- A TRAVELLING CIRCUS -

2 people, 2 projects 4 countries

[HOLASS] in The Loire

he dream of having our own estate brought us to the Loire. What began as visits to cellars and vineyards became a move in 2018. Today we live between Belgium, France and Hungary and that life shapes the wines we make. Each of our wines carries a strong identity of its origin. We do not limit ourselves to one region, country or grape but enjoy the ultimate freedom of nomadic winemaking. 

Each wine must be able to tell its story, who it is and where it comes from. We work exclusively with local grape varieties that are grown organically. Decisions about the harvest are made based on taste rather than analysis. The Picking is done by hand after careful selection in the vineyard. In the cellar, all processes occur naturally, without the use of intrusive machines or additives. Each of our wines comes from a single vineyard and is bottled in small quantities at the place where they originate. 

In the Loire we are just South of Chinon and just out of the Chinon appellation, we work with organic Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc both on calcareous soil. We try to make something different, energetic but with respect to the region and its ancient methods. A short macceration and long barrel aging. The labels are designed by Carlos Brito, a retired political cartoonist who worked for Le Monde and Canard enchainé. 

[HOLASS] The wine collective

Making wine in Hungary and Austria was never our plan A and did not arise from a business plan, but from what grew naturally between us: collaborating, discovering, tasting and being touched time and time again by what a place can tell trough wine. We do not have a cellar or vineyards; instead, our production is based on close collaborations with friends and family. Since 2015, we have been producing wine in historically highly regarded wine regions in Hungary and Burgenland, Austria. Although Burgenland has officially been part of Austria since 1921, we concider it part of the broader Hungarian wine heritage due to the shared history and cultural similarities with Hungary. The driving principle behind our collective is to tell the rich Hungarian history and ancient wine culture through our winesand to share this knowledge. Unknown is unloved; you can only truly love something when you know the whole picture. 

[HOLASS] is the phonetic writing of Imre’s last name, Halász.