Vince Award winners

1. Fresh white wine made of international variety
   – Balassa Rhine Riesling 2024

2. Fresh white wine made of important variety of the Carpathian Basin
   – Jásdi Csopaki Olaszrizling Hegybor 2024

3. Fresh white wine made of other variety
   – Válibor Budai Zöld 2024

4. Fresh white blend
   – Gizella Tokaji Cuvée Hárslevelű Furmint 2024

5. Barrel aged white wine made of international variety
   – Kovács Nimród Battonage Chardonnay 2023
6. Barrel aged white wine made of important variety of the Carpathian Basin
   – Kikelet Tokaji Hárslevelű “Tarczal” 2022

7. Barrel aged white wine made of other variety
   – Folly Kéknyelű 2024

8. Barrel aged white blend
   – Figula 30 Olaszrizling-Furmint 2023

9. Fruit driven red wine made of international variety
   – Németh János Deviant Syrah 2023

10. Fruit driven red wine made of important variety of the Carpathian Basin
    – Heimann & Fiai Szekszárd Kadarka Bio 2024

11. Fruit driven red wine made of other grape
    – Vylyan Csóka 2019

12. Fruit driven red blend
    – Kislaki – Légli Géza Birtok Vörös 2023

13. Barrel aged red wine made of international variety
    – Gere Solus 2022

14. Barrel aged red wine made of important variety of the Carpathian Basin
    – Bukolyi Marcell Kékfrankos Reserve Nagy-Eged Grand Superior 2021

15. Barrel aged red wine made of other grape
    – Balla Géza Ménesi Fekete Leányka Sziklabor 2022

16. Barrel aged red blend
    – Pannonhalmi Főapátság Infusio 2022

17. Rosé, siller
    – Heimann és Fiai “Piros” Siller 2024

18. Natural wine or sparkling wine
    – Steigler Pet-Nat Zöld Veltelini 2024

19. Charmat method sparkling or aerated sparklig wine
    – Holdvölgy Hold and Hollo Uppp 2023

20. Traditional method sparkling wine
    – Kreinbacher Egoist Magnum 2017

21. Late harvest sweet wine
    – Barta Öreg Király Dűlő Késői Szüretelésű Furmint 2018

22. Sweet Szamorodni or Tokaji Aszú
    – Kikelet Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 2019

Special Vince Awards

• Best wine bar: DROP SHOP
• Best restaurant wine list: Essencia Restaurant
• Best winery labels: Bolyki Winery, Eger
• Winery to watch beyond the border: Csernus Winery (Slovakia)
• Dr. Gábor Rohály Memorial Award: Sebestyén Nagy
• VINCE life achievement award:István Jásdi, Balatomfüred–Csopak wine region

See original Vince post here

Homola Paloznak – jazz is all around

Lake Balaton is an obligatory place for every tourist and also for Hungarians – we cannot live without the unique, light blue colour of the lake. Now, imagine a place, which is slightly farther away from the buzzling beach, yet it offers the stunning view of the lake, and the wine terrace has its own buzzling life all the summer (and longer). Outstanding wines, great food and unparalleled mood.
Where: 8229 Paloznak, Vincellér utca 0534 (Balatonfüred–Csopak wine region)
How to get there: By car it takes approximately 90 minutes from Budapest via M7. By public transport tha fastest way is to take a “sebesvonat” (faster passenger train) from Budapest, stop at Csopak and walk about 20 minutes.
Opening hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 14.00–21.00, Sunday: 14.00–20.00 (closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday)
What to taste: Homola Winery makes stunning bottle fermented sparkling wines made of our flagship white and black indigenous grapes (Furmint and Kékfrankos). Olaszrizling, the grape of Balaton is obligatory here, and do not miss the Kékfrankos still red wines, they impressed Andrii Stetsiuk of JamesSuckling.com!
An event not to miss: There are smaller events frequently like DJ sessions in the vineyard every Saturday (from May to September), also on 30 July (find more info here), but the top attraction of the Paloznaki Jazzpiknik with foreign and Hungarian performers. This year among others we can see the French Zaz and the Danish Lukasz Graham. The event takes place from 31 July to 2 August, find more information here.
More about Homola Wine Terrace

