Interview With Barnabás, Winemaker of Cseri Winery

I arrived in Pannonhalma on a quiet day, the kind that suits this region best. Rolling hills, disciplined vineyard rows, and the silent authority of the thousand-year-old Benedictine Archabbey define the landscape.

Pannonhalma is one of Hungary’s smallest and most elegant wine regions. Its cooler climate and loess soils rich in active limestone shape wines of precision, freshness, and a distinctive savoury, mineral tension. This is not a region of power, but of clarity.

Cseri Winery fits this character naturally. A family estate built with patience and modern thinking, today led by Cseri 

 — Barni — representing a new generation of Pannonhalma.

We opened a bottle of their sparkling and sat down.

 

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how your journey into the wine industry began?

It’s been an exciting and, in many ways, surprising journey. I was still a teenager when my parents decided to start their own winery. Even as a child, I always helped my parents and grandparents around the house, so when we began clearing and preparing the land for planting, it felt completely natural to help my dad.

At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but over the years I grew to love the land and to appreciate everything my parents built — and that I was part of.

I originally trained as a cook in high school and spent several summers working in restaurants in Switzerland. But when it came to choosing university, I decided to study winemaking and oenology. While learning the theory, I could gain real, hands-on experience at home, and I was quickly drawn in.

A major milestone for me was my internship at Dr. Loosen in the Mosel. It helped us dive much deeper into the world of Riesling. After returning and finishing my studies, my role in the family business naturally grew.

 

When you’re not tasting your own wines, which sparkling do you reach for most often?

That’s a difficult question. My wife and I love bubbles in all their forms, and we often open a bottle of sparkling at home.

We enjoy a light, easy Prosecco, an elegant Crémant, but most often we choose Hungarian traditional method sparklings. My personal favourite is Attila Szentpéteri’s Chardonnay Méthode Traditionnelle.

 

What was the moment or idea that made you think, “Yes, it’s time for bubbles at Cseri”?

There wasn’t a single moment, but the exceptional 2021 vintage finally made a long-held idea possible.

My father and I had spoken many times about making a traditional method sparkling. We enjoy challenges and experimenting with new ideas. At that time, there were no other traditional method sparklings in the region, and with the conditions we had in 2021, we decided to go for it.

 

Your Szfinx is a Méthode Classique made with Pinot Blanc — why did you choose this grape for your sparkling, and why the name Szfinx?

When people think of Cseri, they usually think first of Riesling — which I’m very happy about — but we also work with other varieties, including Pinot Blanc.

In Hungary, Pinot Blanc is still quite underappreciated and rarely sought out as a varietal wine. While we have a broad Riesling portfolio, I didn’t feel Riesling was the right fit for our pezsgő. Our Pinot Blanc parcel, on the other hand, gives beautiful, full bunches that practically asked to become the base of Szfinx.

Szfinx is another mythological creature in our series — something majestic, mysterious, and full of character, just like the wine itself.

 

What makes Pannonhalma unique — what’s that “Pannonhalma character” we can taste in a wine that we wouldn’t find anywhere else?

Although Pannonhalma has a long history of viticulture, it is still relatively unknown.

For us, this is home — and a very special one. I believe the terroir offers a perfect balance between fresh fruit and savoury, mineral tension. This comes from the loess soils combined with a high active limestone content.

Freshness, vibrant acidity, and drinkability are exactly what I look for in wines, and Pannonhalma is ideally suited to express this style.

 

Where can wine lovers outside Hungary discover Szfinx or other Cseri wines?

We are still developing our international markets, but our wines are already available in a number of excellent bars and restaurants across Europe.

We distribute in neighbouring countries such as Austria, Slovakia, and Poland, and we also work with strong partners in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and Denmark.

 

As a young winemaker, do you have a message for young people who want to approach the world of wine?

Don’t be afraid.

Many people see wine as something unapproachable, but today you can access all the knowledge you need quite easily. The most important thing is to ask questions — especially to winemakers, who are usually happy to share even the smallest details.

And don’t overthink it. You don’t need to start with the most expensive or most complex wines. There are many “beginner-friendly” wines that offer real pleasure and make you want another glass.

We finished the conversation where it began: with Szfinx in the glass.

This is Cseri’s first-ever traditional method sparkling wine, a Méthode Classique Pinot Blanc, aged for 18 months on fine lees. It’s a serious, patient wine, and you can feel that calm confidence immediately. In the glass it shows a bright, pale white-gold colour, and the nose is led by ripe, white-fleshed fruit — sweet yellow apple, quince, pear, and a gentle hint of almond.

On the palate, apple and grapefruit take the lead, carried by fine, elegant bubbles and a precise acidity, with just the lightest creamy, slightly buttery nuance in the background. It’s a 2021 sparkling that feels both refined and inviting, and one that would be a worthy beginning to any well-prepared dinner.

A sparkling wine that doesn’t shout, but speaks with confidence.

And in many ways, so does Pannonhalma itself.