Diplomat Interviews

The Country with one of the Oldest Wine Region in the world.

Hungary is home to cultural festivals, museums, classical music, pop culture, and operas. It is one oldest wine regions in the world. To know intriguing facts about the country, here is a rendezvous with H.E. Mr. Andras Laszlo Kiraly, the Ambassador of Hungary to India.

Tell us about the two must-do things in Hungary.

A visit to Budapest, the capital of the country is a must. It is a classic European city which in the last decade underwent a serious wave of development. Most of these developments are helping tourists to have a deeper understanding of the country and its culture. We have a new set of museums, concert halls, sports facilities that create a unique experience for everybody. The other recommendation would be to visit one of the many cultural festivals that Hungary can offer all around the year. Everybody, young and old, lovers of classical music, opera or pop culture will have an opportunity to listen to great Hungarian and international artists, musicians and performers. It is something you would definitely want to try out.

Hungary is home to the world’s first official wine region. Comment.

Hungarian wine has a history dating back to Roman times. The best-known wines are the white dessert wine Tokay (Tokaj, home to the world’s oldest classified wine region) and Bull’s Blood (Egri Bikavér), a full-bodied red wine. One of Hungarian wine’s extraordinary features is its diversity. Even in international terms, Hungarian wine is extremely rich in grape varieties, wine regions and wine making practices. There are 22 wine regions with different climate, soil and historical characteristics, all producing excellent wines. If you can stay longer than a weekend in Hungary, it is advisable to visit one of these regions and taste our red, white or rosé wines.

What do you like the most about India and why?

I arrived to India in October 2020. That is in between waves of the pandemic. I had little opportunity to travel extensively around the country. So my experience about India, from a traveler’s perspective, is limited. But the situation imposed by the pandemic moved my focus away from traveling to the people of India. I made a lot of friends and the time spent with them proved to be worthy. The other thing what I like here are the great bookshops with an abundance of new fiction and non-fiction books by Indian authors. My ‘to read’ list is always growing.