Rolling in Budapest Cultural information in English … Hear everything first hand

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Upon invitation headed during the Fall to Lake Balaton’s walking wine tasting in Balatonalmádi. The event was opened by Zsófia Bozzai, the editor-in-chief of Bor és Piac (Wine and Market), where she greeted the pretty high number of the wine-loving audience and invited them to go for tasting all the six wine regions on the spot. Arrived 25 Balaton wineries – producers from Badacsonyi, Nagy-Somlói, Zala, Balatonboglári, Balaton-felvidéki and Balatonfüred-Csopak Wine Regions. She drew attention to the wine makers to fill free ask questions and listen to professional presentations. Then after Tamás Tornai – the owner of the Tornai Winery, greeted the gathering and wish the wine tasters to enjoy every drop of the wineries wine and keep in mind the one that suited the favorit taste and in the future prehaps will plan to visit one or more wineries.
After the opening, with the performance of violinist Julia Rabovay the wine tasting event started with four Telemann pieces and Monti’s Csárdás. The target audience included not only lovers of the local Balaton wines, but also a large number of visitors from Budapest, as well as guests from Slovakia and even Croatia arrived and good number of professionals came to the event.
It is no secret that the aim of the event was to extend the tourist season, so the title of the event already reflects this: “Also Balaton in the Fall”.

At the walking wine tasting, the guests could not only learn about winery, but hear  from the producers comments about the effects of climate change which effected the choice of varieties and in use of yeast … how the initial sugar content of the must is adjusted so that the alcohol level is lower. Rethinking the use of high sugar-accumulating varieties, e.g. Gray friendly, also about the new trends, and we could taste, for example, natural wines and orange wines.

Exhibited wines to taste by wineries as follows: 5 Ház Borbirtok Somló – Androsics Estate – Barcza Winery – Bezerics Vineyard – Dobosi Estate – Éva Dóka Winery – Dörgicsélő – Feind és Feind Winery Ltd. – Garamvári Vineyard – Istvándy Winery-Badacsony – Balázs Káli – Károly Kolonics – Laposa Badacsony – Lázár Cellar – Mórocz Winery – Nagy & Nagy Winery – Nivegy-Völgyi Borgazdaság Ltd. – Yári Pince – Petrányi Cellar – Rádpuszta Vineyard – Tagyon 730 Bormanufaktúra Vineyard – Taverna Winery – Tornai Winery – Villa Gyetvai Winery.

A short description the region’s new winemaker Tagyon 730 wine factory, which is located above Zánka at the foot of Tagyony, Szentantalfai hill. This winemaker is a new comer with his wines from the northern region of Lake Balaton. His winnery exists on 3000 m2 since 2016. His plantation has Cab. Franc (simply loved it amazing taste), Cab.Savignon and Merlot. Brought bottles of 5 types, each named by his 5 children. After harvest, closed tank fermentation is done with circular circulation. The locals told him that this event would take place, they had not yet prepared the labels for the wines, so they were numbered with the children’s names on the tasting table without labels. Produce Olaszrizling, Kéknyelű, Furmint, Szürkebarát which were waiting to be tasted.

Another one wish to mention … Most probably needn’t have to introduce the already famous winemaker of the Istvándy Winery-Badacsony. At the wine tasting table had a glance on a bottle of wine not seen label earlier, called “Bizsergés” –  “Tingling”. It was produced from ottonel muscat/yellow muscat 2020 – AL12%. Indeed a bit surprised me of the bustling bubbles and smoky flavor and right away could imagine it goes well after a hard meal.
Last but not least … go for a wine therapy … worth to visit the Tornai Winery. At the event the “A Tornai Top Selection Grófi Hárslevelű 2019” hit the top for the wine lovers.

The theme at the master classes were wine tourism, sustainability, resistant grape varieties, and organic farming.

It was fantastic to experience at the Három Majom Bistro (Three Monkies Bistro) in tasting the delicacies of Lebanese cuisine in Balatonalmádi. The place was just at the doorstep “Balaton in the Fall” event.

The implementation of the project is supported by the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture program.

Riport and snaps by: Aggie Reiter