Best of Budapest & Hungary

Winners of the Prestige Award, founded in 2000 by László Doszpod and the Prestige Reserve Club, were named, for the ninth time, in 2018. The award ceremony took place at Kárpátia Restaurant.

Prestige Reserve Club’s jury of 50 wine professionals (wine experts, wine writers, sommeliers, gastronomy entrepreneurs) presented the Prestige Award on December 12, 2018 to recognize the most prestigious winery of the year – or rather wineries. “Following previous years’ renowned winners (see box), for the first time in the club’s history, two wineries will receive the award and will share the trophy, a statue of the proud Bacchus (the work of sculptor Géza Gáspár),” announced László Doszpod. “In addition to the Balatonfüred-based Figula Winery, where Mihály Figula Jr. sets an outstanding example of terroir-driven winemaking, we have decided to award a winemaker from beyond the borders of Hungary, Frigyes Bott. His vineyards are situated on the southern slopes of the Muzsla Hills, in the center of the historic wine region nestled between the River Garam and the Danube, which was once the grape orchard of the Archdiocese of Esztergom. Although it is one of the closest of all wine regions to the Hungarian capital, today it lies in Slovakia.”

László Doszpod emphasized the excellence of both wineries and the quality and style of their wines and thanked the sponsors of the award – Kárpátia Restaurant (Ákos Niklai, Tamás Mezei), Best of Budapest & Hungary and Diplomacy&Trade (Péter Freed) – for their contributions that assist the efforts of the winners. The award’s founder noted that he, along with the jury members, will continue to monitor the developments of the wine market in 2019 to grant substantiated decisions in the future with an eye on the Club’s motto: “Without the freedom to criticize, there is no true praise.”

DT Wine Challenge 2018 winners announced

During the award ceremony, the most favored labels and winemakers of the participants of the DT Wine Challenge (an event cohosted by Diplomacy&Trade and the Prestige Reserve Club on November 28 at Gundel Restaurant), were also revealed (see list below). To make the TOP25 list of Hungarian wines, a total of 17 winemaker’s labels were picked by an international, non-professional jury made up of Ambassadors to Hungary and senior executives of foreign-owned companies.

• Babits Winery: Tokaji 6 puttonyos Aszú 2013
• Barta Winery: Öreg Király-dűlő Furmint 2016
• Bock Winery: Bock Libra 2012 and Bock Royal Cuvée 2013
• Dobosi Winery: Bio 14,92 Olaszrizling 2016
• Fekete Winery: Cabernet Franc 2015
• Figula Winery: Cabernet Sauvignon Öreghegy 2015
• Zoltán Günzer: Villányi Prémium Kékfrankos 2012 and Villányi Prémium Syrah 2015
• Ikon Winery: KÉSA Paripa 2016
• Ákos Kamocsay: Prémium Olaszrizling 2017 and Prémium Ihlet Cuvée 2015
• Konyári Winery: Jánoshegyi Kékfrankos 2016 and Madonna Merlot 2012
• Zsolt Maul: Dávid 2016 and Dániel 2016
• Pannon Tokaj Winery: Tokaji Hanna Cuvée 2016
• Péter Winery: Tokaji Kabar (sweet) 2017
• Sajgó Winery: Tokaji 5 puttonyos Aszú 2014
• Schieber Winery: Laura Cuvée 2015
• St. Andrea Winery: Merengő 2016
• Stier Winery: Villányi Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
• Szent Tamás Winery: Tokaji 6 puttonyos Aszú 2013 and Szent Tamás 2013
• Zelna Winery: Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

The Prestige Award Ceremony was followed by a lavish gala dinner prepared by Kárpátia Restaurant, featuring a selection of wines presented by the latest Prestige Award winners and their predecessor.

Winners of the Prestige Award in the previous years

István Szepsy – 2010 and 2013
György Lőrincz – 2011
Ferenc Takler – 2012
István Jásdi – 2014
Heimann Family Winery – 2015
Disznókő Vineyard and Winery – 2016
Etyeki Kúria Winery – 2017