"We are going to Become one of the Most Exciting Gastro-Regions"
Méz Rádió's Veszprém-Balaton 2023 magazine programme discussed the situation of Veszprém and Balaton region gastronomy as prompted by the first Füred Gastro Fest.
Zoltán Mészáros, director of Veszprém-Balaton 2023 Plc in charge of coordinating the ECoC bid, is a resaturant owner himself, and as such, looks upon Füred Gastro Festet as an eminently “ECoC-compatible” event – we heard in the interview with Gergő Rompos. Zoltán Mészáros explained: Veszprém did indeed join Füred Gastro Fest as an ECoC candidate. One of our bid’s aims is to show up values lesser known on the European horizon, like wine or gastronomy, and the connected wine and gastro-culture. He considered the festival significant because it contributed to transcending seasonality and provided entertainment in November, the least touristy time for Lake Balaton.
Balázs Csapody, owner of the Kistücsök Restaurant in Balatonszemes, a pivotal figure in Hungarian gastronomy, explained the essence of the event: the aim was to create a festival of high quality and versatility based on regional cooperation with the main theme of a region-specific raw material, in this instance: game, and the wines of the Riesling generation. “The work we started a few years ago will soon yield results, and we are going to be one of the most exciting gastro-regions in Europe, ” – Balázs Csapodi stated.
Anett Kositzky Schmidt, director of Füredkult, added: this was the first large-scale gastronomy festival in the region, to which the best lakeside restaurants were invited, complemented with the best Balaton wines produced by the Riesling generation. She said: according to plans, we may count on this event for the next twenty or thirty years.
Gergő Szabó of Szabó and Sons Winery in Balatoncsicsó talked about the Riesling generation, of which he is a founding member: formed three years ago, the group is made up of under-40 vintners, who have gradually overtaken wineries during the recent generation change. This well-geled group of vintners is trying to improve quality, bring new colours into winemaking, taste wines together, and also help each other by sharing their experiences. Apart from these, it is also important for Gergő Szabó that the Balaton is home to several historical winemaking regions.
Click here to listen to the programme
