Stéphanie Berecz of Tokaj Kikelet Pince – 2025 Wine Maker of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 9, 2026

Stéphanie Berecz Named “Visit Tokaj 2025 Winemaker of the Year” After Unprecedented Sweep of Platinum Honors

The Kikelet Pince founder makes history as the first-ever recipient of the region’s premier winemaking accolade, celebrated for blending French sophistication with jaw-dropping Hungarian terroir precision.

TOKAJ, HUNGARY — June 9, 2026 — Visit Tokaj is proud to announce Stéphanie Berecz, co-founder and master winemaker of Kikelet Pince in Tarcal, as the historic, first-ever recipient of the Visit Tokaj 2025 Winemaker of the Year Award. This premier honor recognizes Berecz for her extraordinary attention to traditional winemaking while seamlessly innovating with modern refinements and touches.

Her meticulous, terroir-driven approach has captured the global wine stage, culminating in a legendary sweep of near-perfect scores from the VT Borfőnök tasting panel. The selection committee evaluated Berecz across the core pillars of modern viticultural and hospitality excellence:

Winemaking Excellence & Jaw-Dropping Precision

Berecz’s winemaking is defined by laser-focused definition and structural purity. The tasting panel awarded Kikelet Pince an unprecedented tier of medals, highlighted by monumental scores:

2003 6 Puttonyos Aszú (VT Platinum Medal, 99/100): Sourced directly from Stéphanie’s highly guarded private library cellar, this ultra-premium, near-perfect elixir is a rare treasure with only about 300 bottles ever produced. Decades of patient, pristine cellaring have transformed this vintage into a transcendent tasting experience with a monumental structure and an indestructible volcanic acid spine driving a finish that evolves on the palate for hours.

2021 6 Puttonyos Aszú (VT Platinum Medal, 98/100): If the 2019 is a warm blanket, the 2021 is a finely cut diamond. It displays a level of structural purity, laser-focused definition, and technical mastery that leaves the taster completely spellbound. It is loaded with intensely concentrated, exotic tropical fruit notes—passion fruit, ripe mango, and crystallized pineapple—yet avoids heavy weight, driven by an exceptionally striking, electrifyingly lively acidity.

2019 6 Puttonyos Aszú (VT Platinum Medal, 96/100): A monumental, award-winning masterpiece that stands at the absolute pinnacle of Tokaj winemaking, proudly decorated as the Wine of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences 2025 and a Gold Winner at the 2025 Vince Awards. It explodes on the senses as a true ‘fruit bomb,’ embracing the soul like a soft, warm blanket while remaining light on its feet.

Service, Hospitality & Transformation

Hospitality at Kikelet is exceptionally attentive, professional, and warm, earning a stellar service score of 98/100. The experience seamlessly unfolds in two unforgettable parts. On a visitor’s first step, they are treated to a hospitably guided initial tasting by the winery’s manager, Viki, who provides a sweet, highly personalized introduction where no detail is overlooked. This sets the stage for a broader, expert-level master tasting hosted by master winemaker Stéphanie Berecz herself. Stéphanie’s profound viticultural insights and deep dive into single-vineyard terroirs in a methodical order open and refine palates in a way that is utterly transformative, blending French sophistication with local passion.

Curated Refinement & Atmosphere

Setting a new standard for curated tasting experiences, Kikelet specially paired its world-class dry-to-sweet lineups with surprising gourmet touches during our first tasting. This included a homemade Lemon Meringue Pie, freshly baked on-site. With this added touch of tailored curation for our specific experience, the pastry delivered a masterclass in texture, striking a flawless balance between vibrant citrus tartness and delicate sweetness that effortlessly rivals the finest boutique patisseries in Paris, matching perfectly with their expansive structural flights. This level of personalized customization in a tasting experience at Kikelet is not uncommon, as they guide their guests to discover the full spectrum of their own palates.

Community Involvement & Local Mentorship

Since arriving from France and establishing Kikelet Pince with her husband Zsolt in 2002, Stéphanie has embedded herself as a pillar of the Tarcal and broader Tokaj communities. By championing local grape varieties, preserving historic artisan styles with a modern spin, and mentoring emerging regional winemakers, she has dedicated over two decades to strengthening the region’s internal cooperative network from within while reintroducing centuries of history to a broadened demographic of new wine connoisseurs.

Global Ambassador for Tokaj

Few figures have done more to elevate the international prestige of Tokaj’s dry Furmints and elegant Aszú variations. Blending her classical French training with a fierce local passion, Berecz serves as a primary international bridge, introducing global markets, elite sommeliers, and foreign media to the deep, salty volcanic minerality of Tarcal’s terroir.

“Stéphanie Berecz represents the absolute pinnacle of what modern Tokaj winemaking can achieve,” said Dale Takio, Borfőnök &
Founder of Visit Tokaj. “Her wines don’t just express a grape; they capture the past, present, and future of a vineyard with a level of harmony that leaves you spellbound. Kikelet Pince is a flawless, must-visit destination, and we are deeply honored to name Stéphanie our inaugural Winemaker of the Year.”

