The possibilities for developing viticulture and winemaking, multifunctional agriculture, the health aspects of wine consumption, education, innovation, heritage protection, and the relationship between wine and gastronomy tourism and regional development were all discussed at the 2nd Tokaj Wine Congress, jointly organized by the University of Debrecen and the Tokaj-Hegyalja University. Nearly 200 experts from 14 countries participated in the professional event.
The aim of the 2nd Tokaj Wine Congress (2nd Tokaj Wine Congress 2024) was to provide professionals with up-to-date, useful, and easily implementable knowledge, as well as to create an international integrated scientific platform worthy of the world heritage wine region and Tokaj’s unique viticultural and winemaking traditions, which will lay the foundation for a completely new, international Integrated Wine Science Competence Center.
“The Mádi Wine Academy, which belongs to the University of Debrecen, is an integral part of the Tokaj region, which is why viticultural and winemaking research is of paramount importance to our institution. Through our cooperation with wineries and professional partners, we can also contribute to the continuous renewal of the wine industry and the international success of Hungarian wines,” said Elek Bartha, Vice-Rector for Education, at the opening of the event.
In his greeting, he added that due to the university’s wide range of scientific and educational portfolio, it can significantly contribute to strengthening the scientific background of grape and wine culture, viticulture, and winemaking. In addition to viticulture and winemaking, the sections’ work also included education, medical and health sciences, economics, and the humanities and cultural sciences – all of which are featured in the University of Debrecen’s training and research palette.
At the broad, transdisciplinary professional forum, there was discussion, among other things, about natural sweet wines, sparkling wines, sparkling wine production, and the research results on the relationship between wine and health, as well as sustainability, brand building, changing consumer habits, and new trends in wine tourism.
“The University of Debrecen and Tokaj-Hegyalja University would like to strengthen their international scientific network in the transdisciplinary fields of viticulture, winemaking, wine culture, and multifunctional wine farming, involving leading scientists, researchers, and practitioners, as well as world-renowned viticulturists and winemakers. The congress aimed to approach current issues in wine science in a complex and systematic way, and in this structure, the University of Debrecen, with its agricultural approach focusing on circular economy and multifunctional agriculture, is now indispensable,” added Sándor Némethy, the main organizer of the Tokaj Wine Congress.
The expert emphasized that specialists from 14 countries – France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Sweden, Israel, Armenia, Georgia, South Africa, China, and Australia – attended the congress. All European countries with a great wine culture were represented, as well as Sweden, which has experienced explosive development in the field of wine science.
During the professional event, participants were also able to take a look at the everyday life of the wine region during the harvest period.
