József Törley
Encyclopedia
József Törley is credited as having established one of the most successful brands of sparkling wine
outside of the champagne region
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the 19th century, production of champagne style sparkling wines became popular in Europe
and rapidly spread across the continent. J.E. Hubert established the first Hungarian
champagne factory in Pozsony
, Hungary
, in 1825 and by 1876, Littke was producing champagne in Pécs
. In 1882, a new champagne producing center emerged in Budafok
, Hungary
under the name of ‘József Törley
and Co.’
, Hungary, in the municipality of Szabadka
which is now in modern-day Serbia
. While studying at the Academy of Trade in Graz
, Austria
, Törley met Theophilus de Roederer, grandson of Louis de Roederer
and son of Louis de Roederer II. Theophilus, heir to the Roederer winery, invited Törley to Reims
, France
to learn the production of champagne. In the 1870s Törley apprenticed in Reims
; at first for the Roederer
plant and later for Delbeck
and as a result, he became very knowledgeable about champagne production
. In Reims
, Törley set up his own champagne factory and began to bottle. He would buy base wine from local French
producers and then proceed to turn the base wine into champagne.
Upon one of his base wine acquisition trips to Budafok
, Hungary, Törley realized that the conditions there were perfect for the production of sparkling wine
. Törley determined that the soils of Budafok
, more closely than anywhere else in Europe
, resembled the chalky limestone
soil extant in the Champagne region
of France
which was necessary for producing the characteristics in the base wine of champagne. In 1882, Törley moved his factory from Reims
to Budafok
and proceeded to replicate every aspect of the champagne production he had learned in France, including the methods used to grow grapes at his vineyards in Etyek
, Hungary. Törley also had 45 miles worth of cellars carved out of Budafok’s limestone hills to ensure the uniform temperature required for maintaining the quality of the wine throughout production. Törley’s quarried limestone
went into the construction of Hungary’s Parliament
which, upon completion in 1904, was the largest building on earth
.
Törley was apparently successful from the start. In 1882, after the first production of champagne in Hungary, he wrote, "With great diligence and persistence I succeeded in producing something far superior to the Champagne sparkling wines known so far." Törley continuously developed his winery and the production technology, and introduced refrigerative disgorging in Hungary.
In producing champagne, Törley did not work alone; rather he employed French experts who installed the winery as well as worked it throughout production, taking instructions from Törley himself as to the details of production. Louis François, who had come from Reims
to Hungary
at Törley’s invitation, worked as Törley’s cellar master until he set up his own winery in Hungary with his brother César François in 1886, after Louis had a falling out with Törley.
In addition to having produced a high quality crémant (called pezsgő in Hungarian) and remaining innovative, Törley also had keen insight into the marketing of the beverage. With his great emphasis on marketing and advertising, by the turn of the 20th century, Törley’s plant was one of the most modern wine producing facilities in the world. By the time of the World Expo held in Budapest in 1896, the Törley cellars had been granted the title of "suppliers to the imperial and royal court" since Törley was supplying the Habsburg
s with his sparkling wine
. Törley himself was granted the title of nobility by Franz Joseph
, Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. On New Year’s Eve 1899 Törley commented, “They will also be welcoming in the next turn of the century with my champagne.”
By the beginning of the 20th century, Törley had expanded distribution throughout the world, and ironically, his sparkling wine
had become quite popular in Paris
, France. By 1905, production reached 1 million bottles. As the business grew, Törley built a huge mansion above the factory. The two buildings were linked by a secret tunnel allowing Törley, much like Henry Ford
had done, to make a sudden, unannounced appearance at any time in the factory. The progressive industrialist Törley was also the first to buy trucks in Hungary for the transportation of goods, and was the founding member of the Royal Hungarian Automobile Club.
In 1907 the winery celebrated its 25th anniversary and Törley’s sparkling wines were known from America to Australia
. The firm now had warehouses in Hamburg
, Berlin
and Copenhagen
. Törley himself did not long outlive the 25th anniversary of the factory as in the summer of 1907, he died in Ostend
, Belgium
. Törley, a Roman Catholic, left instructions for his body to be buried in Budafok
. As Törley had no children, the factory was inherited by his brothers and their sons. Under the management of these heirs, the factory continued to flourish.
