminess.

More about Patricius Winery

“I have been a firm believer in the quality and potential of dry Furmint, ever since tasting Szepsy’s legendary Úrágya 2000 in his cellars. I, for one, am looking forward to this unique opportunity to taste and compare over two decades of rare wines showing how Furmint can age and how winemaking has evolved. It’s time to add Furmint to the list of great white grapes.”
Caroline Gilby MW

Is there life beyond Furmint?

– Obviously there are critics, some experts believe that placing too much emphasis on Furmint is not the smartest path, especially because Hungary produces much more other wines, like Olaszrizling or the popular aromatic varieties. Does Furmint help the other Hungarian varieties or styles or does it take all the limelight?

– Furmint and Tokaj serve as a gateway to other grape varieties and wine regions; however, at times, I feel they do not fully make room for other wines to follow. There is a clear need to introduce additional Hungarian grape varieties to the UK market, driven both by trade demand and the ambitions of Hungarian producers. We successfully hosted a Hárslevelű tasting during COVID, running the Blue of the Danube tasting for the third time this year (October 2026) focusing on Kékfrankos and Bikavér, and introduced other grape varieties at the Furmint February – Furmint and Friends tasting two years ago. For Balaton, we raised awareness and drove sales through a comprehensive JancisRobinson.com article.

The Wine52 Balaton campaign, accompanied by a 60-page magazine about the region, brought nearly 100,000 bottles of Balaton wines directly in front of UK consumers.

We also hosted a GROW/Olaszrizling masterclass at last year’s CEE Wine Fair. Further efforts are needed to support other Hungarian regions than Tokaj, and other grape varieties on the UK market. Building awareness and consideration for lesser-known wine regions and grape varieties is no easy task. It demands focus, consistency, patience, and significant investment from the wineries—an investment that is difficult to sustain without support from the wine marketing board.

Hoping for cooperation next year

– Over the years you have established a good relationship with the Hungarian Embassy in the UK. In what way do you help each other?

– We have been working together with the Hungarian Embassy and the Liszt Institute in London since the beginning. HE dr Ferenc Kumin ambassador and Enikő Magyar former Agricultural Attache and now Bálint Illés is supporting our work. We are organising events together as well as promoting Hungarian wines like the Decanted Hungary, which features DWWA medal winning wines. Last year the Embassy hosted a highly successful South Korean lunch with Hungarian wines for Korean restaurant owners, and sommeliers fostering business connection and driving sales. The year-end Importer Brunch is an annual tradition where HE invites importers and buyers to review the performance of Hungarian wines over the past year and discuss opportunities and recommendations for further development.

– The key people and bodies of the Hungarian wine marketing have changed several times during these past 8 years. Could you cooperate with the official Hungarian wine marketing, and can you cooperate now?

– We have worked closely with the main Hungarian wine marketing bodies in the past 8 years, and UK initiatives have received their support to date. However, this year there was no budget allocated to support Furmint February in the UK unfortunately. We are actively fostering collaboration to ensure the successful joint execution of planned Furmint February activities next year.

“Awareness is established, listings are increasing”

– Why did you choose this intimate masterclass format this year, instead of the earlier grandiose walk-around tastings combined with masterclasses?

– This year’s Furmint February was very much on strategy or at least executed as part of the objectives. “Some tastings introduce a category – and some tastings quietly change your perspective on it. 25 Years of Dry Furmint in London was very much the latter” as demonstrated by this year’s vertical tasting, this reflects what I aimed to achieve in London: awareness is established, listings are increasing, and nearly every restaurant features a dry Furmint. Now we need to keep the trade engaged and educated about Furmint and its full potential – this year in partnership with Liberation Tardive’s 10+Wine campaign we presented a rare opportunity to taste iconic Furmint wines from the past two decades.
Unfortunately, we were unable to run the planned nation-wide by-the-glass trade promotion and the Edinburgh tasting this year, so these initiatives will be prioritised for next year.

