Our community
Phylloxera epidemic, the age of wine adulterations, the dictate of Trianon, the Great Depression, the losses of the World War II and the practical realization of Communism – the historic challenges Hungarians found themselves confronted with, by the time of political and economic changes of the millennium, completely destroyed the ties of a generation, though longing for building, to the culture of their predecessors.
The last hundred years almost entirely transformed our relationship to the preceding centuries, making difficult to understand their message. The thoughts of past generations in old books remain without interpretations. The built heritage of past generations around us is not respected. The work of past generations seems to be futile.
The titanic work carried out in the past decades has shown it to a lot of people inside and outside the profession that Europe and the world had celebrated Tokaji wine with good reason in the past five centuries. That short period was enough to demonstrate the potentials of the superior Tokaj terroir through wine qualities. Besides refining our own awareness and self-understanding, in them we can find our way back to the wine world.
There is a professional revolution going on in the wine region. We are living the period of the interpretation of terroirs and wines. We are measuring the power of our movements and our promises. Meanwhile, we are changing, and through this transformation we are getting connected imperceptibly to the thread of a distant heritage. On the basis of this connection we could re-establish the continuity between the work of the generations of today and tomorrow, which is essential to creation.
Demeter Zoltán Foundation was established by me with the aim to help people living and working here, in the extent of its opportunities, to realize and understand the message of our environment sent from the past and to support them in conceiving and fulfilling their dreams.
The managers of Demeter Zoltán Foundation believe that Tokaj Wine Region is one of the pillars of the world’s wine culture, where wines are produced to delight the entire humankind.
Zoltán Demeter
founder
MEMORIAL PARK
Our wine region is more than 500 years old. Many pioneering and innovative personalities formed its history. However, there still is not a place or a statue park in Tokaj-Hegyalja up to this day where the contemporary environment could pay homage to the late greats of the wine region. Designing and building a memorial park and erecting statues from time to time definitely have community building and shaping force.
GEOLOGICAL MAP
József Szabó was a world-famous Hungarian professor of geology – mineralogy and petrography being his primary interests. One of the main areas of research was the study of volcanic activity in the Carpathian Basin. As a result of this scientific interest József Szabó got particularly interested in Tokaj wine region and Tokaji wines as well. He was the one who drew the first geological map of Tokaj-Hegyalja meeting all scientific requirements. The map in 2015 is 150 years old. On the occasion of the anniversary it was reissued by Demeter Zoltán Foundation with the goal of obtaining the highest possible accuracy in the reprint edition.
TOKAJ-HEGYALJA ALBUM
The album was one of the largest sized land description works of its age, including vineyard classification, presenting the geological diversity of the wine region and featuring the exceptionally beautiful lithographs by Gusztáv Keleti. It is important to note that since its first release there have not been written any other books describing the wine region in four languages. Collectors regard the original prints as rarities. Demeter Zoltán Foundation has published a facsimile version of the original album in 2017 celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first issue.
VINEYARD GATE
When we talk about vineyard maps, then we also feel the actual indication of the vineyards to be of high importance. Demeter Zoltán Foundation charges an architecture firm with references in the wine region to develop a design for a work of art incorporating local traditions and European directions and which is appropriate to represent the vineyards of Tokaj-Hegyalja authentically. The design will be offered to the wine communities representing the local grape growers to be materialized all over the wine region.
privateTALK FOR TOKAJ
A series of conversation revolving around the current issues of Tokaj-Hergyalja, involving the actors of a given subject in a realistic approach. The privateTALK is on all occasions followed by a thematic wine tasting presenting the wines of the leading wineries of the region, providing the participants opportunity for an informal chat, exchange of ideas and exploring the wines of the given wineries.
POSTCARD
The postcards currently available in the wine region regarding their theme and quality are not up to date. There is a silent community need, which would like to see changes in this area, too. A region which considers tourism of high importance to its functioning cannot afford to offer guests from all over the world images which in their style represent the wine region or the settlement in a way local people are reluctant to identify themselves with.
Therefore in the frame of a photo contest we wish to involve those amateur and professional photographers who are interested in or committed to the wine region thereby form an emotional bond which should influence the theme and mood of the photographs. We will then choose six photographs in case of each settlement of the wine region. These rewarded and selected photographs will be printed on postcards. This photo contest will be held every year promoting the villages and towns of Tokaj-Hegyalja. To these settlements Demeter Zoltán Foundation offers the completed postcards to make changes in their visual representations.
POSTER
In the photo contest a special prize will be awarded to the best judged photograph which symbolizes a given settlement the best. These photographs will also be printed as posters and the foundation also offers them to the settlements to use them as their emblematic visual imagery. This series of pictures will help us to provide a unified visual representation of the wine region and to create a sophisticated way of communication both domestically and abroad.