After a break of several years, the Wines of Hungary stand will be back at the Vinitaly exhibition in Verona. We asked Pál Rókusfaly, Government Commissioner for National Wine Marketing, about the planned activities in Italy and further programmes to promote Hungarian wines internationally.
What is the concept behind the communication to the international professional audience?
During the strategy development process, we conducted thorough domestic and international research to assess the wine market from the producers’ and consumers’ point of view, the marketing and communication field, the regulatory environment, etc. We identified the primary and secondary target markets and assessed their demand side.
It is an important principle to target the market and the professional audience of each country with messages that are individually focused and adapted to the demand conditions, presenting one or two typical varieties that can arouse interest in other varieties and Hungarian wine in general.
Another important goal is to facilitate visits to Hungary by international wine opinion leaders and merchants, so that they can get to know Hungarian wine regions and wines first-hand. We have been doing this over the past few months, but in April we will take it to the next level with the Hungarian Wine Summit.
The first few months of the year are dominated by large-scale professional events. In March there was the ProWein fair in Düsseldorf, with a Wines of Hungary stand and a masterclass programme. How do you evaluate the work done?
ProWein Düsseldorf is truly a flagship event, attracting visitors from all over the world, and this year attracted some 5,400 exhibitors from 65 countries and 47,000 visitors. Organised by the Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency, the event saw a record number of Hungarian participants, with more than 300 wines from 40 wineries in six wine regions.
Three masterclasses were held every day, led by internationally renowned Masters of Wine, with great success. We designed a new, highly aesthetic modular stand for this show, which allows a range of customised structures to be created, so that we can transfer it to future international shows in a cost-effective way.
Vinitaly is often said to be exclusively about Italian wines. What is the purpose of the Hungarian stand?
Vinitaly is one of the most important international trade fairs for all wine producers and distributors, where producers can present their wines to professionals, traders and journalists from all over the world. Last year’s figures illustrate the size and attendance of the exhibition, with 93,000 wine professionals visiting Vinitaly 2023, importers and buyers from 143 countries, reaching 29,600 visitors and more than 4,000 exhibitors from 30 countries.
In the days leading up to the event, the Vinitaly Plus online platform recorded more than 11,000 B2B meetings between exhibitors and interested professionals, in addition to those held directly between companies and distributors. More than 45,000 wine tastings, B2B meetings and professional training sessions took place during the 4 days of the exhibition. The majority of exhibitors were still Italian, of course, but every year the organisers put a lot of energy into increasing international participation. There is a special hall for foreign exhibitors (Pavilion D), which attracts more and more visitors every year. In addition to tasting the many Italian wines, many people are interested in discovering something different.
In this pavilion, foreign exhibitors will receive assistance and services that are not provided in the other pavilions. These include free ice delivery for chilling wines and a glass service, as well as the organisation of a special B2B presentation for all exhibitors here. So I think the importance of the exhibition is clear, and as far as our role and our objectives are concerned, we are returning to Vinitaly after several years because there are so many influential international buyers and opinion leaders from all over the world who come to Verona and who are worth (re)presenting to us.
There will also be two masterclasses alongside the stand, what kind of programme can visitors expect?
This year, we have asked András Horkay to lead both master classes, one of which will focus on Furmint in the exhibition area, which will be presented through Somló and Tokaj wines. Our goal is to demonstrate the incredible potential of the variety in producing a wide range of styles, from dry to sweet Tokaj wines.
The second masterclass will take place in the framework of Vinitaly and the City (VAC) in the historic centre of Verona. It is important to note that until now only Italian wineries have been able to participate in the VAC, but this year, for the first time a foreign country, Hungary has been invited to participate as a guest! Our presentation will take place in an exclusive setting, in a Renaissance palace built in the 15th century, in front of invited important B2B guests. The theme of this tasting will be volcanic wines from Hungary and of course we will also be talking about the relevant dry wines and Tokaji Aszú.
Another important professional event in April is the Hungarian Wine Summit. What is this event about?
We intend to create a trade exhibition with a commercial focus that will be a benchmark in Central Europe, bringing to Hungary the leading opinion leaders, Masters of Wine, merchants and writers from all our key target markets, to introduce them directly to Hungarian wine in its home environment.
Our main goal is to strengthen the Wines of Hungary brand, increase exports and support Hungarian wineries on the international stage. We are expecting nearly 100 international guests, who will be introduced to more than 100 wineries from 22 wine regions in the framework of a conference, 9 masterclasses and 3-day study tours, as well as a networking dinner. This is an excellent tool for direct international networking, education and image building, which we hope will be an effective catalyst for Hungarian wine exports.