There is no Hungary without wine.

It was an honour to deliver this personal address at the #hungarianwinesummit
A gr8 event that showed a new progressive vision for 🇭🇺, which has long been entrenched in its illustrious tradition. But it needs to look forward.
#winesofhungary

Hungary 🇭🇺 is probably the only country to make serious carbonated wine, while at the other end of the spectrum, Etyek and Tokaj are showing great potential for traditional method.
From a💯 masterclass at the Hungarian Wine Summit in Budapest.

#winesofhungary

Exploring native varieties at the Hungarian Wine Summit in Budapest.
Furmint and Kékfrankos might have already made it into the mainstream, but there is plenty more to discover. The themed self-pour area was 💥

#winesofhungary 🇭🇺
#hungarianwinesummit

50 GGW in London! Join us on May29 as 50 Great Greek Wines showcases app 150 wines from 33 award-winning producers in Greece & Cyprus in London.

For event details/registration, visit greatgreekwines.com/50-ggw-goes-bi… The event is under the auspices of Greek National Tourism Organization. Visit Greece

I’m authentically thrilled to be in sunny, beautiful Budapest as ambassador of the new edition of the Hungarian Wine Summit.
Looking forward to a cracking event with a truly impressive rostrum of Hungary’s top producers.

#winesofhungary 🇭🇺

Spectacular dinner at Sauska’s brand new restaurant right in the middle of #Tokaj vineyards.
Gorgeous views, stunning design, delish food and world-class service.
Tokaj has long been short on good hotels and eats, but this is finally changing.

The Great Hungarian Plain from #Tokaj Hill.

As always, a terrific tasting at Füleky, one of #Tokaj ’s leading lights, with understated winemaker György Brezovcsik.
The 2022 vintage here is just fab 💎

Next stop: Tokaj!
Starting a secret project here with the staggering 2021 Csontos #Furmint from Bott.
What a magisterial wine, allying #Tokaj ’s iron-cast structure with some phenomenal fruit.

Chernihiv. A rescue operation is underway following a Russian missile strike. There are people under the rubble. As of now, 20 people are reported to have been injured and ten killed. My condolences to their close ones.

Unfortunately, the death toll may still rise. This would…

I’ve learned many things in my 3 days in Ukraine 🇺🇦
But mostly that whatever the military outcome, these people will never swallow the post-Soviet lie.
The young Ukrainians are proud, smart, sharp, educated, hard-working, free Europeans spirits, and will achieve amazing things.

My favourites wines (and sleek label designs) from this weekend in Ukraine 🇺🇦

Telti-Kuruk and Odesa Black the best local grapes, but the diversity is fantastic, from cool-climate whites through smart orange to rich reds. I’m very optimistic about the future 🚀

Good day from Ukraine 🇺🇦
I’m here to meet local winemakers and see how they could improve exports.
Uzhhorod on the Slovakian border is very far from the frontline. The sun is shining and the people are smiling. It’s quite an eerie feeling.

The meetup of All People Talking About Wine in One Way Or Another™ in Warsaw was a blast 💪The first one I remember with Wojciech Bońkowski not there though, which was... oddly different. Kudos to the whole team for bringing it on!

Staying at Heritance Kandalama, likely architect Geoffrey Bawa’s most stunning creation.
Using stone, water and greenery as references as in historic Sri Lankan architecture, seamlessly blending into the zigzagging granite slope.
The most extraordinary hotel I’ve stayed at. 🇱🇰

Humbled to receive a scholarship from Vinea Wachau for my Weinakademie studies, with Mr. Emmerich Knoll from Weingut Knoll breaking the great news.

Pollonaruwa, one of Sri Lanka’s historical capitals, then abandoned and overgrown by jungle for 700 years.

For a completely different experience of Sri Lanka 🇱🇰, we travelled way off the tourist circuit to stay at a tea estate, Ashburnham.
Photos of the 19th-century house and a morning walk in the surrounding hills. A unique experience.

Wild elephants going for a drink, Uda Walawe National Park, Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

The Temple of the Tooth, housing Buddha’s only relic, is serious business, with crowds, security, and an earnest atmosphere.
The lakeside location in Kandy, Sri Lanka’s second city, is very pretty.