By 1910, there was competition from other champagne producers in Hungary. Budafok
alone had 18 different producer operating, but the Törley plant still had the greatest market share in Hungary. The winery's output reached 2 million bottles and Törley had become one of the leading brands of sparkling wine in Europe.
After Word War I ended and the Trianon Peace Treaty
was signed, the level of champagne production by the Törley plant significantly decreased and touched bottom during the Great Depression
. In 1929-30, the annual production barely reached 200,000 bottles. In the 1930’s, the demand for sparkling wine
increased again and during the Second World War
production again reached 1 million bottles annually. During the wartime boom, the demand became far greater than the quantity which could be produced by the existing technology. Likewise, the war made it was difficult to estimate what demand would be in three years time – the gestation period of the Törley champagne. Despite the demand that the war had created, the hostilities quickly reversed the Törley plant’s fortune when a bomb destroyed the main building and the majority of the factory’s stocks in July 1944.
After World War II
ended, Communism
took control of Hungary
and the winery shrank to only four employees and the scope of the business was limited to selling what wine remained in stock. In 1949, the factory was nationalized and production resumed in 1951 with Törley becoming the only champagne factory in Hungary and operating under the supervision of the Unicum
Likõrgyár (the Unicum
Liqueur Factory). The constantly increasing demand and the export possibilities encouraged the factory to develop an annual capacity of 30 million bottles by the end of the 1980’s through continuous expansion and purchasing production lines of the latest technology. Today, the Törley factory produces some 12 to 14 million bottles each year and has close to a 50% domestic market share in Hungary. In the 21st century, Törley has developed a popular following in Asia
n countries.
The world’s first champagne order, the Chevaliers Torley was established at the Törley factory in 1987. Members are accepted into the order after an initiation procedure known by its French name “dégorgement.” Part of initiation requires members to remove sediment in the neck of a bottle according to a method devised by Törley himself.
Hungarian State Wine-cellars appropriated the champagne factory in 1955, predecessor of today’s Hungária, which took over Törley champagne factory from Unicum
. In 1987, Hungarovin became owner of Törley. Since 1992, Henkell & Söhnlein Hungaria Kft, a subsidiary of Henkell & Söhnlein Sektkellerei AG of Wiesbaden
, Germany
has owned and produced the Törley brand.
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
outside of the champagne region
Champagne (province)
The Champagne wine region is a historic province within the Champagne administrative province in the northeast of France. The area is best known for the production of the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name...
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the 19th century, production of champagne style sparkling wines became popular in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and rapidly spread across the continent. J.E. Hubert established the first Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
champagne factory in Pozsony
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, in 1825 and by 1876, Littke was producing champagne in Pécs
Pécs
Pécs is the fifth largest city of Hungary, located on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the south-west of the country, close to its border with Croatia. It is the administrative and economical centre of Baranya county...
. In 1882, a new champagne producing center emerged in Budafok
Budafok
Budafok is a neighbourhood in Budapest, Hungary. It is situated in the southwestern part of Buda, near the Danube, and belongs to District XXII. Budafok was an independent municipality before 1950...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
under the name of ‘József Törley
Törley
Törley is the leading sparkling wine producer in Hungary. It was founded by József Törley in 1882 in Budafok and over the course of history became one of the leading sparkling wine producers in Europe.- History :...
and Co.’
Biography
József Törley was born in CsantavérCantavir
Čantavir is the largest village with Hungarian ethnic majority in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated in the municipality of Subotica, North Bačka District. The population of the village is 7,178...
, Hungary, in the municipality of Szabadka
Subotica
Subotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
which is now in modern-day Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. While studying at the Academy of Trade in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Törley met Theophilus de Roederer, grandson of Louis de Roederer
Louis Roederer
Louis Roederer is a producer of champagne based in Reims, France. Founded in 1776, it was inherited and renamed by Louis Roederer in 1833, and is noted as the producer of the luxury champagne Cristal.-History:...
and son of Louis de Roederer II. Theophilus, heir to the Roederer winery, invited Törley to Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to learn the production of champagne. In the 1870s Törley apprenticed in Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
; at first for the Roederer
Louis Roederer
Louis Roederer is a producer of champagne based in Reims, France. Founded in 1776, it was inherited and renamed by Louis Roederer in 1833, and is noted as the producer of the luxury champagne Cristal.-History:...
