Skrabski Winery
Debut for Skrabski Winery’s Latest Release
Nestled on Les Hill overlooking Balatonudvari, Skrabski Winery boasts a history spanning several decades. The estate’s modern foundation was laid in the 1970s by sociologist Árpád Skrabski and psychologist Mária Kopp, who lovingly restored an old, thatched-roof cellar. Today, within those 150-year-old stone walls, winemaker Réka Szántai crafts low-intervention, organically managed wines with wild yeast fermentation.
What prompted your decision to exhibit at the Budapest Wine Festival this year?
The Budapest Wine Festival is one of the premier celebrations of Hungarian wine. Few events bring together professionals, passionate wine lovers, and meaningful conversations in such an extraordinary setting over just a few days. Over the past two years, we’ve poured our hearts into building a portfolio we are truly proud of, and there is no better stage than this festival to share it with the world.
Are you bringing any special releases, novelties, or limited-edition wines to the festival?
We are debuting our 2024 Aequilibris Olaszrizling selection at the festival, but the real surprise for most guests will be our 2025 Barátcsuha. It’s crafted from an ancient pre-phylloxera grape variety with origins dating back to the Roman Empire, and today, we are the only winery producing it. Alongside these, we’re bringing our 2024 Genius Loci Rajnai Rizling (Riesling) selection-which took third place overall at this year’s Meininger’s Best of Riesling competition—as well as our 2024 Nativus Furmint selection. Complementing our competition winners, we’ll also showcase our terroir-driven lineup, featuring the New World-style Terroir Sauvignon Blanc and our flagship Terroir Rajnai Rizling.
What are your expectations for this year’s event?
The moment someone tastes our wines for the first time is always the most exciting part of what we do. Les Hill is a compact terroir, but it packs incredible character. We’re fascinated by how noble white varieties perform here—how Riesling, Furmint, or Olaszrizling interact with our limestone soils. The answer subtlely shifts with every vintage, yet the signature remains constant: crisp acidity balanced by a saline, flinty, and delicately powdery mineral backbone.
Mozata - Lebanese Cuisine
The Joy of Shared Dining
Founded in 2019, Mozata brings authentic Lebanese cuisine to Budapest, marrying time-honored traditions with a contemporary approach. Its name—a blend of "mezze" and "mosaic"—evokes the communal, vibrant nature of Lebanese dining and the varied cultural influences that have shaped its culinary heritage over centuries.
Why was exhibiting at the Budapest Wine Festival important for Mozata this year?
We’ve wanted to participate in the Budapest Wine Festival for a long time, but for us, it’s much more than just a promotional opportunity. Being an active part of the local community and participating in Budapest's key cultural and gastronomic showcases is essential to who we are.
Are there specific Lebanese dishes that pair particularly well with wine?
Lebanese grilled specialties pair brilliantly with wine. Spiced, smoky lamb skewers match wonderfully with fuller-bodied reds, while kafta—prepared with fresh parsley, onions, and aromatic spices—is a natural partner for a characterful red wine. That said, Lebanese cuisine goes far beyond meat: dishes like hummus, moutabal batenjen, tabbouleh, or roasted vegetables create exciting, dynamic pairings with crisp whites, rosés, or sparkling wines.
What do you hope to achieve at the festival—reaching new guests, or introducing Lebanese food within a wine-focused setting?
Both are equally important. We want to welcome guests who haven’t heard of Mozata yet, as well as those who have been curious but haven't had the chance to visit our restaurant. A festival creates a relaxed, accessible atmosphere for people to discover new flavors without committing to a full dining experience right away. It's also a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate how effortlessly Lebanese cuisine fits into a wine-centric environment. Lebanese food revolves around sharing, variety, and contrast—a single table might feature creamy dips, fresh herb salads, grilled meats, vegetables, spices, and bright citrus tones. This creates endless possibilities for inspiring wine pairings. Ultimately, we hope guests leave not just with the memory of a great bite, but with a desire to explore Lebanese gastronomy even further.
Demeter Winery
Introducing a New Brand
Hailing from the Eger wine region, winemaker Csaba Demeter is unveiling an entirely new brand at the festival: the XY portfolio, a range well worth seeking out and discovering.
What inspired your return as an exhibitor at the Budapest Wine Festival this year?
We are returning to the Budapest Wine Festival after several years, but in a completely different light. Lately, we’ve been crafting new wine brands that embody a fresh philosophy, and we felt the festival was the absolute best venue for their debut. We’re keen to connect with new trade partners—restaurants, wine merchants, hotels, and export buyers—but we are just as eager to meet people who simply appreciate a great glass of wine. We deeply believe in the future of Hungarian wine, and we want to show as many people as possible that it’s a world worth rediscovering time and again.
