WINE

SPAR HUNGARY CEO GABRIELLA HEISZLER, VITI- AND VINICULTURE NONPROFIT LTD. MANAGING DIRECTOR ZOLTÁN ZILAI, US AMBASSADOR DAVID PRESSMAN AND HUNGARIAN MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, ISTVÁN NAGY

The 31st Budapest Wine Festival in the Buda Castle between September 8 and 11 celebrated the end of summer with countless wine specialties from more than 100 winemakers and wine merchants. Visitors had the chance to taste a colorful assortment of Champagnes, as well as Crémants, Cavas and sparkling wines from Hungary, while enjoying a variety of remarkable gastronomy, music and exciting programs in splendid surroundings. SPAR Hungary, committed to the development of Hungarian wine culture, has supported the festival as the main sponsor for 15 years. The event was further enhanced by the sensational wines from three American states, as this year’s guest of honor was the United States of America.

Finest Wines in the Spotlight

Since its launch, the Wine Festival has been committed to satisfying its wine-loving public and to supporting less known yet excellent wine producers, as highlighted by Zoltán Zilai, Managing Director of Hungarian Viti- and Viniculture Nonprofit Ltd. Smaller, family-run

wineries which performed well at the VinAgora International Wine Competition, have taken turns in the festival's VinAgora House of Discoveries. The Wine Festival All-Stars program showcased Hungarian wines that excelled in highly regarded international competitions this year. At the same time, the Wine Festival Premier program presented wines, making their debut during the week of the event. As it has become a tradition, the National Food Chain Safety Office contributed to the visitors' knowledge of winemaking and promoted conscious and moderate alcohol consumption through exciting and meaningful games. In addition, this year Hungarian winemakers donated their finest wines to the Charity Wine Auction, with proceeds going to the Szimfónia music opportunity program. Complementing the colorful program of the festival, the music menu featured over 30 outstanding performances. Many different styles awaited festivalgoers, including pop, jazz, blues, funk, chanson, gospel and authentic folk music.

WHERE FINEST WINES AND GASTRONOMY MEET

Gastronomic masterpieces seasoned with elegance

Five first-rate restaurants awaited food enthusiasts in the Chef Market Gourmet Courtyard where they could taste impressive dishes accompanied by high-quality wines. The chefs of the gourmet courtyard had created an incredible array of mouth-watering dishes. Guests could taste the Asian fusion chicken salad, crab and caviar piled on a burger, foie gras terrine with Tokaj wine from grapes grown on soil that contains the volcanic rock riolit, goat meat and Tokaj gel and crispy pork belly and porchetta sandwiches thanks to the efforts of chefs Péter Endrődi, László Kanász, José Guerrero and Dániel Katona, as said by Richárd Andrejszki, owner-manager of Chef Market.

Responsible waste management

The event, which usually attracts 30-40,000 people accumulates a great amount of waste throughout the event – the largest being glass waste due to the great number of wine bottles, as pointed out by Gábor Antal, the festival's chief organizer and wine expert. Yet, there is also much food waste. As a result, a great deal of care was taken with selective waste collection in the festival area; approximately 150 containers were placed for glass bottles and around 150-200 m3 of separated waste was collected during the event.

A dream come true – American guests of honor

Outstanding representatives from the states of California, Washington and Oregon offered festivalgoers the chance to taste the most exciting wines from the Napa Valley and the two states further north with their cooler climates, mainly from French grape varieties. As the United States of America was this year’s guest of honor, the festival was attended by the US Ambassador to Hungary, David Pressman, who handed over his letter of credentials the day before his visit to the festival. The exciting American wines encompassed many styles, they exploded onto the scene with their robust, high alcohol, full-bodied, oak-aged reds and whites with intense woody aromas, Gábor Antal said. He added that these wines on the Wine Festival's line-up perfectly suit Hungarian enthusiasts’ tastes. Recently, lower alcohol, fruitier, fresher, lighter, so-called ‘cool-climate’ wines have been produced in the United States, falling in line with modern trends. These wines are developing an international consumer base, the chief organizer of the festival remarked.

THE LARGEST CULINARY EVENT OF THE WINE HARVEST ATTRACTS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VISITORS Visitors of this year's Budapest Wine Festival had the opportunity to taste unique American wines along with regional Hungarian wines. In addition to satisfying visitors' palate with the finest wines, the festival aspired to support conscious wine consumption and help emerging wineries showcase their truly outstanding flavors.

wine

WINE PROFESSIONALS OF THE FUTURE IN TOKAJ

A UNIQUE WINE BUSINESS TRAINING COURSE STARTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKAJ The Tokaj Wine Business Institute is offering a joint program with its partner business school in Burgundy for Central European professionals from the fall semester of this year.

The Tokaj Wine Business Institute (TWBI), under the auspices of the University of Tokaj (THE) in Sárospatak, will launch its one-year wine business manager training course in September. The post-graduate school, led by international wine academic Dr. Attila Fiáth, offers students an unparalleled flexibility and at the same time a curriculum of international standards. One of the cornerstones of the world class education is the collaboration with the School of Wine & Spirits Business at Burgundy School of Business (BSB) in Dijon.

Regional leader in wine education

The Tokaj Wine Business Institute was founded on the model of renowned foreign wine business institutes and is engaged in both educational and research activities. With the establishment of TWBI, the Tokaj Wine Region will regain its position as a regional leader in wine education and will strengthen the position of local and regional wine professionals worldwide. The institute has entered into a professional partnership with the BSB, but also draws on local professionals who have successfully represented the Hungarian wine sector on the international stage. Wine professionals of the future

The Wine Business Manager course provides a unique training that introduces students to current trends in wine production and management, while at the same time equipping them with industry-specific business and economics skills that will enable them to become leaders and pioneers in the wine market, even at international level. Completing the postgraduate course in English will grant attendants the Wine Business Manager Diploma. TWBI, together with its partners and committed players in the Hungarian economy, supports the wine professionals of the future, and the most successful students can win scholarships including full tuition fees. "Wine consumption worldwide has reached unprecedented levels and the growth is far from over. At the same time, supply is outstripping demand, and in this competitive environment, solid professional skills are needed to achieve and maintain success. Tokaj is tradition itself, and we combine this centuries-old authenticity with the fundamental knowledge of modern economics, including creative wine marketing, effective sales techniques and digital solutions, in the training at the Tokaj Wine Business Institute," the Director of the Tokaj Wine Business Institute, Dr. Attila Fiáth stated.