Grapes, volcanic areas, indigenous and international varieties – all from Tokaj. The processing and blending of the base wine also takes place here, while the other steps of the méthode traditionelle are carried out in the already 150-year-old cellar in Budafok, in an idyllic land of vineyards, where traditional viticulture was pursued from Roman times to the mid-19th century. This is the environment in which the cellar team carefully perfects the blends to reveal their extraordinary characters, allowing time for their magic to unfold. Krisztián Sauska’s signature engineering approach is complemented by the guidance of the legendary French consultant Régis Camus. “The Sauska range is a labor of love, reflecting the mind of two visionary thinkers, the creativity of a bright young team and the complexity of an unparalleled terroir.”

Category-winner wine: Sauska Brut, Méthode Traditionelle, Non vintage

We harvest the grapes in our own vineyards planted specifically for this purpose, with carefully controlled yields. Sauska Tokaj is a pioneer in the Tokaj Wine Region in planting chardonnay and pinot noir varieties, used to mainly make sparkling wines using a traditional method. The wine that serves as the base is made in Tokaj and then transported to Budafok, where the second fermentation takes place. Our sparkling wines are made without oak-barrel aging, fermented only in tanks to achieve the desired fresh, crisp and elegant overall character. The blend is made in spring, observing the rules pivotal to our style: the furmint-based blend is aided by chardonnay and pinot noir (pressed white, into white wine), and we also add 20% reserve. We carry out the disgorging after two years of lees aging.