It has been 10 years since the City of Debrecen, in cooperation with the Debreceni Borozó wine and gastronomy magazine, selects the wines worthy of the honorary title of the Wine of the City of Debrecen. These noble wines – whether they come from any of the excellent wine regions of Hungary – can proudly bear the title of the Wine of the City of Debrecen for one year.
The primary objective of the wine competition, first announced in 2015, is for the jury to select the best Hungarian wines that will represent the wine culture of the Carpathian Basin at official events, gastronomic and cultural programs, in the wine list of local restaurants and as a representative gift.
In the first round of this year’s Debrecen City Wine Competition, 500 wines from 130 wineries in 21 wine regions took part. The stakes were high, as the wineries with the best results were invited to participate in the judging to decide the winner of the title. The prestigious jury, made up of international wine judges and well-known personalities from the Hungarian wine community, selected the winning items from 100 wines from 27 wineries in 12 wine regions in the final round. The evaluation and ranking were carried out according to the international 100-point scoring system and top wines were named in 7 categories.
The award ceremony and press conference took place at the Mercure Debrecen Winestone Restaurant on Wednesday 21 February 2024.
In his welcome speech, Sándor Kerekes, founding editor of Debreceni Borozó, said that it is a joyful but long process when the wines of Debrecen are selected year after year. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the competition, he stressed that the City of Debrecen has supported this process from the very beginning.
Mayor László Papp said that he was proud that Debrecen had organized the Debrecen City Wine Competition every year, despite the difficulties of recent years. He also pointed out that after ten years the initiative has not lost its popularity, as the last competition attracted the largest number of entries and the best quality wines.
This year, for the first time, the program was organized under the auspices of the Főnix Event Organization Non-profit Ltd. Réka Mészáros, the company’s managing director, recalled that every year the wine of Debrecen is presented at the city’s gastronomic events; the Debrecziner Gourmet Festival and the Debrecen Wine and Jazz Days.
Pál Kovács, a member of the Hungarian Wine Academy and publisher of the Debrecen Wine Journal, first summarized the most important events in the centuries-long relationship between Debrecen and wine. The prestige of Debrecen wine has increased to such an extent that this year we had to invite international wine judges to the jury, he said.
After the toasts, not only the best wines were presented, but also a special sabrage technique: Debrecen’s champagne was opened with a sword by sommelier-wine curator Béla Vállai.
The title of Wine of the City of Debrecen 2024 was awarded again this year to a full range of wines, with top wines in seven categories: sparkling, classic white and red, rosé, premium white and red, and sweet white. The Wine of the City of Debrecen label is a real prestige because it guarantees that the consumer will become even more familiar with the unique value of Hungarian wine-growing areas, the special wine experience and the Hungarian wine culture. The wines – which can even be ordered together with exclusive gift boxes – can be a real value not only for collectors, but also as a special surprise for company gifts or gifts for friends.
The wine selection of the city of Debrecen, coordinated by the professional team of the Főnix Event Organizing Nonprofit Ltd. and the Debreceni Borozó is selected every year and can be found in more and more restaurants and at events related to Hungarian wine culture. The general public can also purchase these wines directly at the Debrecen Tourinform Office, 20 Piac utca.
The winning wines of Debrecen in 2024 are:
Champagne category:
Koch Pincészet, Hajós-Bajai Chardonnay Brut sparkling wine 2021 (Hajós-Baja Wine Region)
Classic category:
Günzer Tamás Pincészete, Mont Blanc Cuvée 2023 (Villány Wine Region)
Bujdosó Szőlőbirtok és Pincészet, “Mentőöv” Balatonboglári rosé 2023 (Balatonboglár Wine Region)
Takler Borbirtok, Cabernet Franc 2019 (Szekszárd Wine Region)
Premium category:
Sümegi Ákos Pincészete, Chardonnay selection 2022 (Szekszárd Wine Region)
Garamvári Szőlőbirtok, Sínai hegy Cabernet Franc 2019 (Balatonboglár Wine Region)
Sweet category:
Béres Szőlőbirtok és Pincészet, Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos 2017 (Tokaji Wine Region)
