VinAgora: How has winning the “Winemaker of the Year 2024” award changed your daily work and the perception of your winery?
Zsolt Liptai: Since receiving the award, the focus has clearly shifted back to the wines themselves. It provides us with an extra advantage, because in many situations it is not the winemaker who needs to speak. The wine can communicate on behalf of its creator. In this sense, the current period has become somewhat easier. I can confidently say that the award brings a demand for appearances throughout the country, offering opportunities to meet many interesting people in diverse locations. As long as one can maintain a healthy balance, the recognition we carry with us points to a colorful and rewarding year ahead.
VinAgora: So would you say that this award contributes to promoting your winery?
Zsolt Liptai: I believe it does. It is true in this case as well that people become curious and want to taste the wines of the award-winning winemaker. If they are disappointed, they will not buy them again. However, if the experience is positive, it can represent a significant step forward in the life of the winery.
Only a few months have passed, so I cannot yet see the effects in terms of numbers. I do think, however, that if the many requests we are responding to now turn out to be worthwhile, the impact should become visible on the economic side as well.
VinAgora: You are the first winemaker from the Pannonhalma wine region to receive this award. Do you think this recognition will benefit your wine region as a whole?
Zsolt Liptai: I definitely believe it will. I can feel the pride among my colleagues, and perhaps they are proud of me personally too, but I mostly see this as recognition for the entire wine region and even the larger surrounding area. I have said before that none of our smaller wine regions, such as Somló, Sopron, Mór, or Pannonhalma, had been recognized before now. I believe these areas have a lot more to offer. I also hope we will make the most of this moment. With the spotlight now on Pannonhalma, we must show that this award is the result of long-term dedication and that it is something that can be sustained. We trust the attention will last and that we can maintain the interest we are now receiving.
VinAgora: You are known as an experimental winemaker. Do you already have ideas for future directions, and has the award given you extra motivation?
Zsolt Liptai: More than twenty years ago, we could only guess what our wine region, despite its rich historical background, might be able to offer modern-day consumers. There are grape varieties and winemaking technologies that we now feel have become outdated. These are naturally pushed to the background as we move toward current trends. Still, we are careful not to chase every passing fashion. Our priority is to perfect and refine the successful wine styles and blends we have developed over the past decades. I place particular emphasis on the blends. Rather than expanding in volume or changing grape varieties, I now see greater potential in refining what we already do well. Our goal is to become more polished, more elegant, and more sophisticated.
VinAgora: Your winery has achieved excellent results in many competitions, including VinAgora. Do you think this contributed to your recognition as Winemaker of the Year in 2024?
Zsolt Liptai: I do not believe there is a direct formula for this. We began our journey with the 2002 vintage and have tried to maintain our standards of quality across all areas. Perhaps over time, all of these efforts have come together in the form of a major milestone. Still, the recognition is not just due to the wines, the winery, or our winemaking philosophy. It also depends on how well we can share all of this with wine enthusiasts and professional tasters.
Of course we are proud of every award we receive. I have often thought about what makes a wine consistently score high across different competitions, but I have only ideas, not answers. Now that I have served on the VinAgora jury for the first time, I can see that the competition field is very strong. The quality of the wines is very close, and tiny details make the difference. It is no longer enough to simply be good. A wine must have that extra touch of uniqueness, individuality, and character to earn recognition. That is why top-level competitions like VinAgora are so valuable for us. They give important feedback.
VinAgora: Now that you have taken part in a wine competition as a judge and have seen what is expected of a wine, will you return to your cellar with a new perspective?
Zsolt Liptai: As winemakers, we aim to create wines that not only appeal to us personally but also speak to a wider audience. One of the most beautiful aspects of winemaking is that there is no absolute truth. Every consumer experiences wine in their own way. We have always believed it is important to be recognized not only locally, but also internationally. We export our wines to North America, the Far East, and all across Europe. These markets provide vital feedback about where we should head next. Competition results, consumer opinions, and purchase patterns together help us decide how to refine our style. We cannot fundamentally change the grape varieties or the natural characteristics of our wine region, but it is always worth observing current trends and working to improve our existing strengths in those directions.
VinAgora: We have completed the first day of the wine competition. How are you feeling so far and what are your first impressions?
Zsolt Liptai: So far we have been evaluating white wines, and the 2024 vintage is the most represented. The 2024 growing season presented major challenges for Hungarian winemakers, and I must admit it was a challenge for me as well. It is very clear that we experienced an extremely hot summer. Every producer who brought wines to the competition had to deal with issues like over-ripeness and how to balance a potential lack of acidity. Now that we are reaching the end of the white wine lineup, we have seen some wines from earlier vintages such as 2022 and 2021. The difference in raw material is obvious, and the impact of extreme conditions is very apparent. It shows that we are capable of working well even in difficult years. I am especially looking forward to tasting the older red wines next. I am full of anticipation.
Photo: Árpád Földházi / Magyar Krónika
The photo was originally published in the Magyar Krónika article: "Zsolt Liptai, the head winemaker of the Pannonhalma Archabbey Winery, became the Winemaker of the Year 2024" – source: kronika.hu