Today, until 23.00 you can buy precious wines from Bock, Gere Attila, Heimann, Szepsy, Oremus and other outstanding Hungarian producers, plus from some foreign wineries like Antinori and Taittinger for charity. Autistic Art Foundation has announced a wine auction to help 250 autistic people, who live in 11 different special homes and who are not capable of living without special care.

Due the pandemic financing these homes got even harder than earlier. They have unexpected costs, and at the same time they cannot have profit from the usual channels like charity fairs. This is why the foundation announced the auction, and to their greatest pleasure, Bortársaság (one of the most important wine store chain) and Bor és Más (an importer specialized in fine wines) joined the initiative. Altogether 13 Hungarian and 4 foreign wineries offered their wines for the cause.

Bidding is simple, you just click on “Licitálok” (‘Bid’), write in your name (‘név’) and email address, plus the amount in HUF (you can use a converter). The auction site is in Hungarian, but simple to use (if you click, scroll down a little, the first text is an introduction): Autisctic Auction

Bock Capella – the highest starting price

One of the wines with the highest starting price is Capella Cuvée 2000 from Bock Cellar, Villány (the other is Libra also from Bock). Capella is the great selection of the cellar, made only in exceptional years. Made from selections from Ördögárok Cabernet Franc (60%) and Merlot (10%) and Jammertál Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) matured for 24 months in new oak barrels. “A full bodied, concentrated wine with an incredible wealth of aroma and depth of flavour. It is characterized by a deeply intense colour verging on black in which tobacco and milk chocolate appear alongside overripe fruit. Alongside the dried fruits, chocolate is a dominant element of its flavour.”  More about Bock Cellar

Autistic Art on wine labels

This action is not the first initiative of Autistic Art Foundation related to wine. In some of the autistic homes the foundation runs a special art therapy, which is more than helpful since autistic people can express themselves with images rather than words. Besides fashion products like scarves, sweaters, gourmet products are designed by young autistic artists as well, like hand made chocolate, tea and wine. Six wineries joined the project by donating wines, for example Etyeki Kúria and Vylyan. If you buy the products, you support the homes and the art therapies for autistic people.

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A double magnum is 3 litres, more or less 3 kilos (without the bottle). The weight of a healthy new born baby. However, many babies are bor with less than 1 kilo! You can help them now and enjoy great wines at the same time. Vylyan Mandolás double magnum is one of the auction lots of Pannon Wine Guild charity auction. Rare and valuable bottles are available and 100% of the income will go to Peter Cerny Foundation to help them cure sick babies. Ezerjó from Frittmann, Eszterbauer, Bock, Gere Tamás & Zsolt and Dúzsi wine selections in wooden gift box and many other exciting items!

The Guild

Pannon Wine Guild is an association of the most significant family wineries throughout Hungary. It was founded in 1999 by ten wineries.  It is a prestige to become a member. They hold tasting events, for example the annual Christmas tasting one of their missions is to recommend each other. For this reason the Guild has created the Pannon Passport recently. As for this auction, the website is in Hungarian, but it is easy to participate, though shipping can be an issue. If you are interested, let us know and we can check the cost of shipment for you.

Auction website

3 auction lots to go for

Eszterbauer is a family winery in Szekszárd wine region with numerous national and international accolades. The wooden gift box contains three vintages of Tivald Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, 2012, 2013. Tivald is a great, full bodied wine, a perfect example of the grape variety. Full bodied, but the big body pairs with elegance and delicacy. And who is Tivald? He was a simple day labourer working for the owner’s grandfather. János Eszterbauer well remembers his figure, always unshaved, always complaining about something – and always working. This wine and the label is an honour to him – and probably to all the simple, honest, hard working people.

