Országos Bortúra #42
Rebuilding Wine Tourism from the Ground Up
Wine tourism has traditionally been fragmented: small wineries, scattered booking systems, disconnected marketing, and limited international visibility.
Országos Bortúra was created to solve this structural challenge – not simply as an app, but as a nationwide digital and cultural infrastructure designed to connect wineries, travellers, universities, and wine communities into one functioning ecosystem.
Through the combined B2C Bortúra App and B2B Boradmin system, the initiative enables wineries of every size to become visible, bookable and data-driven, while visitors gain seamless access to authentic wine experiences.
What started as a digital solution has evolved into one of Hungary’s most comprehensive wine tourism development initiatives.
Recognised Innovation and International Impact
The project’s ecosystem-building approach has received repeated professional recognition.
Országos Bortúra has:
- ranked twice among the TOP 5 nominees at the Wine Travel Awards
- received three innovation recognitions from the Hungarian Innovation Association
These acknowledgements confirm the initiative’s role not only as a digital product, but as a long-term structural innovation in wine tourism.
Education: Investing in the Future Wine Audience
A sustainable wine tourism sector requires educated future consumers and professionals.
To address this, the founders of Országos Bortúra launched a university wine culture education programme at Semmelweis University.
The elective course – attended by hundreds of students – introduces:
- wine regions and cultural heritage
- responsible wine consumption
- tourism experience design
- the economic and social role of wine tourism
- health aspects of wine consumption
The programme started in 2025 and continued in 2026, establishing one of the first structured university-level wine culture education initiatives linked directly to health, medicine, tourism and wine culture development.
This initiative ensures that wine tourism is not only marketed, but culturally sustained.
From App to Living Wine Culture Platform
Beyond technology, Országos Bortúra actively builds real-world wine experiences connecting new audiences to producers.
Regularly organised events include:
- Semmelweis Borongoló
- Semmelweis Alumni wine tasting series
- The independent Vineyard Vibes event series
These programmes create entry points for younger audiences, professionals, and international visitors – expanding wine tourism beyond traditional winery visits into a continuous cultural journey.
Storytelling Beyond the Vineyard
To further strengthen the cultural narrative of Hungarian wine, the initiative produces the podcast:
“Palackozott mesék, szűretlen történetek” (Bottled Tales, Unfiltered Stories)
The series features:
- winemakers
- tourism professionals
- marketing experts
- industry innovators
By documenting authentic voices of the sector, the podcast preserves industry knowledge while making wine culture accessible to a broader audience.
Available in Hungarian on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts, immerse yourself in the essence of Hungarian wine culture with every listen!
A National Ecosystem, Not Just a Product
Today, Országos Bortúra functions simultaneously as:
- a nationwide wine tourism discovery platform
- a booking and partner management infrastructure
- a cultural education organiser
- a wine event creator
- a media storytelling channel
- a university collaboration partner
This integrated model transforms wine tourism from isolated experiences into a measurable, scalable and community-driven sector.
Download the Bortúra App Today and Start Your Wine Adventure!
The long-term mission is clear: not only to promote wineries, but to build the digital, educational and cultural foundation of modern Hungarian wine tourism.
Don’t miss out on the ultimate guide to Hungarian wine culture. From discovering hidden wineries to personalized wine experiences, the Bortúra App has it all!
Download now on the App Store or Google Play.
Prefer the direct route? Use this link: app.orszagosbortura.hu
App Store rating: 4.8
Google Play Store rating: 4.6
Your next wine adventure is just a tap away – don’t wait, download the Bortúra App now!
Reviews
‘Bortúra App’ is a great and user friendly app, yet the team also aims to improve it constantly, finding the needs of the wineries. They find solutions to problems the winemakers are not even aware of. And one of the most important merits of the team is that they always take the time to reply emails, to clarify doubts, to explain things patiently. They deserve to be awarded.
It’s great to be able to choose between events so easily. I recommend it to all wine lovers and to those who are always open to a good programme.
More user-friendly than jumping between websites and booking.
A missing initiative! Finally, a truly youthful tourism app supporting local businesses! Congratulations to the creators and keep up the good work!
In recent years, Bortúra App has been a bright spot in the ever-evolving wine market, an initiative that has been working with outstanding commitment and determination not only for the success of their app, but also for the promotion of wine consumption in Hungary. As winemakers, this is of paramount importance to us, so it is good to see that an independent service provider is not primarily looking after its own interests, but is also working towards a more holistic goal.