The Wine Festival strives to showcase the excellence of Hungarian and international wines year after year, following different themes. Our program, All Stars, is dedicated to introducing the public to wines that have performed successfully in this year’s international wine competitions.
It serves as a guide for anyone to visit and taste wines recognized and highly rated by international expert juries. In our recommendations, priority is always given to wines that have won medals at Hungary’s only international wine competition, the VinAgora International Wine Competition, as the medals won there are a guarantee of quality. However, the winners of other prestigious international events also appear here and now.
Let’s take a look at the wines!
VinAgora International Wine Competition
Hungary's only internationally accredited wine competition celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. The international jury, representing 14 countries, blind-tasted 877 samples and awarded 53 silver, 203 gold, 9 grand gold, and 7 champion prizes, adhering to the rules of medal distribution for the top 30%. Several special awards were also handed out based on the wines' performances.
Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA)
In its 21st year, this competition is considered the world’s largest and most influential wine contest. A total of 141 Hungarian wines achieved great results this year. Due to its globally recognized stringent evaluation processes and world-class jury, it is one of the most esteemed competitions worldwide.
Challenge International du Vin
As a pioneer among French international wine competitions, this is one of the world’s most renowned contests. Its professionalism and know-how are acknowledged by both producers and consumers. Each tasting panel consists of four members: a technician, a producer, a distributor, and a knowledgeable consumer. This year, 19 Hungarian wines were awarded medals.
Berliner Wein Trophy
Since gaining the OIV’s patronage in 2004, this has become Germany's most significant and largest international wine competition and the world’s biggest OIV wine contest, with 14,400 entries for its summer and winter tastings. Hungary collected 84 medals at the summer competition this year.
Vinalies Internationales
This French competition celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. A 120-member jury evaluated wine samples from 33 countries, awarding medals to 879 wines. Hungary earned 11 medals in the contest.
Mundus Vini Spring Tasting
The spring competition always provides a good overview of newly released vintages. The professional jury evaluated samples from 45 countries over six days. Hungary had 26 wines achieve excellent results.
International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC)
This international competition receives thousands of entries each year, judged by a 120-member professional jury, including over 20 Masters of Wine and several Master Sommeliers. In 2024, 38 wine-producing countries won medals, with Hungary taking home 9 medals.
International Wine Challenge (IWC)
One of the world’s leading UK-based wine competitions, the IWC has been held since 1984 and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024. A total of 38 wine-producing countries won medals this year, with Hungary collecting 17 medals.
GROW International Olaszrizling Competition
GROW du Monde is the largest global competition focusing solely on Olaszrizling wines. This year's event, held for the third time, took place in the Balaton wine region and featured 349 wines from 7 countries. At the award ceremony, 5 trophies were handed out to category winners, along with 17 platinum, 82 gold, 92 silver, and 82 bronze medals.
