Importer of the month: Hundert Weinhaus

Wineries attend exhibitions to network and secure orders, but this is hard work and extremely costly, and sometimes an exhibition yields no results but costs a lot of money. However, this is not the case with the Weinfestival Basel. The Swiss go there to taste and then order, so in addition to fruitful connections, there is also immediate success. Last November was a success for the Villány wineries exhibiting, and István Bicsek and Marietta, the owners of the Hundert Weinhaus wine shop, played a major role in this.
Author: Ágnes Németh

Contact

Hundert Weinhaus
Address: Leuenallee 8A, CH-4702 Oensingen, Switzerland
Email: info@hundertweinhaus.com
Tel: +41 (0)79 555 99 15
https://hundertweinhaus.com/

Wineries in the Hundert Weinhaus portfolio

A Gere Winery (Villány), Árvai Family Winery (Tokaj), Bock Winery (Villány), Bodri Winery (Szekszárd), Erzsébet Cellar (Tokaj), Eszterbauer Winery (Szekszárd), Fritz Cellar (Szekszárd), Gróf Degenfeld Estate (Tokaj), Günzer Winery (Villány), Heumann Winery (Villány), Hétszőlő (Tokaj), Jammertal Wine Estate (Villány), Kikelet Winery (Tokaj), Koch Winery (Hajós–Baja / Villány), Mészáros Winery (Szekszárd), Pajzos (Tokaj), Ruppert Winery (Villány), Teleki Wines (Villány), Thummerer Winery (Eger), Törley Winery (Etyek–Buda), Tornai Winery (Somló), Vylyan Vineyard and Winery (Villány)

Foreword

I have never taken so long to write an article, and I am solely to blame for this. I usually send my questions for the Importer of the Month series by email, which is what I did in the case of Hundert Weinhaus – roughly two years ago. However, Marietta Bicsek, one half of the owner couple, was busy preparing for a pre-Christmas expo and didn’t want to bother with writing, so she called me. I was on vacation at the time, walking around Bordeaux with my children, and unfortunately, by the time I got home, my memory of our pleasant and informative phone conversation had faded. I felt ashamed about this, and that was the end of it. Until last November, when we attended the Franc & Franc conference in Villány together, picked up where we left off, talked a lot, and I got to know two wonderful people in Marietta and István.

After the first Swiss Furmint February

This Sunday, February 1, the first event promoting Furmint took place with the participation of seven Hungarian wine merchants, and of course Marietta and István were there too. “The audience was primarily professional, the masterclass led by Lilla Fülöp was a great experience, and finally, all the merchants living in Switzerland who distribute Hungarian wines were present at the same time with their excellent wines. In the evening, we had dinner at the same table to discuss the events of the day. Jörg Waldthaler, the organizer of the event, did a lot to make this happen, and we are confident that the promotion of Hungarian wines in this form will continue.”

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.