Confrérie holds fourth Tokaji auction

The Great Tokaj Wine Auction raised 21 million Hungarian Forints (£53,900) this weekend as the region’s dry and sweet wines went under the hammer.

A total of 27 limited edition Tokajis – largely from single vineyards – from 19 producers were up for sale last Saturday, 23 April, including ‘Szamorodni’, ‘Aszú’ and ‘Eszencia’ wines in both barrel and bottle.

This year marked the fourth anniversary of the now annual spring sale, which is hosted by the Confrérie de Tokaj. The auction was 80% sold by lot, with one French bidder alone buying up 800 bottles.

Participating producers were: Baranyai Béla, Barta, Basilicus, Béres, Demetervin, Disznókő, Dorogi, Erzsébet, Füleky, Gróf Degenfeld, Holdvölgy, Kvaszinger, Patricius, Samuel Tinon Grands Vins de Tokaj, Sauska Tokaj, Szent Benedek, Tokaj Crown Estates, Tokaj-Hétszőlő, and Zsirai.

A special charity lot, comprised of a bottle of Aszú from the 14 producers of the Mád Circle, was sold in aid of Mike Grgic’s winery in Croatia which was badly damaged by a fire last year. The lot was eventually sold for 603,381 HUF (€1,940).

Polish wine critic and author, Wojciech Bonkowski, who was at the sale told the drinks business that the “exciting” 2015 vintage for dry white wines had been a particular draw, so too the “outstanding” quality of some of the sweet wines and that it was “encouraging to see more wineries adhering to the project”.

He noted it was “somewhat disappointing” to see some lots, including some of the best quality wines, either find no buyers or end up being sold for their starting price.

“There is clearly still a lack of international acknowledgement and interest for this auction,” he stated. “What is needed is more marketing and promotion to make people realise the big potential of this region and its wines.”