“They received this award because they preserve the past in an exemplary manner, live in the present with all their hearts, and boldly build the future.”
Tokaj-Hegyalja is celebrating a historic success: after a decade-long hiatus, the most prestigious domestic winemaking award returns to the wine region. The title “Winery of the Year 2026,” announced by the Hungarian Wine Academy and the National Council of Mountain Communities, was awarded to the HOLDVÖLGY estate in Mád. Joining the ranks of the twenty previous iconic winners, the winery has thus permanently inscribed itself in the annals of Hungarian wine culture, proving that a respect for tradition combined with uncompromising innovation can elevate Tokaj wine to the very pinnacle of the world.
The prestigious award was presented during a ceremony on Monday, June 29, 2026, at the Holdvölgy Estate itself. The award was presented to the estate’s founders and team by János Frittmann, president of the National Council of Mountain Communities, and Diána Nyitrainé Sárdy, president of the Hungarian Wine Academy. In their speeches, these leading figures in the Hungarian wine industry highlighted the extraordinary journey the estate has undertaken over the past two decades.
“At Holdvölgy, tradition and innovation form a perfect, organic unity. It is fascinating to see how much patience, humility, and unwavering courage it has taken over the past twenty years for the estate to be able to present such uncompromising, world-class products today,” —emphasized Diána Nyitrainé Sárdy, president of the Hungarian Wine Academy, in her speech, which she concluded with a quote from Béla Hamvas’s legendary wine philosophy, alluding to the estate’s elegance: “I consider even the foothills to be queens…”
János Frittmann, president of the National Council of Mountain Communities (kind of a Winegrowers Association - the editor), used a profound, personal metaphor in his speech to shed light on the essence of winemaking. He emphasized that the grapevine, which ultimately transforms into wine, is like a child—every single moment of its life must be followed with rapt attention; it must be protected and nurtured. He added: “Holdvölgy’s modern approach—for example, their sparkling wine—would have been unimaginable in Tokaj fifteen years ago. They received this award because they preserve the past in an exemplary manner, live wholeheartedly in the present, and boldly build the future.”
The award was accepted by Pascal Demkó, the visionary behind and founder-owner of Holdvölgy Estate. In his speech, he expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the industry’s recognition and highlighted the inner driving force that has guided them from the very beginning: “Alongside patience, courage, and humility, unwavering faith and the highest level of expertise have played the most important roles for us. The result of this fusion is HOLDVÖLGY’s crystal-clear wines. This most prestigious domestic professional award is not only the crowning achievement of our work to date, but also a milestone that further elevates the HOLDVÖLGY estate’s international recognition and opens new doors on the global market.”
This award is a well-deserved recognition of the dedicated work that HOLDVÖLGY has invested over the past two decades in the wine region, in the revitalization of historic vineyards, in its team, and in its unique winemaking philosophy. The estate’s management emphasized that this award is a shared achievement. It is also a professional recognition of the domestic and international partners who have worked with the estate for years with unwavering trust, as well as all the wine lovers who choose HOLDVÖLGY wines for both everyday moments and life’s most celebratory occasions.
About the HOLDVÖLGY Estate Founded in 2004, the HOLDVÖLGY estate is located in the historic vineyards of Mád, one of the most prominent towns in the Tokaj-Hegyalja region. The 30-hectare estate comprises 7 iconic vineyards and 30 individual plots, allowing for extremely precise, plot-selective viticulture. From the very beginning, the estate’s goal has been to create terroir-driven, crystal-clear wines vintage after vintage, seeking the perfect balance between the growing region, the grape varieties, and the characteristics of each vintage. Their portfolio ranges from light, modern sparkling wines to reductive and barrel-aged white wines, as well as late-harvest specialties, Szamorodnik, and 6-puttonyos Aszú wines. HOLDVÖLGY is unique in the wine region in that, since 2006, it has been able to bottle 6-puttonyos aszú in every single vintage, made exclusively from premium grapes harvested from its own vineyards.