What are you looking forward to most during the festival?
We want everyone who stops by our stand to simply have a great time—it’s that simple. We’re excited to talk, pour plenty of glasses, and leave people with a warm, memorable impression. For us, success isn't just measured in new business deals; it’s when someone walks away thinking, "I'm so glad I stopped there." If new professional partnerships blossom along the way, all the better. We are putting great momentum behind building our new brands right now and welcome any collaboration that creates lasting value.
Are you bringing any special bottlings, new releases, or limited wines?
In a sense, every wine we bring is brand new, as these labels are making their public debut. Our main highlight is the XY Rosé. Inspired by Provence, our goal wasn't to copy that region, but to bring home the lifestyle and philosophy we admire so much there. In Provence, rosé is an effortless part of daily life—not a side character, but the center around which evenings, conversations, and gatherings take shape. It’s about taking a moment to sit back, enjoy a glass, and savor the present. That’s the feeling we wanted to capture in the bottle. At the festival, we’re also presenting the XY Sauvignon Blanc, alongside the white and red bottlings of the Budapest Wine Selection, but the rosé remains the true storyteller of our philosophy.
Which wines are you most excited to showcase to festival visitors, and why?
We deliberately chose not to bring our entire portfolio to the festival this year. We wanted the XY brand to take center stage and stand firmly on its own. Alongside our Provençal-style rosé, we’re bringing our Sauvignon Blanc and the Budapest Wine Selection white and red. Every wine in this lineup shares the same ethos: wine isn't just about what's in the glass. It becomes truly valuable when it becomes part of a conversation, a meal, or a shared evening. If a glass of our wine can elevate those moments, we’ve achieved our goal.
What kind of impression do you want visitors to take away from the XY stand?
When someone walks away, we want them to have one effortless thought: "That rosé was a real pleasure to drink." Not because we tried to talk them into it, but because that’s genuinely how it felt. And for restaurants or wine trade professionals visiting us, we want them to see the thoughtful craftsmanship, clear vision, and long-term commitment behind these wines. If someone only tries one wine from us, I hope it’s the XY Rosé. I hope that in those few minutes, they feel what we put into it: that a glass of wine doesn't create the moment, but it can make an already beautiful moment unforgettable.
Zichy Anna Sparkling Lounge
The Budapest Wine Festival has long been an important milestone for Zichy Anna Pezsgőház, but this year marks a special new chapter as they launch the Zichy Anna Sparkling Lounge concept for the very first time.
What should visitors know about this year’s innovation?
The Sparkling Lounge is far more than a festival booth or a pop-up point—it’s an elegant gathering place designed to immerse guests in the world of Zichy Anna, where traditional Tokaj sparkling wines, fine wines, and refined hospitality meet. We want visitors to do more than just taste our traditional-method sparklers; we want them to step into the lifestyle that Zichy Anna embodies, even if just for a few minutes. The Budapest Wine Festival provides the perfect setting for this: it’s one of the most prestigious celebrations of Hungarian wine culture, where every year it’s a joy to reconnect with long-time guests and spark new stories over a glass of bubbly.
Which wines are you most excited to present to the festival audience, and why?
We are particularly proud to showcase our Brut Nature Prestige traditional-method sparkling wine, which perfectly highlights the incredible potential of the Tokaj terroir in sparkling winemaking. Our Brut Nature also takes center stage—its sleek, understated elegance is a wonderful revelation for many—while our Frizzante, with its lighter, fruit-forward character, serves as the ultimate companion for warm summer afternoons and evenings. Naturally, we’ll also be pouring a curated selection of our Tokaj still wines to demonstrate the multifaceted nature of Zichy Anna Pezsgőház.
In your view, what makes the atmosphere of the Budapest Wine Festival so unique compared to other wine events?
There are very few venues in Europe where history, fine gastronomy, and wine culture come together so effortlessly. The breathtaking panorama from the Buda Castle is an experience in itself, but what truly sets this festival apart is its openness. It seamlessly brings together dedicated wine industry professionals and guests who simply want to spend a lovely evening enjoying a outstanding glass of wine or sparkling wine. That rich diversity is what makes the event so genuinely inspiring.
What kinds of interactions are you looking forward to most with visitors?
The conversations we cherish most—with both domestic and international guests—are those where a single sip opens the door to a longer story. We love getting to know our visitors, learning about the flavor profiles they enjoy, and hearing about the lasting memories they take away from a tasting. If someone leaves the Zichy Anna Sparkling Lounge feeling they’ve not only discovered a new favorite sparkling wine, but also shared a memorable experience, then the festival is already a success for us. We firmly believe that the best connections are often born over a glass of sparkling wine.
By Eszter Tiefenthaler / Vince Magazine