Csetvei Winery & Garden – heaven for music & wine geeks

Krisztina Csetvei and her DJ husband, Nesta have created a music and wine crow funded project again this year, we wrote about it here. On 18 July natural wines can taste the wines and listen to songs of the LP in Székesfehérvár in “Már Vártalak”, and the vinyl will be available there as well. More info about the event here. Hovewer, the cellar itself is more than worth visiting in the small town of Mór. The cellar is surrounded by the vineyards, and Kriszti is happy to show guests around.
Where: Mór, Hársfa utca hrsz.737, 8060 (Mór wine region)
How to get there: It takes approximately 75 minutes by car from Budapest via M7. By public transport the best route is to take an InterCity train to Székesfehérvár, then a bus to the town of Mór.
Opening hours: Prior booking is needed.
What to taste: Napholdcsillag (meaning ‘Sun-moon-star’) is the first Csetvei wine we have ever tasted, a legend, a wine not to miss. The 2020 vintage is made of Chardonnay, Szürkebarát (Pinot Gris) and Ezerjó. Also, taste the new RAW/KA Róka 2024 orange wine made with spontaneous fermentation, unfined and unfiltered.
An event not to miss: The couple offers several wine programmes, for example the whole day “Napholdcsillag” event with home-made lunch on the terrace, wine quiz and horse drawn carriage ride or a complex harvest programme. Read more about the tastings and programmes here.
More about Csetvei Cellar
Get a glimpse of the atmosphere with our own video of our Gettogether event in Csetvei Garden (a few hundred metres from the cellar).

Sauska – fine dining on a flying saucer

“Stars in the sky, stars in the glass. Sparkling wine bar above the Tokaj vineyards with a view of the universe.” The other end of the country, the other way of feeling good. While the previous three places are relaxed, why-not-sit-on-the-grass places, Sauska Tokaj is a stylish restaurant and wine terrace with award winning architecture and interior design. The estate building is the home of the winery as well, hard to believe, but the unique building is a functioning vinification plant with cellar to ferment the wines.

Where: Rátka 2722 hrsz (Tokaj wine region)
How to get there: By car it takes approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes via M3. By public transport take an Intercity to Szerencs, change into a passenger train to Mád and walk about 25 minutes. Long way, but worth it!
Opening hours: Both Padi restaurant and the Bar has terrace. Opening hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 12.00–22.00 (between 16.00 and 18.00 only the bar is open), Sunday: 12.00–16.00.
What to taste: First of all, try some of the elaborated plates created by Attila Bicsár executive chef and Máté Gerák resident chef. The ‘Tribute to Tokaj’ is a 5-course menu, a great way to discover the treasures of Tokaj with plates like Padi apple pie with apricot jam, Aszú sabayon and vanilla ice cream, paired with Sauska Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 2017. If you just pop in for a glass to enjoy the beauty around you, ask for a glass of Furmint Brut Vintage 2018 from the extensive wine list of Sauska products (including jeroboam bottles).
An event not to miss: The bar hosts several tastings including a Tokaj Sparkling Wine session, find contact below on the website. The venue is also available for weddings or other events.
More about Padi restaurant
More about the Bar
Get a glimpse of the atmosphere with our own photos of our Gettogether event at Sauska Tokaj last summer.

