Decanter’s Hungarian edition held its first reader event at the weekend, with 2,600 wine lovers gathering to taste and discuss the country’s wines.
The two-day event, Budapest’s first major consumer wine fair, was held at the city’s five-star Corinthian Hotel.
Among the highlights were masterclasses from Piero Antinori on the concept of ‘Supertuscans’ and Jancis Robinson MW on the question of ‘Brands v Terroir’, both of whom attracted a full house of 200 attendees.
Other speakers included the Michelin-starred chef Frédéric Carrion, Decanter editor Guy Woodward, Decanter World Wine Awards Eastern European chair Angela Muir MW, and Tokaj’s István Szepsy, arguably Hungary’s most famous winemaker.
A total of 90 producers had a presence at the show, pouring their wines for a keen audience. Dry Tokaj wines, mainly made from the Furmint grape, were particularly prevalent – and well received by an enthusiastic audience, made up of both trade and consumer visitors.
Liz Gabay MW teamed up with Lynne Sherriff MW to give a presentation on the Institute of Masters of Wine for potential students, and was amazed to be greeted by 150 attendees.
Gabay, who also gave a masterclass on rosé wines, said: ‘I was particularly struck by the quality of many of the small, and generally unknown producers and by the growing evidence of strong regional styles.
‘The visitors were very keen and very knowledgeable, and VinCe gave them a great opportunity to put the wines of Hungary into a wider context.’
The event was organised by Decanter Hungary, a Hungarian-language edition of Decanter produced under licence in Budapest, and launched in 2004.
Its editor Agnes Nemeth said she was ‘overwhelmed’ by the volume and international makeup of the attendees, notably at the lectures and workshops. A second event is planned for next year.
Written by Decanter staff
