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Over a hundred foreign experts will get to know domestic wines at this year’s Hungarian Wine Summit, an international professional event in Budapest between April 21 and 25, organized by the Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency (MBÜ).
According to statistics, expansion in foreign markets is the real driving force behind the growth of the Hungarian wine trade, and this is what the recently established MBÜ is working on, the government commissioner for national wine marketing said at a press conference in Budapest on Wednesday.
Pál Rókusfalvy added that the market research carried out so far has identified the primary and secondary target markets and assessed which varieties are in demand in which countries.
The general lesson is that Hungarian white wines remain the most sought-after on international markets, accounting for 86% of exports last year,
he stressed.
He said that Germany and the UK are doing regular and serious work to promote Hungarian wines, while China is also increasingly active and the markets of South Korea, Poland, and the United States are also gaining importance.
Photo via Facebook/Magyar Bor
Gergely Goreczky, CEO of the MBÜ, recalled that the agency’s work really started in the second half of 2023. He mentioned the ProWein Sanghai in November 2023, as the first major event, where six Hungarian wineries presented themselves to 27,000 visitors.
Later that year, the Sweet Tokaj Campaign United Kingdom 2023 raised awareness of the versatile gastronomic uses of Tokaj sweet wines in the UK market with the help of Michelin-starred chefs and Decanter magazine, and the UK was also the focus of this year’s Furmint February abroad.
In March, the 47,000-strong audience at ProWein Düsseldorf, the world’s largest wine trade fair, was treated to a redesigned Hungarian stand representing 40 Hungarian wineries and presenting the Hungarian wine sector in several masterclasses a day, he noted.
Rókusfalvy also mentioned that they are trying to organize their international presence around keywords,
the most important of which are Aszú (sweet dessert wine), volcanic wine regions, Furmint, and Blaufränkisch.
Speaking about the China (Guizhou) International Alcoholic Beverages Expo, which ended a few days ago, Mr. Rókusfalvy pointed out that 11 companies represented Hungary at the event and several trade agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed.
Anita Pusztai, Marketing Director of MBÜ, presented the program of the Hungarian Wine Summit, mentioning that one of the most important goals of the event is to host the world’s leading wine merchants, writers, and sommeliers in Hungary.
More than 100 international experts will attend the summit. On the first day, nine masterclasses will present the most important Hungarian grape varieties and trends in Budapest, but they will also have the opportunity to get to know Hungarian wine freely in the tasting zone, offering 386 wines from 107 wineries. This will be followed by a three-day study tour program, with four optional itineraries, cellar visits, and wine tastings.
The Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency’s aim is to place the Hungarian Wine Summit on the calendar of international wine professionals as the leading wine event in the region.
Via MTI; Featured image via Facebook/Magyar Bor