The event, dubbed by the organizers as a “gentlemen’s rally,” starts from Budapest’s horse-racing track at Kincsem Park, with 100–120 cars setting off on a 600-kilometer drive to discover the Somló, Badacsony, Balaton Highlands, Boglár, Zala and Balatonfüred-Csopak wine sub-regions of the Balaton area. The rally does not only concentrate on large wineries, but also takes in a number of smaller producers.
One of our goals is to visit the smaller wineries, which are not known Countrywide, but produce such high-quality wines that are also deserve attention – Megay Róbert Péter (main organizer) told.
Settlements the rally passes through include Badacsonytomaj, Somlójenő, Gyulakeszi, Monoszló, Kisapáti, Kéthely, Nagyrada, Balatonlelle, Zamárdi, Kötcse, Nemesvita, Badacsonyörs, Zánka and Balatonfüred.
One of the key objectives of the rally is to discover and introduce the wine regions of Hungary to a wider public. The promotion of responsible driving is traditionally also a key objective, with wine-tasting strictly forbidden to all the drivers, who can count on several tests and speed controls during the competition. During the day, the participants focus on the competition, the wonderful landscape, meetings and discussions with winemakers, getting to know the techniques and philosophy of winemaking, and tasting the delicious morsels on offer along the way.
The patrons of the 21st Hungarian Wine Route Rally are Interior Minister Sándor Pintér and Minister of Agriculture Sándor Fazekas. Besides the sponsor cars provided, the professional partners in organizing and conducting this year’s event are the National Chamber of Agriculture (NAK) and the National Food Chain Safety Office (NÉBIH).
