2017 GUESTS
dr. José Vouillamoz
Dr José Vouillamoz is one of the world’s leading authorities on the origin and parentage of grape varieties through DNA profiling. Swiss grape geneticist of international fame, trained with Prof Carole Meredith at the University of California at Davis (USA), he’s the co-author with the two Masters of Wine Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding of the multi-award winning book Wine Grapes (Allen Lane, 2012), the ultimate reference on all the grape varieties that are cultivated in the world. He is also author and co-author of several scientific papers and grape books. Vouillamoz is a wine educator, a wine lecturer, as well as a member of the Académie Internationale du Vin and of the Circle of Wine Writers.
”It is an honour for me to participate in the 2017 ROVINHUD event. I'm much looking forward to tasting wines from Romania and other countries in an event where disabled people not only benefit from the profits of the event but also actively contribute to the smooth-running of the event. Sharing wine, knowledge and fun knows no barriers!”
Dr José Vouillamoz, co-author of Wine Grapes (Allen Lane 2012)
Peter McCombie MW
Peter McCombie, Master of Wine since 1994, was born in New Zealand and is currently living in London. As a Master of Wine for over 20 years, Peter McCombie specialized in talking and writing about wines. He is also a wine consultant for several hotels, restaurants and private clients, is part of the jury of several competitions, is author of wine articles and a teacher on wine. Peter is determined to demystify the wine, help us discover our taste and be confident in our own senses and conclusions. This is why Peter often collaborates with older world countries more recently in the world of modern wine, such as Lebanon or Turkey, to help them reappear in the UK wine maps. His passion for undiscovered terroir, the importance of introducing the International Wine Challenge and a good cause in search of philanthropists makes him join the ROVINHUD Wine Show this year.
Christine Havens
Christine Havens is a wine writer and former winemaker who has become a Vivino featured user with over 41,000 followers largely thanks to her wine ratings. After completing the Viticulture and Enology program in 2004 with the help of a scholarship from Leonetti Cellar, she relocated to the small but picturesque town of Pullman, Washington, where she founded a small winery with her (now) ex and his family. Between 2004 and 2011, she honed her winemaking style, experimenting with Rhȏne and Bordeaux varieties, she specialized in blends that were well received in the local market. Later she moved into retail for two years, with a focus on the grand cru classé estates of Bordeaux. In 2014 she left retail to write about wines full-time, her background in winegrowing and winemaking have endowed her with technical knowledge and a deep appreciation for the process. In addition to her reviews, she’s a contributing editor at different specialised journals, magazines.
"As a wine professional and mother of a son with autism, the Rovinhud Wine Show unites two topics I’m passionate about—wine and disability advocacy. This is a truly unique event and one that I am honored to attend.”
Luiz Alberto
LUIZ ALBERTO is Brazilian, lives in the US, believes he has Italian blood, and after judging for the Romanian Winebook he says he was given the chance to become a little Romanian. He is a member of the famous Wine Writers Circle, founded the #winelover community, being one of the most influential wine communicators in social media, ranking 10th in Top 20 Worldwide Wine Influencers. For the second time at Rovinhud Wine Show, he is actively involved in cancer related awareness raising and fundraising.
"In November 2016 I went to Timisoara to participate at the "ROVINHUD Salon", a wine event organized by my dear friend Szövérdfi-Szép Zoltán. As you probably heard, the main reason for the existence of this event is to help people with disabilities. Not only that, people with disabilities "run the show,” making of this event something really special and heartwarming!
I loved being part of it so much that I made a commitment to go back there. So, the 2017 edition of Rovinhud is just around the corner… and I am counting the days to see some dear old friends and to make new ones."
