Wine, Bakelite, Sensation of life

The pairing of wine and records is a completely new concept, and we haven't seen many initiatives like this in this country. Where did the idea come from? What is your connection to these two areas?

Wine & Vinyl started as a DJ project that I created with my friend. The essence of the project was that we played vinyl records at various wine events, where we provided background music in a jazzy style. From the very first session, it was evident that it was very positively received by the participants, and the process had begun. It occurred to me how cool it would be to have a place like this, which could be a wine bar, but also a record store, and even a party venue on occasion. The project finally started with this idea: how to bring them together harmoniously in one place. Since I've been a DJ for over twenty years, and exclusively on vinyl records, this site was a given. I also have a personal connection to wine, having previously owned a wine bar in Veszprém, and having completed the WSET (internationally recognised wine connoisseur training), after which I started to not only love wine but also to learn about it, and then worked as a winery manager for several years. So, I'm not only at home with vinyl records, but also with wine.

What kind of atmosphere did you aim for when designing the bar/shop? What can your guests expect when they visit you?

The target audience is mixed: From 18 to 99, we welcome everyone who loves exciting wines, music and is open to new things, both in wine and music. It can be anything from jazz to disco: it's really a place for people who feel that way. Besides wine and parties, we are also a record shop, selling both new and used records. It was also surprising to me how much interest there is in the records: some people come to us just for records. There has been a rediscovery of vinyl records for a few years now, and it's exciting that everyone from the young to the old is interested.

What is the basis for wine and record selection? Do they follow a theme or style, or are they more based on personal preference?

The selection is absolutely based on personal preference and only wines that I can stand behind one hundred per cent.  Our wine list is constantly changing, every month or month and a half, we have a completely different selection on the wine list: there are local wines, but also wines from other wine regions in Hungary and wines from abroad. When it comes to records, we have a rather mixed selection to suit your needs, with everything from jazz to rock. We also have specific record-wine pairings.

You have already organised several events since the opening, what kind of events can we expect in the future?

We launched our wine club: this is an event, where we invite vintners or wine experts to taste wines with us. We also have music events where different DJs play records. We still have a lot of things in mind, which will take shape one day: we would like to start our own record fair in Veszprém, and to appear at wine festivals and events in the area.

Wine & Vinyl was created in the framework of the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture project: we submitted our concepts to the “street design” programme's ideas competition. We are already the fifth location in this programme, which was funded by VEB2023. In the future, we would like to be associated with more series of programmes and collaborate with other places.