Are you campaigning against wine while representing the wine industry? György Wáberer’s challenge caused a scandal

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 06. 18. 10:24

A video posted on social media by György Wáberer, in which he encourages his followers to go alcohol-free, has caused considerable outrage among Hungarian winemakers. The campaign, which draws attention to the harmful effects of wine consumption, may seem like a useful health message at first glance – except that the video was not posted by just anyone, but by one of the most important players in the Tokaj wine region, the maintainer of Tokaj-Hegyalja University, and the president of the Tokaj Wine Region Development Council, writes Pénzcentrum.

The profession did not hide its opinion: in an official statement, the National Council of Mountain Villages (HNT) called the incident the “Wáberer paradox” and expressed sharp criticism. According to the HNT, the campaign is in deep contradiction with the development goals of the Tokaj Wine Region, the training of winemakers and winemakers, and the interests of Grand Tokaj Zrt., which became the property of the Tokaj-Hegyalja University Foundation.

“The question rightly arises: how can the refusal to drink wine be reconciled with a person whose task is to serve the interests of the wine industry?” – reads the HNT statement. According to the board, Wáberer’s campaign is not only a professional contradiction, but also a direct attack on the culture of moderate and conscious wine consumption, which the profession has been fighting to establish for years.

According to the HNT, the video clearly indicates that Wáberer’s business considerations override the interests of the wine industry – which the Council considers “as harmful as excessive alcohol consumption or smoking”.

The case goes beyond a simple Facebook post: it draws attention to the tension that arises from the blurring of the boundaries between public and business roles. In the case of a person who simultaneously influences wine region development policy, university education and the direction of the largest local wine company, public statements carry special weight.

The question is no longer whether it is permissible to launch an anti-alcohol campaign – but whether such a message can be credible from someone whose job it is to represent the values and future of the given sector.