Autumn, harvest and wine fair at Auchan

Hungarian wines occupy a prominent place in Auchan’s offer. The proportion of domestic items in wine and champagne turnover ranges between 95–98%, with an average bottle price of nearly 2,000 forints. All this reflects customer needs well, as Hungarian consumers continue to seek out domestic wines the most. In recent years, however, a shift towards quality wines has been clearly observed, to which Auchan is consciously adapting its selection. It was one of the first to organize a wine fair in Hungary, presenting its wide range back in 1998, thus ahead of its competitors. Since then, it has been drawing attention to the diversity of Hungarian wine with special wine promotions and a thematic catalogue every spring and autumn. It is important to note that, thanks to its exclusive wine cooperations, Auchan’s shelves also feature items that are not available elsewhere. It is worth visiting the stores just for the wine specialties, especially during the fair, which starts today and lasts for two weeks.

The special feature of this year’s autumn wine fair is that the gold medal winning wines of the Winelovers Wine Awards will also be presented, a four-page selection of which will be included in the catalogue in early October. In addition, the award-winning wines of the National Wine Competition of the National Council of Mountain Villages will also be on the shelves. Exclusive items from several major wineries are available exclusively at Auchan. To make it easier to choose, customers will find detailed wine recommendations and food pairing tips in the catalog, so they can easily find the perfect wine for everyday dinners and festive occasions.

Prices at Auchan range from 799 HUF to 42,999 HUF, so everyone can find something to suit their budget and taste. During the wine fair, wine lovers will also be treated to unique promotions – such as 1+1 and 2+1 offers.

“Our goal is to include reliable, good-value items in our selection as well as special wines that are not available elsewhere. We definitely want to maintain a balance between quantity and quality. Thanks to seasonal novelties and exclusive collaborations, the wine fair always holds surprises, whether it is the specialties of domestic wineries or international award-winning wines,”

said Attila Nagy, Sales Director of Auchan Hungary. “It is our no-holds-barred intention not only to stand out from our competitors with our wines, but also to compete with wine specialty stores,” he added.

Mihály Fabók, champion sommelier, has been involved in the development of Auchan’s wine selection as a professional consultant for 13 years. Similar to competitions, the wines are judged by blind tasting, which is how the decision is made about the entire year’s selection. In addition, continuous analysis of customer habits is also key. According to Auchan’s experience, the demand for quality, higher-priced dry wines is stronger in Budapest, while other types of demand appear near other wine regions or in the Tiszántúl region. The department store chain adapts its selection to suit the regions accordingly. Of course, it is also important that the wine selection is constantly available to customers, which is why they cooperate in the long term with wineries that are able to offer the same quality and taste every year. The joint work with some wineries has been going on for 15–20 years, and Auchan is pleased to see that these partners are also gaining recognition at an international level.