plant and later for Delbeck
Delbeck
The Delbeck Champagne house was established in 1832 by Félix-Désiré Delbeck in Reims.-History:Delbeck was a Flemish banker who invested in vineyards, and the husband of baronne Balsamie Ponsardin who was a niece of the Veuve Clicquot. Delbeck champagne found favour with the court of Louis-Philippe...
and as a result, he became very knowledgeable about champagne production
Sparkling wine production
There are four main methods of sparkling wine production. The first is simple injection of carbon dioxide , the process used in soft drinks, but this produces big bubbles that dissipate quickly in the glass. The second is the Metodo Italiano – Charmat process, in which the wine undergoes a...
. In Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
, Törley set up his own champagne factory and began to bottle. He would buy base wine from local French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
producers and then proceed to turn the base wine into champagne.
Upon one of his base wine acquisition trips to Budafok
Budafok
Budafok is a neighbourhood in Budapest, Hungary. It is situated in the southwestern part of Buda, near the Danube, and belongs to District XXII. Budafok was an independent municipality before 1950...
, Hungary, Törley realized that the conditions there were perfect for the production of sparkling wine
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
. Törley determined that the soils of Budafok
Budafok
Budafok is a neighbourhood in Budapest, Hungary. It is situated in the southwestern part of Buda, near the Danube, and belongs to District XXII. Budafok was an independent municipality before 1950...
, more closely than anywhere else in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, resembled the chalky limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
soil extant in the Champagne region
Champagne (province)
The Champagne wine region is a historic province within the Champagne administrative province in the northeast of France. The area is best known for the production of the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
which was necessary for producing the characteristics in the base wine of champagne. In 1882, Törley moved his factory from Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
to Budafok
Budafok
Budafok is a neighbourhood in Budapest, Hungary. It is situated in the southwestern part of Buda, near the Danube, and belongs to District XXII. Budafok was an independent municipality before 1950...
and proceeded to replicate every aspect of the champagne production he had learned in France, including the methods used to grow grapes at his vineyards in Etyek
Etyek
Etyek is a village in Fejér county, Hungary, approximately 30km from Budapest. The area is surrounded by vineyards and is known for its wine-production...
, Hungary. Törley also had 45 miles worth of cellars carved out of Budafok’s limestone hills to ensure the uniform temperature required for maintaining the quality of the wine throughout production. Törley’s quarried limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
went into the construction of Hungary’s Parliament
Hungarian Parliament Building
The Hungarian Parliament Building is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, one of Europe's oldest legislative buildings, a notable landmark of Hungary and a popular tourist destination of Budapest. It lies in Lajos Kossuth Square, on the bank of the Danube, in Budapest...
which, upon completion in 1904, was the largest building on earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
Törley was apparently successful from the start. In 1882, after the first production of champagne in Hungary, he wrote, "With great diligence and persistence I succeeded in producing something far superior to the Champagne sparkling wines known so far." Törley continuously developed his winery and the production technology, and introduced refrigerative disgorging in Hungary.
In producing champagne, Törley did not work alone; rather he employed French experts who installed the winery as well as worked it throughout production, taking instructions from Törley himself as to the details of production. Louis François, who had come from Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
at Törley’s invitation, worked as Törley’s cellar master until he set up his own winery in Hungary with his brother César François in 1886, after Louis had a falling out with Törley.
In addition to having produced a high quality crémant (called pezsgő in Hungarian) and remaining innovative, Törley also had keen insight into the marketing of the beverage. With his great emphasis on marketing and advertising, by the turn of the 20th century, Törley’s plant was one of the most modern wine producing facilities in the world. By the time of the World Expo held in Budapest in 1896, the Törley cellars had been granted the title of "suppliers to the imperial and royal court" since Törley was supplying the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
s with his sparkling wine
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
. Törley himself was granted the title of nobility by Franz Joseph
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
, Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. On New Year’s Eve 1899 Törley commented, “They will also be welcoming in the next turn of the century with my champagne.”
By the beginning of the 20th century, Törley had expanded distribution throughout the world, and ironically, his sparkling wine
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
had become quite popular in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France. By 1905, production reached 1 million bottles. As the business grew, Törley built a huge mansion above the factory. The two buildings were linked by a secret tunnel allowing Törley, much like Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
had done, to make a sudden, unannounced appearance at any time in the factory. The progressive industrialist Törley was also the first to buy trucks in Hungary for the transportation of goods, and was the founding member of the Royal Hungarian Automobile Club.