– As you said earlier on the phone, the masterclass and tasting in London was a big hit, full house and you received a lot of positive, enthusiastic feedback. Can you quote some of the comments?

– It was a tasting with a wonderful atmosphere. Everyone was thoroughly delighted with the wines and especially appreciated the selection featured in the masterclass. Jancis Robinson congratulated us after the masterclass, highlighting the quality and complexity of the wines, as well as the well-considered structure of the tasting. We will be able to read more of her insights on her website and in the Financial Timas as well.

“It was indeed a serious and highly prestigious event. We are delighted to have been part of it with our Muzeális Aszú.”
Szilvia Kárpáti Grand Tokaj

“It was a real privilege to be able to share such amazing Furmints, going all the way back to 2003 for dry wines and 1988 for Aszú.”
Caroline Gilby MW

“Thank you so much for the tasting yesterday, it was amazing. I particularly liked the dry whites, which really showed the ageing potential of the Furmint.  I am glad I came.”
Luisa Vogliolo-Welch, wine writer

“I am well acquainted with dry Furmint and have enjoyed several bottles over the years, but I had never imagined that it could age so gracefully and develop with such elegance. This experience has been a complete revelation—thank you, I have learned a great deal.”

Christopher Burr MW

“It was fascinating and hugely exciting to see how well dry Furmint ages. In both oaked and unoaked forms, the wines were taking on real complexity; and the natural acidity of the grape means that the wines are never short of verve or freshness. Given the relative lack of experience with this style of wine, the future looks highly promising!”
Richard Bampfield MW

The wines of the masterclass

1. Furmint Méthode Traditionnelle 2018, Carpinus Winery, Tokaj, ABV: 11%, brut
2. Kis-Garai Furmint 2021, Tokaj Hétszőlő, Tokaj, ABV: 13,5%, single vineyard: Kis-Garai
3. Furmint Selection 2021, Chateau Dereszla, Tokaj, ABV: 12,5%, vineyards: Henye, Poklos
4. Birsalmás Furmint 2019, Sauska Tokaj, Tokaj, ABV: 14%, single vineyard: Birsalmás
5. Nagy Somlói Furmint 2016, Kolonics Winery, Somló, ABV: 13%, vineyard: Arany-hegy
6. Mandolás Furmint 2014, Tokaj Oremus, Tokaj, ABV: 12.5%, single vineyard: Mandolás
7. Szent Tamás Furmint 2012, Royal Tokaji, Tokaj, ABV: 14%, single vineyard: Szent Tamás
8. Tokaji Furmint 2009, Füleky, Tokaj, ABV: 13%, estate wine
9. Tokaji Furmint 2007, Dobogó, Tokaj, ABV: 14%, vineyards: Betsek, Szent Tamás, Palota
10. Tokaji Furmint 2005, Patricius, Tokaj, ABV: 12.5%, estate wine
11. Úrágya Furmint 2003, Szepsy, Tokaj, ABV: 13.5%, vineyard: Úrágya
12. Dry Szamorodni 2015, Harsányi Winery, Tokaj, ABV: 15%, vineyard: Ciróka
13. Kapi Vineyard Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 2015, Disznókő, Tokaj, ABV: 11%, RS:187 g/l, vineyard: Kapi
14. Tokaji Aszú 5 puttonyos 1988, Grand Tokaj, Tokaj, ABV: 11.5%, RS:131 g/l

Those fabulous and lavish Swiss events

Even two years ago, during our conversation, Marietta mentioned that Switzerland is known for its expos, or rather fairs, where wine lovers can taste wines and order the quantity they want on the spot, and the exhibitor has to deliver it by Christmas. That’s wonderful, I said, and Marietta reported on the results so far with great joy and satisfaction. But she also added that there had been some hiccups.

