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The first edition of the Egri Csillag Eger Wine Region New Wine Competition took place on 23 January. The competition was an opportunity to evaluate fresh wines from the 2022 vintage, produced using reductive technology.

Local wine professionals considered it important to launch the competition, as the consumption of rosé and white wines has been growing steadily in recent years. The Eger wine region, with its exceptional diversity of grape varieties and cool climate, is particularly well suited to bottling high quality wines in these categories.  

The entries at the new competition were tasted and evaluated by a professional jury. All the wines represented the latest vintage, that is 2022. This regional competition precedes the traditional wine competition of the wine region, allowing local wineries to share their results with consumers and members of the trade earlier than usual.

"Local winemakers have long voiced their belief that there was a need for a specifically new wine competition that precedes the traditional Eger wine competition. In the case of these fresh, reductive wines, it is particularly important to receive professional feedback on our work six months earlier than before, when the wines are launched on the market, and to be able to report on the results, especially if they are good," said Gergő Soltész, vice-president of the Eger Wine Region's Regional Council and head of Ostoros Family Winery.   

Wine strategy consultant Ágnes Herczeg, a member of the competition's jury, gave the following assessment of the entries, "2022 was a challenging year for light, fragrant wines. I am happy to report that the tasting showed that the fresh wines from Eger, even in such a difficult year, still delivered the quality we are used to from the wine region. For me, this confirms the high level of expertise of local vine growers and winemakers in the region. The rosés were particularly beautiful: their intense fruity notes and fresh acidity showed their value in several rosé styles. And the Eger Csillags proved once again that blending can produce wines with rich flavours and drinkability in this category too."