Phylloxera epidemic, the age of wine adulterations, the dictate of Trianon, the Great Depression, the losses of the World War II and the practical realization of Communism – the historic challenges Hungarians found themselves confronted with, by the time of political and economic changes of the millennium, completely destroyed the ties of a generation, though longing for building, to the culture of their predecessors.

The last hundred years almost entirely transformed our relationship to the preceding centuries, making difficult to understand their message. The thoughts of past generations in old books remain without interpretations. The built heritage of past generations around us is not respected. The work of past generations seems to be futile.

The titanic work carried out in the past decades has shown it to a lot of people inside and outside the profession that Europe and the world  had celebrated Tokaji wine with good reason in the past five centuries. That short period was enough to demonstrate the potentials of the superior Tokaj terroir through wine qualities. Besides refining our own awareness and self-understanding, in them we can find our way back to the wine world.

There is a professional revolution going on in the wine region. We are living the period of the interpretation of terroirs and wines. We are measuring the power of our movements and our promises. Meanwhile, we are changing, and through this transformation we are getting connected imperceptibly to the thread of a distant heritage. On the basis of this connection we could re-establish the continuity between the work of the generations of today and tomorrow, which is essential to creation.

Tokaj Foundation was established by me with the aim to help people living and working here, in the extent of its opportunities, to realize and understand the message of our environment sent from the past and to support them in conceiving and fulfilling their dreams.

The managers of Tokaj Foundation believe that Tokaj Wine Region is one of the pillars of the world’s wine culture, where wines are produced to delight the entire humankind.

Zoltán Demeter
founder