The 2024 vintage wines performed excellently at the XXI. Synvino Wine Competition

“We have been organizing the Synvino Wine Competition for domestic wineries and wineries for twenty-one years. The prestigious competition provides them with the opportunity to test their wines from the previous vintage, and on the other hand, the event provides a good opportunity to exchange professional experiences on new trends and issues related to grapes and wine,” said Dr. Zoltán Varga, Syngenta’s product manager at the Siófok awards ceremony. As he explained: according to official data, grapes were grown on 58,000 hectares in Hungary last year, and despite numerous weather and other challenges, farmers harvested 3.73 million tons of grapes, which is 11% less than the average yield of the past 10 seasons. According to official estimates, about 2.6-2.8 million hectoliters of wine can be produced from this. Taking the last season into account, 2024 was a dry and warm year: the phenology of the grape was ahead of average. The most serious challenges were the extremes of the weather and the fast and early harvest. From a plant protection perspective, powdery mildew caused problems for producers in some regions.

A total of 400 wines and sparkling wines were entered for the 2025 XXI Synvino Wine Competition by wineries and cellars from 18 wine regions of the country. The jury evaluated a total of 226 white wines, 121 red wines, and 53 rosés. The most wines – 209 – came from the 2024 vintage, followed by 2023 and 2021. The oldest entry in the wine competition was the 2012 vintage Bock Capella red wine from Bock Winery.

Dr. Diána Sárdy of Nyitrain, director of MATE Campus and chair of the professional jury of the wine competition, explained: “It is clear from the wines entered for the competition that the 2024 vintage was particularly good. The world varieties – Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot performed absolutely well not only in last year’s but also in older vintages, bringing quality. What is very interesting is that new, innovative varieties, such as Hibernal, also turned out excellent, so there is a future in viticulture.” According to Dr. Diána Sárdy of Nyitrain, climate change, the issue of irrigation, and the naturalization of drought-tolerant varieties are the challenges that currently pose the greatest tasks to the wine industry. The Hungarian viticulture and wine industry is trying to answer these questions and find new alternatives that can further popularize wine consumption. Thus, products such as alcohol-free and reduced-alcohol wines, as well as vegan and organic wines, are already diversifying the palette, in line with consumer needs.