On 29 August, the Gere family received the Winery of the Year award in Villány, presented annually by the Hungarian Wine Academy, the National Council of Wine Communities and the Hungarian Association of Wine and Vine Producers to wineries that have led the way in the Hungarian wine industry.
“There is one thing that hasn’t changed since I started making wine: I consider reliable high quality to be a basic requirement. If the Gere name is on a label, the wine must be excellent in its genre, whether it’s Olaszrizling or Solus,” says Attila Gere, summing up the secret of the Villány winery’s success.
The three professional organisations examined the operation of Hungarian wineries in a complex way in the process of awarding the Winery of the Year prize. In addition to viticulture and winemaking, they also took into account wine marketing and wine tourism activities in order to assess the impact of the winery on the promotion of Hungarian wine, wine culture and wine consumption.
As part of the nomination process, an invitation has been sent to 850 operators in the sector, who were able to vote for the winery they feel most deserves the award. The three wineries with the most votes were asked to prepare a detailed presentation of their application, which was reviewed by members of the boards of the three organisations, who then voted individually for the best winery to determine the final ranking.
“Thirty years ago, in 1994, my father received the Winemaker of the Year Award. Today I truly understand that this recognition was an expression of appreciation for the intense and dynamic work that my father had done to establish the Attila Gere Winery and make it nationally known. I find it symbolic that we received the Winery of the Year Award exactly thirty years after he did. I see it as a confirmation of the dedication that has defined our efforts every day since, now as members of the next generation.
And the timing of the award is even more perfect as it reflects the strength of the Villány community. The fact that all three major national professional awards were given to Villány winemakers in 2024 shows that we can succeed together, side by side. In the spring we celebrated Tamás Günzer as Wine Producer of the Year, in June József Bock received the Lifetime Achievement Award, and now we are receiving the Winery of the Year Award,” said Andrea Gere, who is now responsible for the management of the winery.
There is no time for idleness at Gere Estate, development never stops. Last year saw the completion of a new 1,200 square metre cellar, suitable for both cask and bottle ageing, as well as the renovation of the existing cellar and the refurbishment of the interior, making a visit to the winery not only worthwhile for those who have never been there before, but also a new experience for those who have.
