The Confrérie de Tokaj held its press conference for the Great Tokaj Wine Auction 2014 in the Buddha Bar, Budapest on 20th March. The expert opinions expressed at the press conference that the wines which will go under the hammer at the Auction on 26th April are of outstanding quality were confirmed by the tasting of the auction lots. Experts noted that a treat awaits participants in the Great Tokaj Wine Auction at the Castle of Sárospatak.
President of the Confrérie de Tokaj and acclaimed winemaker István Szepsy welcomed participants and talked about the vineyard classification that dates back to the early 1700s and for the need for market differentiation. He highlighted that it is no coincidence that the auction lots are centred around single-vineyard wines as for the region to develop it is essential to exploit and explore the possibilities the vineyards offer. Estate wines build the main market, while single-vineyard wines serve to help buyers and producers establish a new kind of quality-oriented wine-drinking culture.
President of the Wine Tasting Committee and renowned wine educator Gabriella Mészáros said the Confrérie de Tokaj is organising the Auction in order to present the Tokaj Wine Region and the exceptional Auction lots from individual vineyards to consumers, collectors and merchants who expect and desire premium category wines like those available at other respected wine-producing regions. The flight of wines which will be presented for blind tasting prior to the April Auction will demonstrate to participants that the Tokaj Wine Region is undoubtedly on the right track to regain step with winemaking regions with less interrupted recent history and play a part in Tokaj rediscovering its former voice. As is to be expected since all vintages differ, the Auction flight will be different from the previous year. Most of the lots are 2013 dry wines; while the sweet lots are from 2006, 2010 and 2011. Since dry, single-vineyard wines provide the clearest picture of vineyard character, the auction flight offers an excellent foundation for terroir discovery. The lots include wines from vineyards that, to date, we have never or only rarely been able to taste. The well-respected wine educator emphasised that, although the Auction lots are not finished wines and they are still developing when they reach the Auction, some still in the barrel, their strong characters’ can already be discerned. She emphasised the advantage of purchasing an auction lot: these wines, that from their birth had someone present, are sure to be closer to that person’s heart later too, as is true of the creation all artworks.
The auctioneer who led the First Great Tokaj Wine Auction held in 2013, Nóra Winkler, noted that different buyers arrive to a barrel than to a bottle auction. Last year’s event was attended by an equal number of business people, top restaurants and groups of buyers of both friends and/or strangers who gathered specifically for the auction in order to make a joint bid. She expects this tradition to continue this year too to satisfy the desire for people who prefer a proportion of the barrel lot of 136 litres: 181 bottles of dry (75 cl), 272 of sweet (50 cl). For buyers that regard the wine offered at auction as any other work of art, then those who procure the special wines, will also share in the essence of the wine region’s culture since the renowned Tokaj Wine Region’s traditions and values are an integral part of its wines, further enriched by the winemakers’ winemaking experience and commitment which has accumulated in decades since the change in political system. The intensity of the wines distils the terroir, the land’s history and the winemakers’ expertise. Nóra Winkler emphasised that the Confrérie de Tokaj anticipates buyers who are accustomed to both high quality wines and to regions with great history and outstanding landscape. Outstanding venues will provide the stage for the event of Tokaj Spring, the highlight of which is the Great Tokaj Wine Region, as the Castle of Sárospatak.
Grand Maître Tamás Dusóczky brought the formal speech section of the press conference to a close. He recounted how the Confrérie de Tokaj was formed in 1987 and renovated in 2000 and 2012. In 2012 it took the Burgundy model with its main aim as the representation of the wine region in Hungary and abroad. The majority of founding members are Tokaj producers but membership is open to all those committed to the wine region both private individual and legal entity. Currently there are 120 members with the aim of expanding membership to around 500.
Exclusively offered at the Great Tokaj Wine Auction 2014, lots by: Bardon, Barta, Béres, Budaházy, Demetervin, Dereszla, Disznókő, Füleky, Gizella, Gróf Dégenfeld, Holdvölgy, Kubus, Orosz Gábor, Samuel Tinon, Szent Benedek, Szent Tamás, Szepsy István, Tokaj-Hétszőlő, Tokaj Trading House.
At the first Great Tokaj Wine Auction in April 2013, thirteen fine wines were sold at a value of 67 500 €. Buyers, who bid in person and by telephone, included the Michelin-star Onyx Restaurant, as well as wine shops, private collectors and groups of friends from Hungary and abroad.
The aim of the Confrérie de Tokaj, which reorganised itself using the Burgundy model in May 2012, is to represent the wine region in Hungary and internationally, to contribute to the region’s prestige through exclusive events. The president is István Szepsy, the Grand Maître the untiring knight of Tokaj, Tamás Dusóczky. Most founding members are wine producers, including outstanding winemakers of Hungarian, French and German origin, but the Confrérie is open to wine professionals and lovers of Tokaj wine alike who share the wish to participate in the development of this historic region.
Summary of the Great Tokaj Wine Auction press conference here.