The following is a translation of an article written by Zita Meszleny, originally published in Magyar Krónika.
As a brand ambassador, Ana Carvalho represents Tokaji wines in Portugal, among other things. Magyar Krónika met the wine expert in Porto to ask her about her memories of university in Budapest, Portuguese–Hungarian gastronomic parallels, and the challenges and opportunities for wines from Porto and Tokaj.
Sunshine, breeze, seagulls. Porto. Across the city centre, no longer actually in Porto but on the riverside promenade of Vila Nova de Gaia, the classy wineries are lined up, most of them foreign-owned for centuries, from which these once much more popular fortified sweet wines have made their world-conquering journey. Ana Carvalho has brought us some elegant, dry wines from the Douro Valley and some exciting wines from Porto. We taste and chat on the terrace of Quinta do Noval.
Ana Carvalho is a winemaker, brand ambassador, and wine educator. She comes from Carcavelos, near Lisbon. She studied viticulture in Vila Real, Bordeaux, and Angers in Portugal, and spent six months in Budapest on scholarship. She complemented her studies in viticulture with related business studies, obtaining a WSET Level 4 Diploma. Since 2014 she has been working for AXA Millésimes, where she is now a brand ambassador for the French company representing the Château Pichon Baron, Château Pibran, Château Suduiraut, Quinta do Noval, Domaine de l’Arlot, Outpost, and Disznókő wineries worldwide.
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As a Portuguese, you also studied in Budapest. How do you remember this period?
I arrived in Hungary in September 2011 and spent half a year as a scholarship student at Corvinus University’s Master’s Degree in Viticulture. In the meantime, I visited Eger, Lake Balaton, Szekszárd, and Tokaj. It was then that I visited the Disznókő (Pigstone) vineyard in the Tokaj wine region for the first time, not suspecting of course that I would one day work with them. Anyway, I liked the wines and the Tokaj cellars. Their harvest work was for me haute couture, that is, top class. Today, one of my favourite styles of wine is Tokaji Aszú, a sweet quality wine originating from that region.
How did you end up in the world of wines?
It happened by chance. My family didn’t have much to do with wine. The summer after secondary school, I was harvesting in the Douro Valley. The experience of pressing grapes with my feet, talking to the winemaker, and tasting the wines was so absorbing that the harvest didn’t seem like work anymore. I wanted to learn more about wine, so I enrolled in a course in winemaking at Vila Real. From then on, my work was always related to wine, first on the production side and then on the communication side. Today I have a particularly close relationship with Porto, Bordeaux, and Tokaj.
If you were so passionate about grape harvesting, why did you finally switch from winemaking to communication?
This is also a matter of chance. I used to work as a wine assistant in several countries. I got an opportunity at AXA Millésime, at Pichon Baron in Pauillac. It’s a wonderful place in Bordeaux, where wine tourism was my field. This was in 2014 when I had already been through three harvests in the same year, so it was nice to have a little break in the field of wine tourism, plus I love languages, too. I joined the company, stayed on, developed, and then, over time, my role shifted to public and press communication.
You work as a brand ambassador for the company’s wineries. What does a brand ambassador actually do?
No two days are the same. The company’s portfolio includes eight wineries, and my job is to pass on enthusiasm and, of course, knowledge to the primary target markets. In the case of Port wine, for example, in England, the United States, and even within Portugal. I welcome many of our partners at the Quinta do Noval, the Pichon Baron, or even at the centre of Disznókő. I organize wine dinners and visit trade shows such as ProWine or Vinexpo. Digital communication is also part of my varied work, adding content to our social media platforms and websites, or organizing master classes. Ultimately, I am making these wonderful wines better known to the public.
Back in Hungary, what was your first impression of Budapest?
I was lucky because when I arrived, I had nice, sunny weeks. Of course, I shortly visited the typical tourist destinations, but when I truly started to become a Budapest resident after a while, the city opened up even more to me. I lived behind the synagogue, in Síp Street. I was keen to explore the streets of the Jewish quarter. I liked being able to go to ballet performances, the Opera, or concerts on a student budget. These cultural activities were much more accessible in Budapest than in France, where I studied, or even at home in Portugal. I still miss the cultural life and the exciting and complex history of the capital. It was good to be a student in Hungary.
