Italy, Guest of Honor at Balaton Wine & Gourmet Festival

In addition to more than 50 restaurants and wineries from the Balaton region, this year's Balaton Wine & Gourmet will present the culinary specialties of Italy from September 6 to 8 in Veszprém, W Hungary. The festival will also include family programs, free tastings, professional workshops and Michelin-starred chefs' dinners.

Balaton Wine & Gourmet aims to present Veszprém and the Lake Balaton region as a gastronomic region in its own right, with six wine regions, quality gastronomy and a vibrant cultural life, Zoltán Mészáros, the festival's executive director, said at a press conference in Budapest on Wednesday.

He added that the third edition of the Balaton Wine & Gourmet will host a mini Italian gastronomy festival in Veszprém.

Manuel Jacoangeli, Italy's Ambassador to Hungary, stressed that they plan to showcase the best of Italian gastronomic traditions in a region with an equally outstanding gastronomic tradition. Italian cuisine, the Italian lifestyle and Italian food products are also very popular here, and Italy is currently the sixth most important supplier of food products to Hungary, he added. He also drew attention to the Italian experts who will be present at the festival, with menus, demonstrations and seminars on Italian wine and prosecco, aperitifs and cocktails, coffee and extra virgin olive oils, among other things.

In addition to the main stage, a new stage evoking the world of Italian merchants will be added to the program. It will feature demonstrations and tastings of the basics of Italian gastronomy and a taste of pizza, pasta, ice cream and coffee. The festival will offer a taste of Italian gastronomy through experiential meals, workshops and guided tastings, with Michelin-starred Italian chefs presenting experiential meals.

Guided tastings and the CEWI wine tasting tent will showcase Italian and Lake Balaton wines, while the children's tent will also offer gastronomic activities for youngsters led by Györgyi Kalas.