Badacsony’s successes at the Vince Gala

Vince Gala – a celebration of Hungarian wines

With a full house, great interest and, as we have come to expect, this year’s event held at the Museum of Fine Arts in Badacsony ended with a huge success, where lovers of wine, gastronomy, fine arts and music could spend an unforgettable afternoon and evening. The focus of the evening was the presentation of the Vince Awards, where the best Hungarian wines and wineries were awarded in 22 categories. The Badacsony wine region was recognized by Váli Birtok, Folly Arboretum and Winery, Jakab Badacsony, Szászi Birtok, 2HA Szőlőbirtok and Pincészet, as well as Pláne Badacsony Borterasz in the best wine bar category and Bálint Földi in the best label design category.

The international market is looking for Hungarian varieties

“The family, the whole team, and of course I am very happy with the outstanding result. We are closing an incredible year, with countless successes: for example, our estate, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, won the honorable title of Hungary’s Most Beautiful Small Estate, and this Vince gold is also the crowning achievement of our anniversary year. These successes confirm to us that work consciously built with heart, humility and faith always brings the results. I am proud, because last year our 2023 Kéknyelű won the silver medal at the Vince Award, and this year the Budai Zöld won the gold medal. Two Hungarian varieties, two serious successes, which reinforce the belief that it would be important for domestic winemakers to work with Hungarian varieties, even if not all year round, and to put them in the foreground. My own experience is that foreign markets are also looking for these.”

– emphasized Péter Váli, owner and winemaker of the Váli Estate in Badacsonyörs.

At the festive event held at the Museum of Fine Arts, in addition to the Vince Gala awards being presented, it was also possible to admire the pictures of the Baroque Hall while sipping top wines in an imposing environment. The winners of the 22 categories were decided by the nominations of 90 renowned and independent wine professionals, and then the final decision was made by consumers with their votes, thus establishing the ranking list.

The diverse Badacsony wine region

“We are very happy about the serious recognition, we were completely surprised by the news. Of course, we are proud of all our wines, among other things because they are all organic.  The cabernet sauvignon planted in 1999 was our first organic red wine, which has always been unique among our light red wines. We wanted to show the fruitiness of the variety, not its robustness. And the csókaszőlő, with its Hungarian heritage, interestingness and fruitiness, is also a fresh item in our portfolio. Although we place emphasis on the Badacsony grape varieties, the successes achieved with our red wines also show the diversity of the wine region and its potential,” said Endre Szászi, owner and winemaker of one of the country’s first certified organic vineyards.

Outstanding results from the Badacsony wine region

We are pleased to highlight that the Badacsony wine region’s performance at this year’s gala was particularly noteworthy, as the region’s wineries once again achieved serious successes. In previous years, they achieved podium finishes in several categories, and this momentum continues this year as well. The past and present of the wine region serve as an excellent basis for success, as the lakeside location, volcanic bedrock and microclimate provide exceptional conditions for grape growing.