Barta Károly
Barta Károly The family-owned Barta Winery creates premium wines from its historic first-growth cru, Öreg-Király (Old King), an iconic vineyard on the edge of Mád. This is one of the most appreciated and famous in the Tokaj region with a rich history: 1285 - the first written document that mentions "Mount Király" as royal property, 1664 - first written mention of plain Öreg Király (Eöreg Király), 1737 - Tokaj was the region that first ranked its wineries, and Öreg Király is ranked as a first class., 1960 - the hill being owned by the state, a kaolin mine was opened, 2003 - became the property of the Barta family . “Conserving values for the future” is the motto that guides Károly Barta in his projects. And part of this approach is organic cultivation; they do not use any herbicides or systemic chemicals. Replanting of the vineyard started in 2003, half a century after the land had been abandoned as the steepness made it unsuitable for mechanical cultivation. Today about half the land is hand-cultivated; traditional methods are used to cultivate the vines.
"Soil, Exposure, Rock, Climate, Stone Terraces - all the things that form the Öreg Király vineyard, as a gift from the past - the centuries-old grapes from Hegyalja and Mád and wine-growing culture, and the contribution of the present time, which is the winemaker: this is the terroir for us."
Imre Szakács-Orha
Imre Szakács-Orha is the founder of the Wine-in-Business organization, the first authorized WSET program in Romania. He holds the WSET 4 diploma awarded by Weinakademie Osterreich and he is the first WSET trainer in Romania. He is the organizer of the Wine-Wine evenings and he holds masterclasses on International and Romanian Wines presented in international contexts. He organizes and teaches WSET Level 1, 2, and 3 courses and is a student himself on the way to acquire the Master of Wine qualification.
”For me ROVINHUD is the Camino to charity.”
Patrick Farrell MW
Patrick Farrwell MW completed the master of wine credential, In 1998, being the first physician in the world to gain this distinction. He is a Wine educator, lecturer and wine judge. He teaches blind tasting and essay writing to master of wine students. He’s available to lecture on wine tastings, wine regions and "wine and health" to consumers or trade. As a physician and master of wine, he has substantial expertise in the field of wine and health. He is also trying to get a start up company that produces wine and beverage accessories going - BevWizard.
”I wear a number of hats. I’m a medical doctor and a master of wine and a disabled person with four herniated cervical discs. I’m passionate about health, wine and your enabling the disabled.”
Stefano Canello
Stefano Canello is Vice president of Riedel Group for Southeast Europe. He has studied information technology and accounting. He has been part of the wine world for more than ten years. RIEDEL Crystal (established 1756) has been producing glass in the heart of Europe for over 250 years and for eleven generations. It revolutionized wine drinking with a radical approach to glassware and, because of that approach, has dominated the high end of the category ever since. As international wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr. has written: "The effect of these [RIEDEL] glasses on fine wine is profound. I cannot emphasize enough what a difference they make."
Join Riedel at RovinHud Wine Festival in Timisoara for an educational and entertaining program that will change your wine life forever! In a unique and fascinating wine glass tasting, Stefano Canello, Riedel VP of sales South East Europe, will demonstrate the relationship between the shape of a glass and our perception and enjoyment of wines. Experience first-hand the effect that the shape of a wine glass has on each unique varietal, how stemware translates and delivers the bouquet, taste, balance and finish of a wine to the senses.
Bruno & Daniele Bortolotti
Bruno & Daniele Bortolotti In 1947 having terminated his diploma at the Scuola Enologica di Conegliano, the young enologist Umberto Bortolotti's aspirations came true and founded his own winery with the spirit of a pioneer and typical post-war zest. Dedication and enthusiasm allowed him to acquire success and prestige resulting in 1954 in a move to the company’s present site which, in the following years, underwent restoration and considerable enlargement in response to new demands During this development, a natural result of the ever evolving production technology, Umberto Bortolotti always kept faith in the personal and professional ethic which formed the basis of his philosophy. Moreover, professionality, respect, and devotion to work were to be passed down to his son Bruno and his nephew Daniele who are now at the helm of the company. The Bortolotti wine-growers from the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene hills have been making their own sparkling wines for decades, combining tradition and progressive techniques with careful quality selection. Just as they strive to achieve the best wines, they also wish for their consumers to demand the very best. Since 2009 the winery has been undergoing a continual restoration and restructuring with the objective of improving the structural and organisational aspects of the winery. Furthermore new energy producing technology has been introduced as the winery strives towards improved and environmental sustainability.
