In early February, Meininger Verlag published a special summary in two leading German trade publications, Weinwirtschaft and Sommelier, presenting Hungarian dry white wines – including, of course, Furmint – to German market decision-makers. This was not a simple wine competition: it is an integral part of Wines of Hungary’s comprehensive, long-term German market campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the quality of Hungarian terroir wines, primarily dry whites, among the B2B target audience in a conscious and consistent manner.

How did we get here?

The choice of theme did not fall on the Furmint & Friends concept by chance. Based on feedback from German importers and traders attending the 2025 Hungarian Wine Summit, it was clear that dry white wines showcasing terroir are generating enormous interest in the German market, and the narrative surrounding Furmint – the variety, the region, the style – is ripe to appeal to a more serious professional audience. This industry feedback provided the basis for Wines of Hungary to focus on the theme of Furmint & Friends and related varieties – dry Furmint, Olaszrizling, and other indigenous white varieties.

The call for entries was published on the Meininger website in October 2025, while the Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency notified winemakers and major partner institutions in its newsletter that all Hungarian wineries were eligible to enter, regardless of whether they were already present on the German market. The deadlines were strict: samples had to be received by October 24, with tasting on November 5. The timing was no coincidence: the aim was to have the results published in early February, just before ProWein, so that wines scoring over 87 points could be presented at the Wines of Hungary stand and the results could also reinforce the Furmint February campaign.

The results

A total of 58 Hungarian wines scored over 87 points in the tasting from more than 100 entries, and featured in the Meininger publication – a platform whose digital newsletter reaches more than 8,000 importers, retailers, and professional decision-makers.

In the three categories – Furmint, Furmint & Friends, and Friends – the following wines took the top spots:

The winner of the Friends category was Lenkey 2006 „Tíz év után” (Ten Years Later) Bomboly Hárslevelű (Tokaj), which won the field with 93 points. The vintage itself sends a message: a 2006 Hárslevelű that still holds its own today demonstrates precisely the complexity and aging potential that few people know about Tokaj whites.

In the Furmint & Friends category, the highest score was achieved by St. Andrea’s 2023 Mária Egri Cuvée Grand Superior (Eger) with 92 points. The victory of the Eger wine in the Tokaj-dominated field is also noteworthy and clearly shows that Furmint is no longer exclusively a Tokaj variety.

In the Furmint category, the top four wines tied for first place, each receiving 93 points: Pendits Winery’s 2013 Krakó Furmint (Tokaj), Samuel Tinon’s 2022 Birtok Furmint (Tokaj), TR Wines Tokaj’s 2022 TR Palota Organic wine (Tokaj) and Pannon Tokaj’s 2021 Dominium Furmint (Tokaj) achieved the highest scores. The fact that different vintages and wineries achieved the same top score also testifies to the exceptional homogeneity and depth of the Tokaj dry Furmint category, but Somló and Badacsony were also represented among the leaders.

What’s next?

This coverage is not just a momentary success: professionals visiting ProWein can encounter these wines at the Wines of Hungary stand, and the Meininger article will serve as a long-term reference point for Hungarian dry white wines. Wines of Hungary has once again demonstrated that the Hungarian wine sector is capable of attracting serious professional attention in the most competitive markets through conscious, strategically thought-out work.