Press Release – Great Tokaj Wine Auction 2016.04.25.
Highest number of lots sold – 23 wines go under the hammer at the Great Tokaj Wine Auction
Over 80 % of the wines offered at the fourth Great Tokaj Wine Auction were sold on Saturday 23rd April bringing the final total to 67 919 EUR (21 055 000 HUF). All the dry wines – most of them single-vineyards – were sold, showing interest in the distinct terroirs and the rapid increase in overall quality, as well as the outstanding 2015 vintage.
The 28 lots, the best barrels offered by both established and up-and-coming winemakers, offer a great opportunity to discover new vineyards and wineries and so explore the various styles of contemporary Tokaj. Thus the weekend event is the perfect opportunity to get the real picture of what is happening in production, producers and the market in the Tokaj Wine Region. Guests and buyers alike were able to taste these exclusive Tokaji wines (19 x 136-l barrel/half-barrel lots, 7 already bottled) at the blind tasting, a playful way to explore the wines before the producer/wine is revealed and the wine sold at auction.
Wines will be delivered to the buyers in the bottle, with the specially designed Confrérie Auction label and all the official paperwork, before the next Auction on 22nd April 2017.
The Auction also included a charity lot, a selection of 14 Tokaji Aszú wines offered by the Mád Circle producers for the benefit of Grgic Vina, Mike Grgich’s Croatian winery which was devastated by fire in 2015.
Buyers at the Auction included wine merchants and private buyers from Hungary and abroad. New Confrérie member and holder of several prestigious sommelier titles including Meilleur Sommelier de France 2008, Manuel Peyrondet, secured over 800 bottles for his wine club Chais d’Oeuvre. He says, “My biggest pleasure is to sit by the fire with a glass of Tokaji Aszú and a freshly-baked Tarte Tatin with orange, listening to a Schubert Impromptu…”
Great Tokaj Wine Auction held in the historic town of Tokaj for the first time
After the first three Auctions in the castle of Sárospatak, the town of Tokaj was chosen as the venue this year. Thus guests were able to discover heritage venues linked to some of the numerous cultures which contributed to the fame and international character of Tokaj: the blind tasting of Auction lots was held in the Orthodox church, the intronisation in the Rákóczi Cellar, lunch in the theatre, the Auction in the Tokaj Cultural and Conference Centre, the former synagogue. These are just some of the sites which will be included in the town’s bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2024, a joint application based on cooperation with the other 26 settlements in the region.
Tokaj Spring – 3-day event celebrating and developing the rejuvenation in this historic wine region classified in the 18th century and declared a closed appellation in the world (placing it among the first in the world) in 1737, the Tokaj Wine Region was designated part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 2002. The Auction shows clearly that it is stepping into its next stage of rejuvenation after the major restructuring and changes in the 1990s. The Confrérie’s Tokaj Spring aims to bring guests close to winemakers, to explore the terroirs and their wines, to strengthen the community of Tokaj lovers.
The Great Tokaj Wine Auction is the highlight of the weekend which includes vineyard tours, tastings and dinners, some by Tokaj Women and Wine, Tokaj Renaissance and Mád Circle, plus intronisation of new members. All set on the strong foundation of friendship and veneration of the region and its wines.
Intronisation of 18 new members at the ceremony in the early 14th-century Rákóczi Cellar
Two thirds hail from Hungary, one third from France, Germany, the UK and the US. They arrive from a wide variety of professional backgrounds from wine/hospitality professionals (producers, merchants, sommeliers, tourist service providers, Michelin-star restaurant owners) to experts in construction, plant genetics and biochemistry and journalists (radio, online). All share love and respect for Tokaj and its wines, an appreciation of the region’s unique volcanic/loess terroirs and a curiosity to deepen their understanding. The pride of becoming a Confrérie member was tangible, as was their commitment to the Confrérie mission to introduce the pleasure of Tokaji wines to contribute to friendship and understanding between people. The Confrérie de Tokaj aims to give public access to the enormous intellectual and spiritual history that envelops Tokaji wine.
The next Great Tokaj Wine Auction will be held on Saturday 22nd April 2017.
Participating wineries range from individuals/small emerging family wineries to larger, more established estates, some owned by companies with impressive international portfolios like AXA Millésimes, Reybier. In 2016: Baranyai Béla, Barta, Basilicus, Béres, Demetervin, Disznókő, Dorogi, Erzsébet, Füleky, Gróf Degenfeld, Holdvölgy, Kvaszinger, Patricius, Samuel Tinon Grands Vins de Tokaj, Sauska Tokaj, Szent Benedek, Tokaj Crown Estates, Tokaj-Hétszőlő, and Zsirai.