The official award presentation will take place within the region this summer. The announcement and exclusive behind-the-scenes content will also be featured across Visit Tokaj’s global channels in the coming weeks.

For more information, booking inquiries, or media assets, please visit www.visittokaj.org

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About Visit Tokaj

Visit Tokaj is the leading platform promoting wine tourism and cultural travel in Hungary’s historic Tokaj wine region. Through strategic partnerships with local wineries, accommodations, and curated regional experiences, Visit Tokaj connects the world to Tokaj’s 1,000 years of heritage.

Media Contact: Dale Takio, A Borfőnök

Contact Bureau: Visit Tokaj International Media Relations

Email: press@visittokaj.org

Website: www.visittokaj.org

VT Borfőnök Media Center & Press Room

Official Press Release Description Page

Media Fact Sheet

Document Title: Stéphanie Berecz Named “Visit Tokaj 2025 Winemaker of the Year” After Unprecedented Sweep of Platinum Honors
Source Bureau: VT Borfőnök Press Releases / Visit Tokaj International Media Relations
Release Status: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Publication Date: June 9, 2026
Primary Topic: Announcement of the inaugural “Winemaker of the Year” award granted to Stéphanie Berecz of Kikelet Pince.
Target Audience: Wine & Spirit Journalists, Luxury Travel Media, International Wine Trade Partners, Hospitality Critics
Data Highlights Included: (Kikelet Borfőnök Wine Review 2025)
- 2003 6 Puttonyos Aszú — 99/100 VT Platinum Medal (Ultra-rare library release; 300 bottles total).
- 2021 6 Puttonyos Aszú — 98/100 VT Platinum Medal.
- 2019 6 Puttonyos Aszú — 96/100 VT Platinum Medal (Official Wine of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences 2025).
- Hospitality & Service Score — 98/100.

Executive Summary (The Pitch)

The historic, UNESCO World Heritage-listed wine region of Tokaj has crowned its inaugural technical sovereign. This official release details why Stéphanie Berecz, the visionary co-founder and master winemaker of Tarcal-based Kikelet Pince, has made history as the first-ever recipient of the prestigious Visit Tokaj Winemaker of the Year Award. Celebrated for her “jaw-dropping precision,” Berecz has engineered a flawless synthesis of classical French sophistication and raw Hungarian volcanic terroir, creating wines that display a level of structural purity and laser-focused definition that leaves critics completely spellbound.

The announcement is anchored by an unprecedented sweep of critical acclaim from the VT Borfőnök tasting panel, highlighted by a near-perfect 99/100 Platinum Medal for her ultra-rare 2003 6 Puttonyos Aszú library release, alongside a stellar 98/100 for the diamond-cut 2021 vintage and a 96/100 for the majestic 2019 vintage (the official Wine of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences). Beyond the liquid gold in the bottle, the release underscores Berecz’s elite 98/100 hospitality and service score, her innovative culinary pairings—such as matching complex sweet flights with an immaculate, Parisian-rivaling homemade Lemon Meringue Pie—and her two decades of tireless local mentorship and global ambassadorship that have fundamentally elevated the region’s international prestige.

Key Story Angles & Editorial Hooks

Journalists and editors may develop coverage from the full release using the following angles:

The French-Hungarian Synthesis: How a French-born winemaker mastered the volcanic terroir of Tarcal to become a leading cultural and technical authority in Hungary.
The Geometry of Taste: Evaluating the contrast between the “warm blanket” structural depth of the 2019 vintage and the “finely cut diamond” precision of the 2021 vintage.
Rare Library Preservation: A focus on the mechanics of cellaring ultra-sweet Aszú wines over multiple decades, focusing on the 2003 archive collection.

The full text of this announcement has been formatted and published into a Microsoft Word file titled “Visit_Tokaj_2025_Winer_Maker_of_the_Year_Press_Release” for seamless syndication and media copying.

Media Asset Package Availability

The official press kit is available directly through the media contacts listed below and includes:

High-Resolution Photography: Inside the mold-lined Kikelet cellars, photos of Stéphanie Berecz, and bottle shots of the Platinum-winning 2003, 2019, and 2019 Aszú.
B-Roll Video Footage: Tarcal, Áldó Krisztus Szobor (Blessing Christ Statue) and the Kikelet Pince and Vineyards
Tasting Notes & Tech Sheets: In-depth chemical analysis, residual sugar balances, and aging methodologies for the entire award-winning vintage line.

Official Media Distribution Bureau Contact

For interview requests with Founder Dale Takio or winemaker Ildikó Götz, or to request a physical media tasting sample kit, please reach out to:

Contact Bureau: Visit Tokaj International Media Relations
Email Office: press@visittokaj.org
Official Digital Platform: www.visittokaj.org

Note to Editors: The full-text, formatted Word document file “Visit_Tokaj_2025_Winer_Maker_of_the_Year_Press_Release“ is available for direct download in this repository for seamless copy-pasting and syndication.

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