An interview with Brigitta Fischer, Commercial Manager of Cezar Winery

For the latest edition of the MOVIN Agency Meet the Winemaker series, we travel to Nagyrada, in the Zala Wine Region of western Hungary, to discover the story behind Cezar Winery.

Founded in 1996 by three Swedish businessmen, Cezar Winery has always had an international dimension. Yet its wines are firmly rooted in the landscape of Zala, where the winery today farms around 100 hectares of vineyards close to the Kis-Balaton region.

Zala remains one of Hungary's lesser-known wine regions internationally, but its combination of rolling hills, diverse soils and a relatively cool climate offers fascinating conditions for fresh, elegant wines. Cezar Winery has embraced this potential while bringing a distinctly international perspective to the cellar – most notably through its Chilean-born Chief Oenologist, Luis Fuentes.

With a renewed visual identity, new labels, growing export ambitions and recent recognition at VinAgora, Cezar Winery is entering an exciting new chapter.

We spoke with Brigitta Fischer, Commercial Manager of Cezar Winery, about the winery's unusual beginnings, the character of Zala, international winemaking experience, the new direction of the brand and the ambitions behind its wines.

MOVIN Agency: Cezar Winery has a rather unusual story in the Hungarian wine landscape. How did it all begin?

Brigitta Fischer: The story began in 1996, when three Swedish entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to establish a winery in Hungary. Their vision laid the foundations for what Cezar Winery has become today.

Over the years, the winery developed its vineyards and production facilities in Nagyrada, and the winery itself was officially opened in 2006. Since then, we have continued to develop both our vineyards and our winemaking facilities.

Today, we work with around 100 hectares of vineyards in a beautiful part of the Zala Wine Region, close to Kis-Balaton.

I think our history is an interesting combination of international vision and local roots. We have always looked beyond Hungary, but everything starts here, in our vineyards in Zala.

MOVIN Agency: Zala is still relatively unknown to many international wine consumers. What makes this region special?

Brigitta Fischer: Zala has a very particular character.

The landscape is made up of rolling hills and valleys, with vineyards growing on different slopes and soils. The combination of soil, climate and local traditions creates a terroir that is quite different from Hungary's more famous wine regions. 

The region's climate is another important part of its character. Thanks to its southwestern location and the moderating influence of nearby Lake Balaton and Kis-Balaton, Zala enjoys a relatively mild and balanced climate, with sub-Mediterranean influences compared with some of Hungary's cooler wine-growing areas. The warmer conditions and relatively long growing season can support good ripening, while the region's rainfall and temperature balance help the vines retain freshness and natural acidity.

This combination creates interesting conditions for producing wines that can develop ripe fruit character and texture while maintaining the freshness and elegance that are increasingly valued in modern wine styles.

I think Zala's relative lack of international recognition can actually be an advantage. There is still a sense of discovery. We have an opportunity to introduce consumers to a part of Hungary that they may not have encountered before.

MOVIN Agency: Cezar has also taken an interesting approach to grape varieties, including Pinot Noir, Syrah and Malbec. What is behind this philosophy?

Brigitta Fischer: We have always been interested in exploring what different varieties can express in Zala.

Alongside Hungarian varieties, our vineyards include a number of international grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Malbec and Cabernet Franc.

Malbec is particularly interesting in this respect. Cezar was a pioneer in planting the variety in Hungary, and today it remains an important part of our identity.

For us, the idea is not to imitate wines from other countries. It is to understand how a variety behaves when it is planted here, under the conditions of Zala.

That is where the international and local perspectives meet.

MOVIN Agency: How does the international background of your winemaker, Luis Fuentes, influence the wines of Cezar Winery?

Brigitta Fischer: Luis's expertise and international experience are certainly very important to us. As a Chilean winemaker working in Zala, he brings a different perspective to our wines and helps us look at our local terroir from an international point of view. At the same time, the wines are very much the result of a broader team effort.

We have two young winemakers, Marcell Berta and István Hári, whose knowledge, enthusiasm and understanding of current wine trends bring a valuable new perspective alongside the experience we have built up over many years. I believe this combination of experience, international knowledge and fresh thinking is one of the strengths of our team.

Last year, Jonas Röjerman, a Swedish Master of Wine, visited us, and the experience gave all of us a lot to think about - on both the winemaking and commercial sides. Since then, we have placed an even greater emphasis on regular team tastings. We taste the wines together, share our observations, exchange ideas and experiment with different blends. We are constantly looking for ways to bring out the best in each wine, highlight its individual character and find its most harmonious balance.

What I value most is that everyone's opinion matters during these sessions. Different perspectives make the discussion richer and often lead us to ideas we might not have reached individually. At the same time, these occasions bring the team closer together.

For me, this is one of the most valuable aspects of where Cezar is today: we are learning together, shaping our wines together and celebrating the results as a team.

MOVIN Agency: That idea of expressing a sense of place seems particularly relevant to a region like Zala. How would you describe the style you are looking for?

Brigitta Fischer: We are looking for wines that are fresh, elegant and expressive, but also accessible.

We want the wines to have character without becoming overly complicated or technical.

For us, quality starts in the vineyard. Winemaking should then support what the grapes already have rather than hide it.

This is also why we are constantly experimenting and learning. Different varieties, different vineyard sites and different winemaking techniques can reveal different sides of Zala.

MOVIN Agency: Cezar Winery is currently going through a visual renewal, with new labels and a new brand identity. What is behind this change?

