Participants
Zoltan SantaWeinakademiker (Hungary)
Zoltán has been organizing wine tastings and wine events in the Private Club of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for twenty years. Almost all well-known Hungarian winemakers have a chance to present part of their portfolio in one of the nicest restaurants of the Hungarian capital, Budapest. After a huge success of the 1st Wine Competition initiated and organized by him in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2009, he decided to develop his competence in wine expertise even more.
The same year Zoltan took a course in wines and spirits at Borkollégium Budapest, Hungary’s oldest wine school, an approved program provider of the London-based Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Having successfully passed Level 3 (advanced level) exams, in early 2011 he enrolled on the WSET Diploma course (Level 4) at the Weinakademie Österreich in Rust. Just two years later he graduated from the biggest wine school of Europe and became AIWS (Associated Member of the Institute of Wines and Spirits - the title now called DipWSET) and Weinakademiker. The topic of his thesis at Weinakademie Osterreich was: “The Future of Furmint and Olaszrizling in Hungary: War or Peaceful Coexistence”, which awarded Zoltán the Prize of the Österreich Wein.
Zoltán has been elected Regional President of the Club der Weinakademiker (the alumni organization of the Weinakademie Österreich), responsible for Eastern Europe countries.
After graduation since 2013 Zoltán has been lecturing at all three levels of WSET (Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3) at Borkollegum. Having passed all the necessary exams he became WSET Certified Educator (wines and spirits), a nominated educator and an in-house assessor of Borkollégium Budapest. In late 2017 Zoltán did a wine course in Jerez, Spain organized by the Consejo Regulador and was awarded the diploma of Certified Sherry Educator.
2011 saw the publication of the wine course book “The Wines of the World” co-authors of which are Gabriella Mészáros and Zoltán Sánta. Zoltán is a regular contributor to specialized wine magazines and internet portals such as VinCE, vinoport.hu and boraszportal.hu.
Since the beginning Zoltán has been a consultant of the wine competition held by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and of the Hungarian National Assembly. Zoltán Sánta is regularly invited as a judge or panel leader to wine competitions, like “TOP 100” Hungarian Wines, those of the Hungarian National Council of Wine Communities, Prestige Reserve Club, Codex of Csopak, Balaton Wine Region and others.