It was 1978.

That was when my grandfather bought that small vineyard which is the heart of Nyári Pince today. I only know from his stories that winemaking was not exactly enjoying its renaissance back then. Given the uniform, template wines of the state and cooperative wineries, one could hardly speak of a wine culture at that time. Perhaps as a consequence, relatively few people felt much of a challenge in viticulture and winemaking, but Dad and Grandpa were among them. The family never forced me to become a winemaker, which is perhaps why I was so interested in it even as a child.

I remember I must have been around 14 years old when we were sitting in the kitchen on a late summer evening, tasting red wine. A cuvée from Tamás Dúzsi. Somehow, that wine was a defining moment in my life. It was characterized by such a special, rich world of aromas and flavors that it completely captivated me. I thought that if such a wonderful drink could be made from grapes, this is what I want to do!

I do not know when I first felt a shiver at the painting-like view of Saint George Hill or the scent of grapes in the summer air, but that feeling still lasts to this day. It was a long journey until this landscape became my home, but I have already become a part of it, completely taking over the "parental supervision" of the vineyard from my father.

Somehow, when you sit here under the wisteria arbor and sip your wine, old memories come to mind…

The harvests, which always brought us together. The merry crowd of relatives and friends would kick off the weekend harvest festivities as early as Friday evening; the best part of which was that we were together, eating and drinking well, and setting the mood for starting work at dawn.

My cousins and I fought hard battles over who got to carry the small hods, and it was considered a great honor to be the one who could carry them. The excitement of sleeping on the terrace under the open sky, the sight of the starry night, and the experience of late-night conversations are still beautiful memories for everyone to this day. Then we grew up, we grew taller than the vines, and we mostly came to the hill with friends to celebrate the end of our adolescence with a little bacon roasting, chatting over wine, and merriment.

My father and his siblings were four. Since my grandfather regarded the vineyard almost as his fifth child, he wanted to ensure its fate and take care of it while he was still alive. Of the children, it was ultimately my father who took on this noble task, reassuring my grandfather that the small estate would be in worthy hands. In this spirit, renovation and development work began in '94, and then in 1996—exactly 30 years ago—my father founded the Nyári Pince. Thanks to the financial investment and my father's hard work, the initial steps were followed by rapid development. My father, just like me later on, was completely absorbed by the love of the mountain and winemaking, but nowadays he can afford to take it easy and relax in the vineyard as well.

Year after year, I gradually took over the tasks from my father, and I really enjoyed this kind of work. After graduating from the college in Kecskemét, as an enthusiastic young person, I had many, many ideas, and of course, I really wanted to make my own wine. I did have my attempts; sometimes they turned out better, sometimes less so. There were some that we drank ourselves, but there were also some that made it into commercial circulation. I was very proud of that back then.

Since 2009, I have cherished the dream of one day creating a cuvée that reflects my own vision. One that contains a little bit of me as well... This became Emese’s Dream. It has already seen four vintages, and fortunately, it is very successful.

As the years went by, my father became increasingly preoccupied with the idea of retirement, while I wanted more and more to be my own master. Finally, in January 2024, I took over the cellar keys, which is a huge responsibility, but at the same time, a huge opportunity as well.


I love being my own master and that the weight of decisions rests on my shoulders. Despite all the difficulties, for me, this is liberating. I do not want to deviate from the path defined earlier, but obviously, I have my own ideas that I would like to implement in the long run.

In the first year, I made changes cautiously, but last year I was already bolder. By choosing the harvest dates and using multi-stage harvesting, I am starting to get closer to what I want. Winemaking is creation, but we only have one opportunity each year, and any possible mistakes or bad decisions can only be corrected or rethought at the next harvest.

"Creating value and preserving value" – this is the philosophy of Nyári Pince.

The old press house has also retained its fairytale, medieval character, even as we continue to spruce it up. In the tasting room, which is still opened by a half-meter cellar key to this day, my grandfather's press is still there; it serves as a cozy bar table for our guests now, but for me, this object has a different emotional weight, just like every tool he once worked with.

All these relics can also be viewed in the large tasting room, which we built so that everyone who visits us can feel comfortable not just in summer, but in winter as well.

The new barrel room, "born" in 2009, is our true "playground," which gives us the opportunity to try out new directions. We strive to provide the same care and attention to our tank-aged and barrel-aged wines as we do to everything that surrounds us here.

With the wine vaults, another one of our dreams has come true. The vaults provide an opportunity for us to store selected wines properly at the right temperature—in their own "home"—for our guests. It is a good feeling to see what a worthy setting the opening of such a vault can be for groups of friends, family toasts, and defining life events, with one of the most beautiful panoramas of Saint George Hill.

I believe the minerality of the basalt layers of Saint George Hill is an exceptional foundation that is essentially present in our bottles, but for me, the protagonist has always been the grape, since everything is decided here. Today, we protect the grapes across 9.5 hectares, carefully paying attention to the low load on the vines, so that roughly one bottle of wine is produced per vine.
At first, we worked with 3 varieties (Welschriesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris), which was later complemented by Cserszegi Fűszeres, Rhine Riesling, my great favorite, Hárslevelű, and Kéknyelű as well. In 2014, we also planted Cabernet Franc, the first wine of which will be provided by the 2017 vintage. There are just enough vines to fill a 300-liter wooden barrel.

The foundations remain unchanged, but regarding the future, my vision is to segment our offerings. I would like to have a fresher, more fragrant, and lighter line—represented by the Cserszegi and the Chardonnay—a more mature, full-bodied, classic line—with the Hárslevelű and the Kéknyelű—and something that connects these two styles, a kind of transition between them: the Welschriesling.
Harvesting is no longer just a carefree weekend. And it’s not as much fun as it was at ten years old. The work is no longer the self-forgetful playing of cousins among the vines, and I rarely sleep on the terrace. Yet every day, when I wake up at half-past four, I am grateful for everything that surrounds me here.


My desire is for the cellar to remain as intimate and family-oriented as it has been until now. So that whoever enters here can feel a little bit like they are coming home. They can set aside the stress, the worries, and return to their lives renewed.

'Every sip is a new experience' – this is the new motto of Nyári Pince. I want to pass this feeling on to people: when they taste the wine, they shouldn't be thinking about the alcohol, the acidity, or the sugar, but about what it triggers in them, what it means to them, what feelings and memories come to mind. Let them give time to themselves and to the wine. Let them pause for a short while, and just enjoy the present...

Nyári Emese