It’s been two months since the – very early – harvest ended this year. This year, we have not been able to let our guard down for a moment, the grapes have been constantly tended to, but all the hard work has paid off: the quality is second to none. Although the end of the year is usually a time of rest, we are already preparing for next year’s new plantings: in 2025 we will continue our work in Felsőörs, planting three hectares of kékfrankos and pinot noir vines in the first round.
The heat at the end of the summer and the lack of rainfall in the summer months meant that harvesting started very early this year – and we had plenty of work to do before we had harvested the entire crop.
“This year has been a tough one, with no time to relax. The grapes needed almost constant attention,” recalls our head winemaker Antal Benesch of the late summer/early autumn period. He says: “Although we harvested fewer grapes this year, we can’t complain about the quality, so he remains very optimistic about the 2024 vintage.
Of course, the period since the harvest has not been idle. The sauvignon blanc is ageing nicely in the tank, the nose is perhaps a little more restrained now, but with time the typical aromatic notes of the variety will certainly emerge.
“We’re working to make it creamy and vibrant at the same time, with ripe fruit alongside the herbs, while the finish is dominated by the delicately used barrel. We are creating a harmonious transition from the French style to the freshness of the New World,” says Antal Benesch, adding that those who really like this grape variety don’t have to wait until the new vintage, as the new batch of the premium wine family of the Veszprém Archbishop Winery, 1277 Sauvignon Blanc, is already on the shelves. 
When it comes to quality, our head winemaker is not willing to compromise. He knows very well that the terroir of Mindszentkálla, where the premium wines of the family come from, can produce outstanding quality if allowed and encouraged to do so.
“Our new 1277 Rajnai Rizling is also from this estate, the 2023 vintage is also available, and the new batches are already in bottle. There are no complaints about the quality of this year’s harvest. This variety can mature nicely, already showing serious peachy aromas,” he points out.
But not only white grapes: we were able to harvest our blue grapes at full biological maturity this year, so we can look forward with confidence to our winery’s red wines in 2024. This is also due to the experience we have had with the Vesprim Infula Rouge batches of the past vintages, and the new 2023 vintage is already available.
Next year, however, it is not only the excellent wines that will open a new chapter in the life of our winery: at the end of the year, we will prepare the land in Upper Ores for the 2025 planting, planting 1 hectare of blue franc and 2 hectares of pinot noir. This work has been given a strong boost by the professional awards we have received in recent weeks: at this year’s Vince Gala we won double silver with our Mandorla Rajnai Rizling, we came 2nd in the “Light white wine from an international grape variety” category and in the “Best wine label design” category!
