Best of Budapest & Hungary

Since the country's largest wine festival first took place in Szeged, SE Hungary, in 1995, the largest number of exhibitors, 160, will be welcoming guests at the Szeged Wine Festival starting this Friday.

As the managing director of Szeged Városkép és Piac Ltd., the organizer of the series of events, Attila Rácz told MTI, visitors to the ten-day festival can meet representatives of almost all Hungarian wine regions on Széchenyi Square, and winemakers from across the border will also be present. Almost thirty caterers will join the wine producers, offering unique cheeses and gastronomic specialties, and you can also taste domestic brandies.

In order to reduce the ecological footprint of the wine festival, since last year, wine can only be served in glass bottles. As in previous years, guests will be able to choose between a souvenir cup with the festival logo to take home or a returnable glass.

There will also be a wine competition. The judges, chaired by Attila Szabó, head of the viticultural research station of the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences in Kecskemét, will evaluate around 150 excellent wines by blind tasting in a 100-point system.

In addition to fine wines, brandies and cheeses, there are also gastronomic specialties on offer. The Craft and Gastronomic Courtyard on Klauzál Square and the Treasure Square on Dugonics Square will be launched at the same time as the Wine Festival. In addition to wine and brandy, these downtown venues will also offer craft beers and gastronomic specialties, and almost a hundred craft exhibitors and small producers will be on hand to offer their wares.

The festival, organized as part of the Szeged Day of Celebrations series, will entertain visitors with a variety of musical programs.

A charity wine auction will be held on each day of the festival, where people can bid for bottles and wine selections donated by the winemakers. The proceeds will be donated to the Szeged Newborn Life Saving Foundation.