“I always emphasize to our winemaker partners that they should only include wines in the exhibition that they actually have in sufficient quantities. You simply can’t tell a Swiss guest that the wine they ordered is now sold out. Unfortunately, this happened at the last event. I called the winemaker, who didn’t really understand why it was such a big deal that a vintage had sold out,” Marietta told us two years ago.

The famous Swiss precision is also characteristic here: once a dear customer falls in love with a certain vintage of a certain wine, it must be delivered later. The Swiss are interested, open-minded, and, last but not least, solvent, so it is worth showing them the top wines. Of course, this requires a professional and, above all, enthusiastic presentation, which István and Marietta provide with great enthusiasm.

If logistics work, everything else will work too

István was born in Switzerland, but one of his parents is Hungarian, and they have many Hungarian relatives whom they visit often. During these family gatherings, István and his family tasted several red wines, and during these years, the quality of Hungarian wines improved dramatically. The political system had changed, and talented winemakers, armed with experience gained in Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Tuscany, were producing increasingly remarkable wines. István and his family often took wines home with them to Switzerland, much to the delight of their Swiss friends. No wonder that the idea soon arose: why not open a wine shop and officially import Hungarian wines? István’s main job is related to customs, so they easily overcame the bureaucratic obstacles that would have daunted others.
They brought back what they liked, and since white wines are less commonly tasted, Tokaj Furmints were added to the selection relatively late, as they themselves were later amazed by the greatness of these wines.

If Wines of Hungary doesn’t move, Villány will

In the meantime, they started attending wine fairs, where personal feedback and positive reception from customers further strengthened them. The organizer of the Basel wine fair also encouraged them and suggested that it was time for a larger, more prominent Hungarian presence. The organizer contacted the Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency, but unfortunately without success. They did not give up, however, and tried the Villány wine region. Fortunately, the Villány winemakers saw the opportunity, so last November they offered tastings at a joint stand, with several of them present in person.

At the end of November in Villány, Marietta talked about her recent experiences in Basel, but she also made a worried phone call. When I asked her about it, she told me that once again, one of the wineries had run out of the wine that the guests had ordered. “But I solved the problem,” Marietta announced, “I found the wine at Bortársaság, bought the necessary quantity from them, so the customer will finally get the wine they chose.” It is obviously more expensive and complicated for them, but that’s how the Bicsek couple are: they do their work with perfectionism, thus maintaining their good reputation among their growing circle of customers.

“In addition to the Weinfestival Basel, the Expovina Primavera spring event in Zurich and the Expovina Weinschiffe autumn event are the most important Swiss wine exhibitions, in which we participate every year. These events have always been very successful, with discerning visitors eagerly purchasing premium/super-premium red wines from Villány-Szekszárd and special dry white wines, mostly from Tokaj. (Over time, they have learned that Tokaj is not just about sweet wines and grape varieties).”

“We serve even students in the same way”

Nearly a decade and a half of dedicated work has borne fruit. Marietta told us that at a wine fair, of course, not all interested visitors are wealthy wine collectors; there are also students who just want to taste and learn. “There are exhibitors who immediately push the order form in front of the tasting guest, but we never force an order, and even if someone clearly isn’t going to order wine, we still present the wines to them in the same way. We have even had a merchant, who had tasted our wines years ago as a student, greet us thanking us for our openness earlier.”
The webshop is now doing well, and they have even opened a small shop where customers can pick up bottles and ask Marietta and her team for advice in person, as they have a personal relationship with all their partners.
“Visitors are always very interested in Hungarian varieties such as Furmint, Hárslevelű, Kékfrankos, and Kadarka, while Bikavér, as a Hungarian cuvée, is also an important item in the range. In terms of style, light white wines, full-bodied red wines, and dessert wines are popular. Among the wine regions, Villány and Tokaj are the most attractive to our customers.”
They travel to Hungary a lot, always looking for something new. In June, for example, they will definitely be tasting a range of Hungarian wines, as they are participating in the 5th Winelovers Wine Awards and the Winelovers X professional walking tasting that is part of it.