Make a bid! Auction price: 29.000 HUF (82 euros)

Kristinus Wine Estate in Balatonboglár wine region (South Balaton) is in the middle of convertion into biodynamic, as we wrote earlier in our article “No more gas masks!”. On the journey to more natural, Kristinus has created its first orange wine of 100% Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris). Only 600 bottles were made, therefore it will be a limited experience indeed. “The biodynamicly grown fruit was carefully hand-picked, handled minimally, soaked and fermented on its skins in clay terracotta then nurtured in Hungarian oak for six months. Not only is the wine alluring and delicious to smell and taste, but possesses an absolutely gorgeous copper like colour to admire. You’ll explore aromas and tangy flavours of brown spices, dried apricots, green apple, pear skin, tropical citrus, coriander, caramel and peaches. The wine has a noticeable, but balanced acidity beside its 12% alcohol, light to medium body and great persistence of flavour on the finish. This dry, exotic, textured and aromatic wine falls somewhere between heaven and hell but does not fit neatly into the „traditional” category“ – says Florian Zaruba CEO about his favourite wine. Because of the limited amount, it will be hard to find Kristinus Szürkebarát Orange Wine elsewhere outside Hungary, but thanks God our country seems to be over the pandemic, life has got back to normal, hotels and restaurants are open, thus Kristinus awaits guests again with its fascinating rooms, bistro and the untouched beauty of the neighbourhood.

More about Kristinus Wine Estate

Charity running contest at Kristinus in September

It is a noble deed to send wines to doctors and nurses, it is also really kind to take care of their daily meals and it certainly is nice to clap our hands every day. But – in most cases – what they really need is nothing else, but money. Garamvári Vineyard in Balatonboglár wine region (South Balaton) decided to donate money with a 12-bottle-pack (free delivery within Hungary): after every purchased pack they donate 15.000 HUF (42 euros) to the epidemic centre in Budapest called Saint László Hospital. So far Garamvári has collected 195.000 HUF (550 euros), which has already been transferred to the hospital. The campaign goes on, the pack is still available with 12 different wines and bottle fermented sparkling wines. The pack is a great “kit” to learn more about Hungarian wines including varietal wines made of Irsai Olivér, Cserszegi Fűszeres or Kadarka. As for sparkling wines, Classic Brut, Prestige Brut and Evolution Rosé are included. This latter one is made of 100% Pinot Noir and has 9.5 g/l residual sugar. “Wild raspberries and wild cherries at start following with subtle, yeasty, biscuity notes with dynamic, vibrant acids.”
More about Garamvári Vineyard and the 12-bottle-pack (in Hungarian)

Order the 12-bottle-pack (in English)

 

In some countries citizens are allowed to leave their homes in order to do some solitary sport activities outdoor – for example in Hungary we are allowed to do so. If in your country the situation is worse and you are strictly closed in your house, you can still do some sports to keep fit mentally and physically. Do your training every day and enter the annual charity running contest organized by Kristinus Wine Estate at Lake Balaton on 19 September 2020 – we hope that the nightmare will be over by then. Participants can choose from distances: 5, 10 and 21 km races are available. The elevation is 182 metres in the longest race. Details are to be shared later, but the winner will win a large pack of Kristinus wines for sure. Last year the fastest runner won a night for 2 at Kristinus Vinotel besides the wine pack. The estate is worth visiting anytime: a state-of-art, breathtaking estate building, a vinotel (wine hotel), a bistro plus a wine cinema are at the disposal of the guests. In peaceful times the estate frequently holds music events as well.

Read our earlier article about the biodynamic conversion of Kristinus

More information about Kristinus Wine Estate

Download our free map of Balatonboglár wine region

 

 

 

Eger Wine Workshop, an association of renowned winemakers of Eger has donated 1552 bottles of wine to collect funds to finance meals for people working in hospitals, National Health Service institutions, emergency rooms and other medical units. Eger Lions Club is coordinating the project. “Long working hours, endless shifts – health professionals might not be able to leave their workplace for days or even weeks. We try to help them with meals, so that they can concentrate on their jobs.” Anyone can participate by buying a bottle of the 1552 for at least 2000 HUF. Certainly donations are welcome. Restaurants of Eger (Falánk Fanny, Fúzió, Macok and Senator House) will cook and deliver the meals. Members of Eger Wine Workshop: Bolyki Vineyard, Eszterházy Károly University, Gál Tibor Winery, Juhász Brothers Winery, Ostoros Family Winery, Petrény Winery, St. Andrea Vineyard, Thummerer Vineyard and Winery, Tóth Ferenc Winery. And why 1552 bottles? 1552 is a symbolic date in the history of Eger, since it was the year of the famous siege of Eger, the topic of Géza Gárdonyi’s famous novel.
More information and the available wines (in Hungarian, if you want to donate and need help in translation, write to us).

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