KNOW IT! – Secretary Wine Estate

In our series of articles, you can read about the wineries that make up the Winehub community. Through guided questions, we hope you’ll learn not only about the wineries’ stories, but also their vision and plans!

Tell us a little about yourselves. How long have you been making wine, where, with what characteristics, with what annual bottle volume.

Our family started planting the Szeleshát vineyard and the Nyéki hill in the Szekszárd wine region in 2001 and produced the first bottled wine in 2007. Since 2018, we have been producing premium terroir wines that reflect our own world of flavours and of which we are truly proud. We harvest from 2.6 HA of organically farmed grapes, producing 10-15,000 bottles per year of premium red wines from vineyards and parcels.

1. What are your plans for the near future?

We’ve bottled some fantastic wines from the 2019 vintage, and these are the new releases we’ll be presenting in the autumn. With the new wines, we will have an almost complete selection, with these 6 premium wines we will be hosting all-night wine dinners.

Will there be any improvements?

We are constantly improving our winemaking and viticultural tools to make the best possible wines every year. Our tasting room on the Nyéki hill will also open in the autumn for private tastings for 8 people.

What are the biggest challenges now?

The biggest difficulty at the moment is the shortage and rising price of packaging materials. For example, for our soon to be launched “Euphoria” Cabernet Sauvignon, we use a special premium Italian bottle that we had to wait more than half a year for.

2. How do you see the situation in your wine region?

The Szekszárd wine region will always be at the forefront of the red wine regions. Lately, Szekszárd has been searching for its uniqueness. The wine region’s potential is ideal for producing world-class wines, as demonstrated by the numerous awards it has won at wine competitions abroad and in Hungary, whether it be local varieties such as Kadarka, Kékfrankos or French varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

3. What would you highlight – whether it’s a gift, a collaboration or something else?

We would like to highlight the “Szekszárd Bottle” collaboration, which has been working for almost 10 years with the aim of presenting Szekszárd-style wines of guaranteed high quality, exciting and easy to understand to foreign consumers.

4. Tell us a little about the wine team. Who are the key players in the wine industry?

There are four of us in our family business. My father is responsible for the perfect grape harvest through his daily diligent work. My mother and I make wine-making decisions together, whether professional or developmental. My wife is responsible for the visual appearance and communication of the Secretary brand.

5. What does an average day look like?

Our day starts early in the morning in the vineyard, from 11am to 2pm in the summer heat, we deliver the wines we have ordered, keep in touch with our trading partners and work on social media. In the evening, on the terrace, we talk through the next day’s tasks, the fate of the lots to be bottled, and on cooler evenings, we taste 1 or 2 of our favourites.

6. Which is your favourite item and why?

My favourite batch at the moment is the “Phoenix” Premium Kékfrankos 2018, which I think is the most exciting and most substantial Kékfrankos of the last 10 years. The perfectly ripe grapes were fermented in open vats for 3 weeks and then matured in second-fill Hungarian 300 litre barrels for 10 months before bottling. There is one problem… there are only 750 bottles left and it’s running out.

7. What is the biggest success you are most proud of?

Our biggest success is that we won 2 gold medals at the first international wine competition we entered (Berliner Wein Trophy 2022), which we are very proud of. We were equally delighted when, just a few weeks after our launch in August, we were listed on the wine lists of Budapest’s most prestigious restaurants.

8. Which razor and which award did it win last time?

“Phoenix” Premium Kékfrankos 2018 – Berliner Wein Trophy 2022 – ARANY ÉREM Merlot 2018 – Berliner Wein Trophy 2022 – ARANY ÉREM

9. Where do you see yourself in 3 years?

In 3 years, we see ourselves as one of the leading organic wineries in the Szekszárd wine region, known for our outstanding quality red wines, of which we sell 15,000 bottles a year.

10. What do you think Winehub can offer you? What was the most important reason for you to join?

Winehub is also committed to the highest quality and represents producers who share similar values and want to take their business to the next level. In addition, consumers can experience wines in an all-inclusive environment that is unique in Hungary and world-class. Knowing the team and the background, we believe that a long-term fruitful relationship is guaranteed.