Őrség, the land of peace

I was born in the western part of the country and spent my childhood in the small town of Körmend. We often went on school excursions to Őriszentpéter, a unique village, where rural life can still be seen untouched. The skansen of Szalafő nearby is a must visit place, and recently more and more artists, actors, famous personalities have chosen this land to be their new, quiet home. Indeed: the hills and valleys, the little houses, the green pastures and vivacious forests have nothing dramatic, but have a lot to smooth our souls. Őrség (something like ‘guard’, ‘guarding’), the name of the region and National Park comes from the strategic location: the region is near the Slovenian and Austrian border. Őriszentpéter (about ‘Guard Saint Peter) is the rentre of this region famous for pumpkin seed oil, porcini and other mushrooms.
This where Flóra and Feri founded their bistro. They started this new career without much experience, but more enthusiasm. The kitchen relies on local producers, small growers and seasonal products.

From Barcelona to Far Far Away

I am a bit ashamed: I haven’t been to Pajta yet and I hadn’t even heard of it until recently. I left my hometown long ago, I haven’t been to Őrség for ages (but writing these lines I long to be there). The other day I was watching TV at my mother-in-law’s place, it was a Masterchef episode. My mother-in-law told me that one of the jury members, Richárd Farkas had been chosen the Young Chef Talent of the Year the previous year (Dining Guide magazine). Indeed it is a shame that my attention is caught by a TV programme I never normally watch it, but that is the truth. Soon I searched about this young, modest chef guy and it turned out that after some experiences in Budapest and Barcelona (the Michelin starred Hoya Santa), Richárd accepted the challenge to be the chef at the end of the world.

Success takes time

Now you need a reservation to find a table even on weekdays. How long did it take to achieve this fame? “Eight years” – says Gábor Cseke, the sommelier of Pajta. These times, when people spend their holiday within the country, a great lunch or dinner has a more special value than it had earlier.
Gábor Cseke is a sommelier champion of Hungary, I was lucky enough to see him contesting in Hungary and also at the ASI Sommelier Championship in Alsace, years ago. In character he has a lot in common with the chef: ambitious, talented, highly intelligent but at the same time he is very modest. As for the wine selection Gábor explained: “We are not located in a wine region, thus we keep wines from almost every Hungarian regions. If we were part of a wine producing place, we would offer only local wines, but this is not our case.” The only foreign wines of Pajta come from the neighbouring Slovenia and Austria. The wine list is not huge, Gábor prefers selling only 40–50 wines, but changing the selection frequently and offering most of the wines by the glass as well. Organic wines are also preferred and Gábor tries to select wines made in limited quantity, in majority by small family wineries.

Food and wine pairing

Recalling the flavours of my childdhood memories and thinking of my more recent wine memories, I can think of some great food and wine matches from the menu and wine list of Pajta. The ” trout • polenta • fennel • nasturtium” starter is fresh and complex, it needs a similarly complex wine. Kaláka wines in Tokaj are made by an ex-wine writer, László Alkonyi. I appreciate his wines as much as I used to appreciate his articles. Kaláka 2017 from Tállya (Tokaj) is exciting, layered, unique. As for main course, “pork tenderloin • grated pasta • ratatouille • pickles” is again complex and spicy, still light and refreshing – I would taste a Pinot Noir 2019 from Frigyes Bott. Elegant and excitingly ornamented wine reflecting the beautiful face of the variety. And if you want something ample, I would recommend “wild boar • celery • pine • porcini” with the magnificent Infusio 2017 in magnum, the flagship wine of Pannonhalma Archabbey Winery.

These were my choices, but of course, a sommelier champion has different ideas.

Gábor Cseke agreed on my first food and wine pairing, but for the two main courses he would also try wines made of Hungarian varieties. With the “pork tenderloin • grated pasta • ratatouille • pickles” Gábor recommends a Bussay wine made of a very rare variety called Csókaszőlő. The wine is spicy – slightly resembles of Kadarka –, exciting, vivacious, ideal with the ratatouille garnished meat. With the “wild boar • celery • pine • porcini” the sommelier again has a wine made of indigenous grapes: Bikavér, the famous Eger blend produced by Tamás Pók. The main point: whatever wines you prefer, international or indigenous, you will be in good hands…
(Written by Ágnes Németh)

Visit Pajta in Hungary

Before travelling, check if there are any travel restrictions