"The experiences we had as children can now be shared with our children" - Orsolya Bodri and Péter Urbán talk about grapes, wine and family

Running a family business is a challenge. After all, you never know whether your children will eventually want to carry on the business. Was it always clear to you that you would eventually join the business your father founded?

Orsolya Bodri: Although my family has been cultivating vineyards in the area for generations, my father only founded Bodri Winery in 1999. The first harvest took place at the beginning of the 2000s after spatial planning and earth working. At the time, I was still in high school and had very different plans. After graduation I went to the University of Physical Education. As the estate became more and more famous, I gradually became involved in the work that went on here. And after graduation there was no question that my place was in the winery. As soon as I started working, I enrolled in a degree in viticulture engineering, which set me on my career path: it was a great way to learn the profession, and I've been grateful ever since to carry on the family tradition.

You were named Young Hungarian Vintner of the Year in 2011, what did that mean to you at the time?

O.B: It is important to note that this prize is awarded each year by the public to the best of their choice. So the prize was not for me, or not just for me. Mostly for the Bodri team, it was a great confirmation that the direction is good and the wines are awesome.

The Bodri brand name has become more and more recognised over the last two decades, how have you seen this development from the inside?

O.B: At the beginning, we even received feedback to change the name, because the name Bodri would not be able to stand... In comparison, we have managed to prove ourselves: Bodri has become a serious brand, and our wines are becoming more and more well-known In Hungary.

Péter Urbán: I joined the winery 6 years ago. During this time, one thing is for sure: our wines have changed, as we have evolved and our tastes have changed. It can also be said that we are trying to serve an ever-wider range of consumers, and we are responding to the trends that the world wine market is dictating.

You have direct experience of the changes around the world, having worked as a vintner from New Zealand, France, the USA and Turkey to South Africa. What experience did you gain abroad?

P.U:  Every harvest is an individual experience, and if you have the opportunity to experience it in different parts of the world, or even in Hungary, you can gain a great openness. Another thing that has changed Bodri wines a lot in recent years is, that we have incorporated the openness and free-thinking that we learned in New Zealand and South Africa, into our domestic wines.

What are these, for example?

P.U: New Zealand has come a long way in the last 30 years, and the whole wine region is fantastic. If ever God created a perfect area for sauvignon blanc, that is it. The climate, the soil, everything is there to make the best sauvignon blanc, and of course, the vintners make good use of it. There were little things, from my experiences during the harvests that we take over here at Bodri Winery and incorporate into our wines.

You grew up in Villány. Why are Szekszárd and its surrounding area different and special for you?

P.U: I've been in Szekszárd for 13 years, brought here by chance, but I have strong ties to the city through love and family. But to get back to the question, the small valleys of the Szekszárd wine region, these small parcels have their own special atmosphere, not to mention the wine, which has a very different personality than, for example, a Tokaj or an Eger variety. The local “bikavér” is a good example of this, a spicy, light, easy-drinking wine. Anyone who tastes it knows exactly that they are drinking Szekszárd wine, as it contains the specific characteristics of the region.

What is it like when two vintners start a family?

O.B: Peter and I have been a couple since 2012, we were already in business together before that, and it's probably no surprise that wine brought us together. Thanks to the fact that we are in the same profession, we have a good rapport. I know the bad side of the profession. If Peter goes to a wine tasting and comes home late, that's fine with me, because I know exactly what that entails. I could learn a lot from Peter in the field of tasting and wines.

You live on the estate and are actively involved in the day-to-day running of the winery, how hard is it to stop taking work home?

O.B: We used to talk a lot about the winery at home in front of children but since our triplets were born, it's been very difficult to concentrate on anything else. So we are lucky that they have solved this problem for us.

How do they feel about their mum and dad being in the winemaking business? Are they involved?

O.B: Of course, they were born into it. Even though they are only 5 and a half years old, at harvest time all they wanted was to visit their father in the vineyard because they want to work too. But my sister and her daughters and I also spend a lot of time on the estate, often visiting my great-grandmother in the nearby vineyard. Traditions are vital to us. At last year's harvest, for example, we had a family lunch where great-grandmother made the same rooster stew and poppy seed and walnut cake that she used to make for us. The experiences we had as children can be shared with them.

You have lived and worked in a wonderful region, what are your fondest memories of the Szekszárd wine region?

P.U: For me, the best experience every year is the period, from bud burst to the veraison. It is good to watch nature come alive, I love every moment of these few months. I go out to the vineyards almost every day in this period, because you can see the change from day to day.

O.B: The Szekszárd wine region is my home, it's a special feeling that my grandparents and great-grandparents used to visit these vineyards. My daddy's daddy used to drive the cows to graze here, in the Faluhely vineyard, when he was a child and when the landscape looked very different. My great-grandfather had a small area in the Gurovica vineyard, where he cultivated vines. This region and the vineyard also play an important role in my childhood memories.