The Winemaker of the Winemakers has awarded a prestige prize from the best to the best, founded by Pál Rókusfalvy in 2007 with a truly noble and lofty goal. Since then, the 50 best winemakers in Hungary have been elected every year, and then, through a secret internal vote, the 50 best have chosen who had the most outstanding work that year. Recognition does not involve financial benefits, but professional recognition all the more so! It is important to emphasize that, in addition to rewarding the most outstanding professional achievements, the Winemakers are also at the forefront of their social role: every year they award the Friend of Winemakers civil special prize and continuously build the Promenade of the Stars. The Vinum Praemium Foundation also provides scholarships to support the learning and international experience of young and emerging talent, and the Winemaker of the Future Award is given each year to a worthy young winemaker.
The voting mechanism of the Winemakers in 2022 started on March 4 with the Tasting Circle held at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, during which the 50 best winemakers of the Carpathian Basin were selected by secret ballot. As a result of the vote, Sarolta Bárdos, István Ipacs-Szabó, Gábor Kiss, Zsolt Liptay and Vilmos Thummerer † could look forward to the announcement of the results of the award gala at the end of April. Our winery was represented by Pulay Polett, grandson of Vilmos Thummerer. Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, also spoke at the high-quality gala, emphasizing that Hungarian wine has a prominent role in judging the country. At the end of the evening, it was announced that, based on the unanimous decision of the 50 best winemakers, the 2022 Winemakers Award would be awarded posthumously to Vilmos Thummerer. Polett, who is in charge of export-import duties, economic and marketing activities, took over the award, struggling with tears, and thanked him for the honorable award.