Award-winning Tokaji makers Juliet Victor Vineyards, founded in 2016 by Jozsef Varadi, is on a mission to redefine the perception of Hungarian wines all over the world – and they’ve decided that Asia is one place they want to focus their efforts on.
Under the leadership of a newly appointed Managing Director, second generation owner Mark Varadi is looking towards Asia for the next stage of the winery’s growth. A priority of his was the setting up of Juliet Victor Asia in Singapore back in 2021, which serves as the exclusive importer and distributor of their wines in the city-state.
He sees Singapore as a highly developed market and the gateway for their wines to enter the region, using Singapore as a foothold not just for the rest of Southeast Asia, but for penetrating North Asia as well.
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In Singapore, you can already find their wines at establishments such as Born, Odette, and 67 Pall Mall. They are also available online via Juliet Victor Asia’s Singapore website.
Their wines are deeply rooted in tradition, respecting the history of Tokaj viticulture, while embracing some levels of technology and modern winemaking to create a complementary meeting of the old and new.
They are able to leverage the Varadi family’s vineyards located in terroir-rich Mád, the heart of the Tokaj region. This grants them access to high quality, historically significant plots where they grow Furmint grapes (of course), as well as Hárslevelű (considered to be Tokaj’s second most important varietal), and even Yellow Muscat.
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With these, they produce traditionally sweet wine styles such as Aszu and Szamorodni, as well as single-vineyard dry Furmint wines that are gaining greater traction in recent years.
Juliet Victor wines can be characterised as being mineral-driven, emphasising on their bountiful volcanic terroir to express the individuality of the vineyards. Ageing is also done in large Hungarian oak casks that are light to medium toasted, with the intention to enhance rather than mask sometimes subtle fruit notes.
It is also notable that Juliet Victor wines are made under the guidance of Head Winemaker and Viticulturist Zsolt Vincze, who is the son-in-law of István Szepsy and trained under him. István Szepsy is widely regarded as Hungary’s most influential winemaking figure.
“Tokaj has the potential for world-class winemaking and we are dedicated to producing exceptional vintages that truly embody the essence of this historical wine region,” says Mark.
“We believe that our wines have the capacity to redefine the perception of Hungarian wines and by showcasing high quality Tokaji wines to the world, this benefits not just Juliet Victor but also the entire region. This is my family’s way of giving back.”
Head to www.julietvictor.com.sg for more on their wines.
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