There is an acronym in the language of wine that refers to the most valuable wines in the world. Refined experts take a sudden breath when they hear the letters DRC pronounced. These wines, like a painting by Picasso or Rembrandt, are surrounded by awe and dazzling numbers are displayed on their price labels. The owners of Top Selection Hungary wine merchants recently travelled to Burgundy and paid a visit to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. In the short interview below Ákos Forczek lets us know the details.
- What was the aim of your trip to Burgundy in May?
- Top Selection distributes the wines of several cutting-edge wineries, such as Egon Muller and Duband, in the United Kingdom and now in Hungary too alongside names such as Vogue. What could be more natural than regularly visiting our producers to cultivate our relationship and taste new vintage wines. Besides, I have a long-standing friendship with some of the families behind the wine estates. This time we roamed all over Burgundy again.
- The world’s most desired wines – which belong to the category of works of art – are produced by a Burgundy winery, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Did you visit them too?
- I have had the pleasure of visiting them several times. My first visit to this iconic cellar was in the company of Egon Müller, Jean Trimbach and our wives. This year, in May I was accompanied by my friend and business partner, Péter Jankovics. Our trip, however, was preceded by an important meeting: when in November last year István Szepsy was granted the “Les Seigneurs du Vin” [Lord of Wine] award in the Villa d’Este at Lake Como, I had the opportunity to have a long conversation with Aubert de Villaine, the head of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
- … I suppose you met again …
- I did not meet him specifically, but I did meet his colleagues, and I must admit that the experience I had in the middle of May I only dared to imagine in my wildest dreams. I owe thanks to many people for this achievement.
- Are you preparing to make an announcement?
- Yes, I am! A month ago a decision was made to make Top Selection the official distributor of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wines in Hungary, which is unprecedented in the history of Hungary.
Péter Jankovics and Ákos Forczek at the stone sign showing the way to the iconic Romanée-Conti vineyard
- The price of some of these products is as much as three million Forints. Is there a demand for such astonishingly expensive wines in Hungary?
- I would like to quote István Szepsy, who said that if the Creator gives us a product, He will also give us customers for it. But Top Selection does not exclusively deal with wines of the highest prestige, we also offer products at a lower price starting from three thousand forints, from small cellars, including red Spanish beauties, Northern Rhône Syrahsfor a few thousand forints, and we also have Burgundies and Rieslings, the latter from Château Bela, for example. However, our selection also includes numerous prestigious wines as well, such as Vogue and Trimbach wines – the latter winery’s Clos Ste Hune 1990 Riesling recently received amazing reviews in the British Decanter Magazine, and costs about four hundred pounds – or Egon Müller’s Rieslings, not to mention István Szepsy’s dry Furmints, which easily beat the white burgundy. And now Romanée-Conti has been added to our wine selection. There is always a demand for true works of art, and we are all well aware of this at Top Selection.
Hedvig Tallián
