Our Colleagues Successfully Represented the University of Tokaj at the 2026 Conference of the European Association of Wine Economists (EuAWE)
Between 8 and 11 June 2026, the 5th Annual Conference of the European Association of Wine Economists (EuAWE) was held in Trieste, Italy, and Koper, Slovenia. The conference is one of the leading international scientific forums dedicated to economic, business, sustainability and regional development issues in the wine sector. The event was hosted by the University of Trieste and the University of Primorska in Koper.
The University of Tokaj was represented by three members of its academic staff:
• Dr. Csaba Novák, Associate Professor at the Department of Wine Marketing and International Relations – Integrated Wine Sciences, Matthiász Institute;
• Dr. Dániel Homolya, Associate Professor at the Department of Economics and Business Development, Lórántffy Institute;
• Dr. Péter Gál, Associate Professor at the Department of Wine Marketing and International Relations – Integrated Wine Sciences, Matthiász Institute.
Our colleagues contributed three scientific presentations to the conference programme.
Péter Gál presented research examining the relationship between wineries’ pricing decisions and labelling practices in an international context. The title of the presentation was: “How Winemakers Utilise Their Labels – Comparing the Way How Varieties, Collective and Individual Brands Are Labelled.”
Csaba Novák presented joint research with Dániel Homolya analysing the relationship between competitiveness, ownership structures and performance among wineries in the Tokaj Wine Region. The title of the presentation was: “TFP, Sources of Competitiveness and Ownership Patterns in Wineries: Which Are the Key Variables in the Case of Tokaj?”
In the Regional Economies session, Dr. Dániel Homolya presented a joint research paper co-authored with Dr. Péter Gál, Dr. Csaba Novák and Attila Loibl, who is pursuing his doctoral studies under the shared supervision of Dr. Homolya. The study analysed the financial performance and the evolution of economic resilience in the Tokaj Wine Region based on firm-level data covering the period 2017–2024. The title of the presentation was: “Financial Performance and Economic Resilience in the Tokaj Wine Region (2017–2024): Firm-Level Evidence from Accounting Data.”
It is particularly noteworthy that, besides the researchers of the University of Tokaj, the only presenters from Hungary were Professor Imre Fertő, Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Director General, and Dr. Zoltán Lajos Bakucs, Scientific Advisor, representing the HUN-REN Centre for Economic and Regional Studies. This clearly demonstrates the growing international visibility of the University of Tokaj in the field of wine economics research.
The conference provided an excellent opportunity to establish new professional relationships with researchers from Europe and overseas, while our research on the Tokaj Wine Region received highly positive feedback. We also held discussions on how cooperation between EuAWE and the University of Tokaj could be further strengthened following the international workshop jointly organised by the University and the EuAWE leadership in 2024.
The event confirmed that the University of Tokaj can play an important role in international scientific networks focusing on the economic, social and sustainability challenges of wine regions, while further strengthening the international academic positioning of the Tokaj Wine Region.
