Every year since 2014, the City of Debrecen has been selecting the City of Debrecen Wine from among the best wines in the country, with the help of renowned winemakers and sommeliers. This year, too, they decided on a full range of wines, ie classic white and red, rosé, premium white and red, sparkling and dessert wines.
In the first round, the wine judging was organized and conducted by the Debrecen Borozó professional magazine, this year, celebrating its tenth year. Despite the pandemic, the jury of winemakers and wine experts judged 235 wines from 121 wineries during 2020, comparable to the category of an international wine competition. As a result, the TOP 20 wineries selected were invited to participate in the City of Debrecen Wine Competition. The winning wineries of the City of Debrecen Wine from the previous year were also delegated. In a decisive round taking place, on May 21st, in 7 wine categories were awarded, cutting down the field down to 26 wines from the total 102 wines entered, (representing 11 wine regions). The City of Debrecen Wine Project is managed by VisitDebrecen.
This year’s winners of the City of Debrecen Wine Awards were announced on May 28th, 2021 at the Tourinform center:
- Champagne: Tokaji Furmint Champagne Extra Brut 2017, Count Degenfeld Vineyard (Tokaj wine region)
- White classic: Nivegy Valley Bio Olaszrizling 2019, Dobosi Winery ) (Balaton-felvidéki wine region)
- White premium: Meditation Tokaji dry furmint 2019 Király-dűlő, Holdvölgy Winery (Tokaji wine region)
- Rosé: Syrah Rosé 2020, Mészáros Pál Wine House and Cellar (Szekszárd wine region)
- Red classic: Eger Bull Blood Classicus 2016, Thummerer Winery and Vineyard
- Red premium: Vintage 2017, Vesztergombi Winery (Szekszárd wine region)
- Dessert: Tokaji Aszú 5 puttonyos 2016, Count Degenfeld Vineyard (Tokaj wine region)
Wine of Debrecen 2021
Competition History.
Hungarian wine and wine culture is a past time of city of Debrecen. It is a historical fact that Érmellék (Romania) has been the city’s vineyard for centuries. Érmellék is the third most important white wine region after Tokaj and the Balaton Uplands in the Carpathian basin. Indeed, the first Winemaker school was founded in 1870 in Bihardiószeg, just 40 kilometers from Debrecen. Due to the expansion of the Turks at the time, the attention of the citizens of Debrecen turned to the wine region and wine making. From the middle of the 17th century: many citizens of Debrecen bought grapes in the wine region closest to the city, in 1690 118 citizens of Debrecen had larger grapes in 29 Érmellék settlements. It was noted that during the harvest the administration in Debrecen was suspended.
Due to the historical background and in order to support the Hungarian wine culture, Debrecen has been organizing the Bakator Wine and Gastro Festival together with the Bihardiószeg municipality for many years, and it also supports the stay and work of young winemakers in Érmellék by offering grafts. One of the reasons for this is that Bihardiószeg has once again become one of the centers of the Érmellék wine region and 80 hectares of the 250 hectares of vineyards in the Bihar part are cultivated in the settlement. If permitted by local regulations due to the epidemic situation, the Bakator Wine and Gastro Festival will be held in Bihardiószeg on July 24th this year.
Wines labeled with the Wine of the City of Debrecen clearly stand in favor of viticulture and winemaking in the Carpathian Basin. They represent the value-oriented approach of managing the unique talents inherited by our ancestors as many as possible and well able to make quality wines. Wines labeled with the Wine of the City of Debrecen, guarantee that all consumers will meet the unique values and real wine experiences of Hungarian production sites.
The Wine Selection of the City of Debrecen, selected every year by the professional team of VisitDebrecen and the Debrecen Winery, can be found in more and more restaurants or at local events related to Hungarian wine culture. This year, in addition to the Wine and Jazz Days and the Debrecziner Gourmet Festival, the general public can get to know these great items at interactive wine tastings at Tourinform’s brand new center in Debrecen.
