"I won't leave Hungary without tasting Esszencia!"

Interview with Mikk Parre, the European Sommelier Champion
 
Have you ever seen the Sommelier Championship final? It is at least as exciting as the Football World Cup final or the Eurovision song contest voting session. The most renowned wine celebrities are on the stage, and the finalist have to get through some lifelike situations, with difficult guests and problems to solve. Since his fabulous performance in November, Mikk Parre has held the title of ASI Best Sommelier of Europe, Africa and Middle East. 
 

 

 

 

Mikk Parre has previously been named the best sommelier of Estonia in 2022 and 2023 as well as the best sommelier of the Baltics in 2022 and 2024. Mikk is currently working as a cellar master for Bombay Group in Tallinn, Estonia and is also a wine educator and an international jury member for Star Wine List.
He will judge at Winelovers Wine Awards, and he will be the specialist (chairman) of the light red wine category.
Cover photo and the last photo: ASI
Other photos: Mikk Parre

– What do you do as the cellarmaster of Bombay Group? In other words: what is Bombay Group and what are the duties of a cellarmaster?
– Bombay Group is the company behind Bombay Club. Bombay Club's main focal point is a high-end Casino and in addition to that, has 3 fine-dining restaurants, a bakery, a hotel, a spa and several bars all tied together in one luxury establishment in the centre of the Tallinn Old Town. I am managing one of the largest wine cellars in the Baltics that services all the different venues and helping to source some rarer and harder to find wines and other beverages for the company. 
 
– In the Decanter interview you mention Tokaji Aszú as your “desert island wine” with goose liver. Did you have many chances to taste Tokaji Aszú Wines? Have you ever been to Hungary and Tokaj?
– Unfortunately I have not been to Hungary or Tokaj yet myself, but it has been in my bucket list for a very long time. I have enjoyed quite a few Tokaji Aszu wines in my life, from many wonderful producers like Oremus, Sauska, Chateau Dereszla, Disznókő and others. Of course not as many as I would have liked and definitely not enough older vintages, which is when Tokaj really starts to shine. 

– During the preparation for the contests and during the contests, did you encounter other Central Eastern European wines, apart from Tokaji Aszú?
Absolutely! I believe a good sommelier needs to know as much as possible and that includes tasting and getting familiar with wines from all over the world. Aside from the Aszú wines the dry white wines of Tokaj are also a must try in my opinion and varietal Furmint is definitely something that has been in blind tastings at competitions before. The reds from other parts of Hungary shouldn't be forgotten either. Cabernet Franc happens to be one of my favourite grape varieties in the world and some of the Kékfrankos from areas like Villány have really been spectacular. 
Aside from Hungary the key regions and grape varieties of countries like Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria were also on the training program for me and in my life I have managed to try quite a large number of wines from Poland and Czechia, but I have yet to experience the wines themselves in competitions as of yet (aside from theoretical questions).
 
– At the top restaurants you worked, were there any Hungarian, Romanian or other Central Eastern European wines? If yes, how did the guests like them? If they have ever ordered them...
There have always been some, but usually just a few examples and falling more into the niche category for restaurants. The wines are often still perceived to be more on the simpler side and usually assumed to be only sweet or semi-sweet by the general public, but luckily this mentality is changing. Younger generations who are now getting interested in wine are very happy to experiment and more often than not are looking for something interesting and surprising, so Central Eastern European wines can often fill that niche quite easily, especially due to having a superb value-for-money quality to them. 
It will take a while until the general public changes their views and until you can see a sizable selection in fine-dining settings, but in wine bars and in by-the-glass programs of modern casual dining restaurants wines from those areas are already thriving. Once people try the wines the reactions are always positive!  
 
– You are coming to Hungary in a few weeks. What are you looking for the most?
I am really looking forward to expanding my knowledge on the wines and the regions of Hungary, as nothing replaces getting first-hand experience in a professional setting. I am looking forward to tasting some amazing wines and I am sure I can fill my bags with some very exciting samples to take back home as well. 
I am also looking forward to seeing some good friends I have acquired over the years but never managed to visit in Hungary. I also have one personal mission that I must accomplish. Although I have tasted quite many wines from Tokaj, including some of the best Aszú wines, I have actually never managed to try the fabled Esszencia before. So no matter what happens I will make sure not to leave Hungary before I have had a taste of this magical nectar.