Brigitta Fischer: We felt that our visual identity needed to reflect the direction in which the winery is moving.

Cezar has a long history, but we are also looking towards the future. Our new labels and renewed identity are more contemporary and designed with international markets in mind.

It is not simply a change of packaging. It is part of a broader renewal of the brand.

We want our wines to stand out on the shelf, but the new visual identity is about much more than creating a modern look. Each label has been developed specifically with the wine inside the bottle in mind, reflecting its grape variety, character and style. The aim is to create a visual connection between the wine and its identity, so that the packaging gives consumers an insight into what they can expect from the bottle.

At the same time, the new labels communicate the direction of Cezar Winery as a whole: modern, international and confident, while remaining connected to our roots in Zala.

There is also a personal story behind the renewal of our Classic range. I have known and worked with the graphic designer for around seven years, so over time we have developed a very natural way of working together. We often understand each other almost without words, and we inspire each other throughout the creative process.

I believe this connection has played an important role in the new labels. Rather than applying one visual concept across the whole range, we wanted each wine to have a label that reflects its own grape variety, character and style. The personal understanding between us helped us translate these ideas into a visual language that feels authentic to each wine.

MOVIN Agency: Export is becoming increasingly important for Cezar Winery. What kind of international presence are you looking to build?

Brigitta Fischer: Export is definitely one of our priorities.

We want to work with partners who see the potential not only in Hungarian wine, but specifically in discovering regions that are not yet widely known internationally.

For us, long-term relationships are very important. We are not looking simply to place bottles in as many markets as possible. We want to find partners who understand our wines and can communicate the story behind them.

We believe that the combination of an established winery, a distinctive region and a fresh approach to branding gives us a strong foundation for international growth.

MOVIN Agency: You recently received a Gold Medal at VinAgora for the Cezar Pinot Noir Rosé 2025. What does this recognition mean to the team?

Brigitta Fischer: We were very happy with the result.

The Cezar Pinot Noir Rosé 2025 received a Gold Medal at VinAgora, which is an important recognition for us, given how competitive the rosé category is. We entered three wines in the competition, and all three received an award.

Since then, the results of the Winelovers Wine Awards 2026 have brought another reason to be proud: all five of our entries received medals. We are especially pleased with the Riselin Olaszrizling Battonage 2024, which won a Gold Medal and was ranked among the top ten wines in the international field in the Matured White Wines category. This is particularly meaningful to us because 2024 was the very first vintage of this wine.

The same wine also received a Great Gold Medal and a special award at a regional wine competition in Nagykanizsa, where all five of our entries received medals. While this is a smaller domestic competition, these results are valuable feedback for us and give us confidence that the direction we are taking with our wines is the right one.

The rosé wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir and has the freshness and crisp acidity that we value in our wines from Zala.

For the whole team, an award like this is a confirmation that the direction we are taking is the right one.

MOVIN Agency: You also received recognition for the Cezar Charmeé Chardonnay Battonage 2024. How does this wine represent a different side of Cezar?

Brigitta Fischer: The Charmeé Chardonnay shows a more complex and structured side of our winemaking, combining characteristics that can be associated with both the elegance and subtle complexity of Burgundy and the generous, expressive character often found in New World Chardonnay.

The battonage technique adds further texture, creaminess and depth to the wine, while we still want the freshness, balance and fruit character of the Chardonnay to remain clearly visible. The result is a wine that brings together richness and structure with the freshness and vibrancy we associate with our Zala vineyards.

It received a Commended recognition at VinAgora, which we are also very pleased with.

I think the two wines actually show quite well the diversity of Cezar: the Pinot Noir Rosé represents freshness and vibrancy, while the Chardonnay shows that we can also work with more complex and textured styles.

MOVIN Agency: What do you think is the biggest opportunity for Cezar Winery in the coming years?

Brigitta Fischer: I think the biggest opportunity is to introduce more people to Zala.

There is a lot of competition in the international wine market, and consumers already know many of the traditional wine regions. But there is also a growing curiosity about new origins and lesser-known wine regions.

We have a story that is different: a Hungarian winery in Zala, founded by Swedish entrepreneurs, working with both international and local perspectives, and guided by a Chilean winemaker.

That combination is quite unique.

Now our task is to communicate it clearly and make sure that the quality of the wines supports the story.

MOVIN Agency: If you had to describe the new chapter of Cezar Winery in three words, what would they be?

Brigitta Fischer: Identity, quality and international expansion

We have a strong foundation and a long history, but we are not looking backwards.

We are developing our vineyards, our wines, our visual identity and our international presence.

At the same time, we remain very much connected to the place where everything starts: Zala.

MOVIN Agency: Finally, what would you like someone to discover when they open a bottle of Cezar for the first time?

Brigitta Fischer: I would like them to discover something unexpected.

Perhaps they know Hungary through Tokaj, Villány or Eger, but Zala can offer a completely different perspective.

I hope that when someone opens a bottle of Cezar, they find freshness, elegance and character - and perhaps, after enjoying the wine, they become curious about where it comes from.

Because ultimately, that is what we want to achieve: not only to make good wines, but to make people curious about Zala and the stories that are still waiting to be discovered there.

MOVIN Agency: Brigitta, thank you for taking us behind the scenes of Cezar Winery and sharing the story of this exciting new chapter.

Brigitta Fischer: Thank you. We are very excited about the future and about introducing more international consumers to Cezar Winery and the Zala Wine Region.

Don’t forget to discover the wines of Cezar Winery.

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