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It is hard to believe that with just 3.5 hectares of vineyards in Somló, Béla Fekete (also known as “Béla Bácsi,” or “Uncle Béla”) became one of Hungary’s truly legendary winemakers. He was one of the old-school originals—famous for barrel-aging his wines for many longer than most other wines coming from this volcanic hill. When Fekete decided to retire a few years ago he faced the question of what to do with his winery. His family didn’t want to continue, so he searched for investors who would be keen to continue the traditions he started decades before. He found investors—three good friends (Ákos, György, and Gábor)—who were passionate about Somló and continuing the Fekete Béla Winery with as few interruptions and changes as possible, doing whatever they could in the same ways as Fekete. Along with a winemaker, these guys are now running the estate (still under Béla Bácsi’s supervision, though). Fekete set high standards, and his wines are consistently a dark golden color, strong, and thick with minerality. They are amongst the best from Somló, and are wines that will be etched into your memories. Tonight one of these new members of the Béla Fekete Estate will join us to introduce this iconic winery and the Somló region, tell us the story of how this group of friends ended up owning this important Hungarian winery, and tell us what it’s like to work with the legendary Béla Bácsi! We’ll taste seven wines, paired with some seasonal dishes prepared by Chef Tamás. Some of the wines we’ll taste were still made by Béla Bácsi, while a few are newer ones made by the new winemaker. In the summer heat, these stone cold wines will be perfect. Don’t miss it!