Krisztián Gyukli a winemaker with passion and hearth as well as many “one liners”. We had a really good conversation from German values, to how he turned his focus to wine as well thought behind the face of the Balaton and its wines.
The Podcast is available in Hungarian through Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcast and other platform. Below an English excerpt.
Content
- “I never wanted to become a winemaker” – How things started
- German esteem – teachings for a life
- Balaton and wine
- The future…
“I never wanted to become a winemaker” – How things started
I slid into this whole things, says Krisztián Gyukli. Since he was a boy from Balaton he much enjoyed the free time around the lake, summer and winter alike. Yet while others were playing he had to clean plastic cans, work in the cellar and vineyard the grapes and wines have become part of his life, kind of unwanted. Since 1993 they were part of the so-called “Füredi Borhetek” the wine weeks of Balatonfüred an festival where they participated regularly.
Yet it was another “participation” which was a turning point for Krisztián, his friends from the University asked him to do a wine tasting, he reckoned for 5-7 people. But it turned out that over 200 people came they filled the whole auditorium. “I never lied so much in my entire life” said Krisztián yet it was a hugely successful tasting people wanted to talk with him and virtually everybody ordered Gyukli wines that very night. It was worthwhile to pay attention in the vineyard and the winery…
German esteem – teachings for a life
Everyone could have taken professional knowledge within these 10 years but it was more the cultural attitude, habit, humility and will power as well as precision which is very much part of the German life-style points out Krisztián. He worked for the Research Centre in Freiburg. It was not money what motivated him but to learn the profession. He could have had an easy life in Germany, but he choose the passion and love which is Balatonfüred and the wine from his home country.
The time in Germany helped him to create a mind set and with this to change the winery from the very ground level within 5 years and not only within the own business but implement changes in a wider surrounding as well. “The water bicycle, lángos (a fried flatbread) and beach-going should be let go”, tourism has to be elevated to another level points out Krisztián Gyukli.
Balaton and wine
The Gyukli winery is based in Balatonfüred, working on 5 hectare and producing between 20.000-30.000 bottles / year. Today the wines are easily “taken” but there will be a time when “selling” will become a norm, meaning much more effort has to be put into awareness, communication, marketing and so on. When people visit the Gyukli Winery they should feel a kind of sensation, an emotition or to be precise the feeling of “arrival”. As Krisztián continues it´s about “optimising the profit and not maximizing it”.
Wines around the Balaton can be superb, but tourism did not always help in excelling this fine quality potential. Balaton is not simply Hungary´s “bathtub”, so a re-thinking and re-inventing is much needed.
The future…
It goes without saying that there must be good “generic” wines from the Balaton, spotless, clean wines. Later there can be a discussion about style and even about single vineyard profile. New varieties will emerge, the Gyukli Winery has some of the PIWI (fungus-resistant-vines) grapes such as Hibernal, Solaris, and Muscaris will follow shortly. Krisztián points out the crucial point is however: to be true to oneself.