‘I still miss the cultural life and the exciting and complex history of the capital’
What do you think about Hungarian flavours?
Like Portuguese people in general, I’m falling for soups, and there was no shortage of them in Hungary. Hungarian foie gras is a great match for either Tokaji or Port wines. I remember when we went out to the vineyards at Disznókő, the workers there ate fatty bread in the morning. You might be surprised, but it struck me. Maybe it’s because in the Douro Valley, too, people can eat unusual things in the first half of the day. Like grilled sardines. Because of the hard work in the vineyards, rich, energy-dense foods are eaten in wine regions all around the world. Greaves are also popular in Portugal, especially in the south, in Alentejo—maybe I like them because I’m from the south, too. In addition, I would like to highlight the Mangalitsa pork: first of all, these curly-haired pigs are beautiful and even downright cute. And their meat is great. I’m open to tastes, I like to try everything, and Hungary has given me many good experiences in this area as well. There are definitely some common points between Hungarian and Portuguese tastes.
What did you miss in Hungary?
Fish and seafood. And family. And light in the winter, when it gets dark very early. But overall, it was a happy time: I discovered a new country.
Let’s talk a little more about wine. It’s almost a cliché that alcohol and sugar are the public enemy today. As someone who works both with Tokaji and Porto, how do you see the situation of sweet wines on the world market?
All regions where residual sugary wines are produced are affected by the decline in alcohol and sugar consumption. The trend has been going on for years. We have two wineries with a strong history and recognized quality in sweet wines. They produce small quantities of wines by international standards, which tend to be more in the premium category—they mainly find their place in gastronomy—and suffer less from the decline in consumption of sweet wines. Special and rare wines, such as Tokaji Essencia, 6 puttonyos (number of hods) Aszú, or Vintage Port continue to sell well. However, we see more difficulties regarding simpler sweet wines, such as a basic Ruby or Tawny Port, or a late-harvested Tokaji. Although there is an audience for premium sweet wines, it is worrying that many people feel that even a glass of Tokaji is bad for their health because of its sugar or alcohol content, even though it has no more sugar than apple juice or cola. Fears often stem from a lack of knowledge. If you drink in moderation, it’s not that little bit of sugar or alcohol in it that will count.
‘I remember when we went out to the vineyards at Disznókő, the workers there ate fatty bread in the morning’
In the Hungarian region of Hegyalja, as in the Douro Valley, dry wines have become increasingly important. Will this be the key to success?
The Quinta do Noval has been making Port wine since 1715, while sweet wine from the Disznókő vineyard, even if not exactly in today’s form, certainly existed as soon as 1413. It would be a shame to lose these traditional styles, whether fortified Port or sweet Tokaji wine affected by noble rot. Dry wines complement them, as the wine region must be economically sustainable. Indeed, both in Tokaj and in the Douro we have seen a development regarding dry wines, compensating to some extent for the declining demand for sweet wines. Sommeliers in London and Paris are interested in dry Furmint or Douro white varieties.
In your experience, how can a Hungarian or Portuguese winery with a low volume attract the attention of an international audience?
For wineries like Disznókő or Quinta do Noval, the only way to go is through high quality. We don’t want to, nor can we compete with Spanish, French, or Italian quantity production. Our wines come from low-yielding areas, with a lot of manual labour—we should value them more. In my opinion, prices do not reflect their quality enough. They should be positioned at the same level as the great wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Piedmont.
How do you see Tokaj’s position in the international market?
It seems to me that the special acidity of the Furmint is captivating people. Nowadays, there is a big demand for new varieties, as consumers are a bit tired of all the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Furmint could enter a category where there is demand. It is a unique and great grape variety that can provide champagne, dry wine, late harvest, aszú, or essencia. It gives strength to the region.
‘It seems to me that the special acidity of the Furmint is captivating people’
Finally, what message do you have for Hungarian winemakers?
The Hungarians have welcomed me with open arms—I now warmly invite them to discover Porto and the Douro region, which, like Tokaj, is a World Heritage Site. Come and visit us!
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