Naturally lot of things happen at our winery. The works are permanent in the vineyards and in the cellar, we have a lot of guests – wine tastings, events, foreign trips and programs in Villány. Now we summarize the most important happenings of 2017 for you and also for ourselves.
Vincent-day in the wine region
We start each year with the programs of Vincent day in the end of January. This is the very first event of the new year. It is an old tradition that the vine-growers predicted the forthcoming harvest from the weather of Vincent day and the condition of the cut Vincent sticks. They taste each others’ wines walking from cellar to cellar, they ask the bless of God to the vines, and for safety’s sake the also apply superstitious crafts to ensure the good growth. We awaited our guests for a wine tasting joined to the programs of the wine region, and for a dinner compiled for this evening in Mandula Restaurant.
During winter and spring
We started the works in the vineyards, tasted the wines rest in the cellar, we compiled our great reds and we also prepared for the events of spring. Before we got the samples from the barrels in March, we tasted all of it, then decided the fate of each wine. First we choose for Attila Cuvée. then for Solus, Kopar and Villányi Franc. The hardest job is – which may takes even 2 months – to figure out the appropriate blend ratios. It is not easy to taste these fresh, great wines. This time the tannins are so intense in them, that we can not check more than 20-25 wines per day usually.
Kopar became 20 years old
It is a little incredible that Kopar became 20 years old in 2017. We celebrated this round anniversary with our friends and partners. The name of the wine was a fantasy name even in the year of its appearance. As the top wine of the winery it got its name after the vineyard with the greatest prestige and always made from the selection of the best slopes. We bottle it in the best years. Since 1997 the 2017 vintage was the 13th of this iconic wine. Vintage 2013 put elegance in the forefront. It is a refined wine with finesse, with the stress on fruitiness.
Renewal of our winery
We started great construction works in the end of spring: we renewed the tasting hall of the winery. It was a challenge because everything must be finished until the Gere Jazz Festival. Originally we would like to renew the tasting hall but finally it turned into a bigger transformation. We missed the homely atmosphere of the hotel so we visited our dear friend, Zoltán Varró from VarróDesign to carry out our concepts. We extended the terrace, and the tasting hall became more atmospheric. We can show the full Gere Attila portfolio to the visiting guests.
VI. Gere Jazz Festival – South-French atmosphere in Villány
The Gere Jazz Festival in June 2017 passed away in authentic South-French, Provence atmosphere. The guests could taste the wines of Gere Attila Winery’s wines. The gastronomic experiences were served by Szabolcs Kozma chef and the team of Mandula Restaurant in the transformed and renewed grill terrace. The spices of the Provence region used for the meals conjured real French flavours on to the plates.
The performers were: Veronika Harcsa and her permanent partner: Bálint Gyémánt; the Hungarian jazz other remarkable diva: Eszter Váczi and her band; we could dance to the music of Sena and Pankastic!; the Kossuth- and Liszt-award owner virtuosic guitar player – Ferenc Snétberger – played together with one of the greatest contemporary master of trumpet: Markus Stockhausen. As the closing of the festival, the world famous French formation, the Nouvelle Vague gave an unforgettable concert.
Harvest
In 2017 we finished the harvest and brought in the last Cabernet Franc cases on 19th October. In 2017 Villány wine region and our winery also closed a very good vintage. The early and late varieties ripen nicely so after white and rosé the grape picked for red wines came quickly too. Even we were surprised by that extreme fruit flavour what we tasted in the grape berries this year. Beside the bunches harvested in the state of optimal ripeness, this also gives reason to hope in the great wines of the 2017 vintage.
Franc&Franc Forum Tasting Day
Our November program was born as the sign of the cooperation of Villány wine region. Guest wine makers arrived from the Loire region, the Italian Friuli Grave region, from the Balkans, and from other European Cabernet Franc growing areas. The leading topic of the event was the Hungarian wine market and Cabernet Franc. In the forum – beside of the courses – famous professionals introduced the tasted wines, which were rare Hungarian wine rows, classicus and premium Villány bottles, and other Hungarian Cabernet Francs. On the tasting day the guests can get acquainted with the newest and already marketed Villányi Francs in the cellars of Villány.