In 1907 the winery celebrated its 25th anniversary and Törley’s sparkling wines were known from America to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The firm now had warehouses in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. Törley himself did not long outlive the 25th anniversary of the factory as in the summer of 1907, he died in Ostend
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Törley, a Roman Catholic, left instructions for his body to be buried in Budafok
Budafok
Budafok is a neighbourhood in Budapest, Hungary. It is situated in the southwestern part of Buda, near the Danube, and belongs to District XXII. Budafok was an independent municipality before 1950...
. As Törley had no children, the factory was inherited by his brothers and their sons. Under the management of these heirs, the factory continued to flourish.
By 1910, there was competition from other champagne producers in Hungary. Budafok
Budafok
Budafok is a neighbourhood in Budapest, Hungary. It is situated in the southwestern part of Buda, near the Danube, and belongs to District XXII. Budafok was an independent municipality before 1950...
alone had 18 different producer operating, but the Törley plant still had the greatest market share in Hungary. The winery's output reached 2 million bottles and Törley had become one of the leading brands of sparkling wine in Europe.
After Word War I ended and the Trianon Peace Treaty
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement signed in 1920, at the end of World War I, between the Allies of World War I and Hungary . The treaty greatly redefined and reduced Hungary's borders. From its borders before World War I, it lost 72% of its territory, which was reduced from to...
was signed, the level of champagne production by the Törley plant significantly decreased and touched bottom during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. In 1929-30, the annual production barely reached 200,000 bottles. In the 1930’s, the demand for sparkling wine
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
increased again and during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
production again reached 1 million bottles annually. During the wartime boom, the demand became far greater than the quantity which could be produced by the existing technology. Likewise, the war made it was difficult to estimate what demand would be in three years time – the gestation period of the Törley champagne. Despite the demand that the war had created, the hostilities quickly reversed the Törley plant’s fortune when a bomb destroyed the main building and the majority of the factory’s stocks in July 1944.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ended, Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
took control of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and the winery shrank to only four employees and the scope of the business was limited to selling what wine remained in stock. In 1949, the factory was nationalized and production resumed in 1951 with Törley becoming the only champagne factory in Hungary and operating under the supervision of the Unicum
Unicum
Unicum is a Hungarian herbal bitters, drunk as a digestif and apéritif.Unicum is an herbal digestif liqueur. The liqueur is today produced by Zwack according to a secret formula of more than forty herbs, and the drink is aged in oak casks...
Likõrgyár (the Unicum
Unicum
Unicum is a Hungarian herbal bitters, drunk as a digestif and apéritif.Unicum is an herbal digestif liqueur. The liqueur is today produced by Zwack according to a secret formula of more than forty herbs, and the drink is aged in oak casks...
Liqueur Factory). The constantly increasing demand and the export possibilities encouraged the factory to develop an annual capacity of 30 million bottles by the end of the 1980’s through continuous expansion and purchasing production lines of the latest technology. Today, the Törley factory produces some 12 to 14 million bottles each year and has close to a 50% domestic market share in Hungary. In the 21st century, Törley has developed a popular following in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n countries.
The world’s first champagne order, the Chevaliers Torley was established at the Törley factory in 1987. Members are accepted into the order after an initiation procedure known by its French name “dégorgement.” Part of initiation requires members to remove sediment in the neck of a bottle according to a method devised by Törley himself.
Hungarian State Wine-cellars appropriated the champagne factory in 1955, predecessor of today’s Hungária, which took over Törley champagne factory from Unicum
Unicum
Unicum is a Hungarian herbal bitters, drunk as a digestif and apéritif.Unicum is an herbal digestif liqueur. The liqueur is today produced by Zwack according to a secret formula of more than forty herbs, and the drink is aged in oak casks...
. In 1987, Hungarovin became owner of Törley. Since 1992, Henkell & Söhnlein Hungaria Kft, a subsidiary of Henkell & Söhnlein Sektkellerei AG of Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
has owned and produced the Törley brand.
External links
- Film in Hungary website - photos of the Törley factory.
- dsy.hu website – photos of the Törley mansion.
- torley.hu website - Törley corporate website.