Zsolt Sütő, Strekov 1075: In Search of a Higher Principle

Zsolti (Strekov1075 website) represents a key figure in our Central European region. A Slovak-Hungarian character that has shaped many people, including me. His sincerity and humanity are fully reflected in his bottles; no wonder we often look up to him and seek his advice.

He always sees another dimension than others do, but he doesn't force his opinions on anyone, rather subtly inspires, which makes him a good leader in my eyes. That's why it's always such a pleasure to talk to him—whether on stage in Tábor at the recent Sold Out Talks conference during the Bottled Alive festival, or just the two of us, as part of our series of wine interviews here. (But the best thing is to drink wine with him: an one-of-a-kind experience that will make you realise how much he loves it.)

Words by Milan Nestarec / Photos courtesy of Strekov1075 and Lucie Kohoutová

How are you? Is it still true in 2026 that people in agriculture have less work and more time for themselves in winter, or does everything blend together nowadays and we have the same amount of work all year round?

I did have a little more time to read and reflect on how life around me is changing. I wondered whether I should just accept it or put my energy into consciously trying to influence my surroundings according to my views. I came to the conclusion that all the challenges of our time relate to whether we as a community can work together. The era of individualism and self-improvement has given rise to a society separated into bubbles. I see these all around me, and there is no consensus even on basic life issues. I asked myself whether I had enough credibility to try to bridge and connect. We are already pruning, and for me, this is the most beautiful time of year, which also gives me space for meditation and time to listen to podcasts.

You're dealing with a pretty serious problem of the flavescence dorée [literally "golden yellowing", aka phytoplasma] and you've had to uproot some vineyards. What's the origin of this problem and what should we be preparing for in our more northern areas? It's clear that it's going to spread.

The phytoplasma problem has also deeply influenced my thinking. I have come to the conclusion that the most serious problem in solving it is the community. Technically, we know what to do and how to face the problem. The key words are: everyone, together and united. And again, a community with common principles. Without communication, without networking, and without a sense of belonging, it will not work.

I have long considered your point of view to be one of the most interesting in our Central European region. That is why I will ask you about serious topics, one of them is climate change. Much has already been said about it, but I am interested in your view on the matter, for example, whether you feel that something is being overlooked in this discussion.

After phytoplasma, or even alongside it, this is another challenge, and not just for us winemakers. It seems that we cannot reverse climate change, but we can slow it down through our activities, creating oases where we can mitigate local impacts through small interventions in the microclimate. The more such oases are created, the greater the global impact will be. The key will be water retention. I am looking for solutions in permaculture. I accept all changes, both good and bad, because they signal to me that I am alive.

I assume that, as a consequence, you will have to plant new vineyards, at least to replace those you have cleared. How will you approach planting today? What variables will you take into account today, and what will be different from planting 20 years ago?

I am considering planting in only one location, where I can influence the life of the vineyard as a whole. It is necessary to forget about intensive cultivation. I will strive to create an oasis where the vine will be part of this garden with minimal exploitation for the purpose of harvesting. I am less and less interested in the variety in terms of its flavor profile, but I am interested in the plant's immune system, a healthy plant. I am interested in life.

One of the things you're known for are your stake-trained vineyards[ie. no wire trellising, just a supporting stake for each vine, editor's note]. I admire you for that, I never dared to do it myself. How would you sum up your nearly two decades of experience with this demanding method?

I took to plant a stake vineyard by romanticism. Only later did I realize what it all entails, what is different, what are the advantages and disadvantages. I was intrigued by the research work at the Badacsony Research Institute, where for 15 years they compared musts from the same location with stake, low, and high training systems. The stake vineyard produced the most balanced sugar-acid ratios every year, meaning that the stake vineyard best compensated for the vintage weather fluctuations. In 2008, I started with 0.5 hectares of Welschriesling, and in 2010-2012 I planted 4 more hectares, specifically Blauer Portugieser, St. Laurent, Grüner Veltliner, Welschriesling, Pinot Noir, and Aurelius.

I have more problems with downy mildew, less with powdery mildew. Manual work is enormously more difficult, so I devoted a lot of time to technical solutions – pruning with long-handled electric shears, mechanization and a new method of tying roots, drone spraying, etc. I struggled with problems, but I also enjoyed solving them. There is a problem with so-called greening, because there is a problem with the undergrowth. We face further challenges, because this method of management was not a technical issue in the past.

The advantages of this method are that it automatically leads to the Simonit&Sirch pruning method. The vine is less vegetative and more generative, retains more water, has more intense microbial life, and there are no wires, whose presence electrically and electromagnetically affects the energy balance in the vineyard. The best thing about it is that I feel alive. I don't know anything in upfront, I orientate myself more on the basis of feelings and look for what Béla Hamvas would call "raised horizons." [Bela Hamvas was a Hungarian philosopher, banned during communism, now considered one of the most important figures of 20th-century Hungarian thought. His essay The Philosophy of Wine (1945) is a cult text that elevates wine drinking to a spiritual practice. Ed. note]

You are often associated with drones and the application of biodynamic preparations using them – how satisfied are you with the results so far?

I am not a very scientific type, I cannot empirically prove what I claim, but I can honestly say that it works. Future vine protection will consist of increasing plant resistance. I don't know how to effectively use drones for contact preparations, which must achieve the greatest possible leaf coverage and reach the clusters. But we will be able to obtain information via elicitors using drones in all weather conditions and without compacting the soil. After all, I have been using drones for protection for three years on a 5-hectare stake vineyard, and the results are more than promising.

I like that you are able to connect two relatively separate worlds, ultra-natural on the one hand and the use of modern technology on the other. Do you have any other examples of these modern aids? Or, conversely, fuck-ups where there was good faith at the beginning, but it didn't work in practice?

I don't believe in blindly repeating old practices and so-called marketing cultivation of vineyards, e.g., with horses. I believe that we must "return" to the past and, with our new knowledge, understand and utilize it. Kassai Lajos, founder of traditional horseback archery, said that we should not continue the practices of our ancestors, but follow their goals.

You are a vocal advocate of natural wine without compromise, which has got you to where you are today. Do you, however, look at everything the same way today as you did 10 or 15 years ago? I assume the basic idea is still the same—add nothing, take nothing away. But has your philosophy changed at all over the years thanks to your experience?

My philosophy is the same, but over time I have come to understand more and more how to put this philosophy into practice. For example, 15 years ago, I didn't realize that sulfur is such a process blocker that it recodes all the processes in wine, derails the terroir, "zips" the wine, and we never get to know what the real expression of the soil itself is in the wine. I did not sufficiently realize the importance of soil care, that wine is directly dependent on mycorrhiza, i.e., the interaction between microbial life and plants, and that the character of wine is a direct result of their cooperation.

Personally, I feel that the presentation of natural winemakers based on differentiation has not been entirely correct for some time now. A certain militancy made sense at the time, but today this is no longer the case. The fact that wine is natural does not automatically make it better—quality is always a combination of several aspects. How do you see this?

I completely agree with you. Our value system is not militant, so let's act accordingly. The fact that others don't understand our views does not justify us not understanding others, especially since we are also the others. I don't like public vertical polarization, bad, good, better. I evaluate things through my own mirror of values and don't expect anyone to agree with me. I like to see when someone refines their value system to form their own opinion.

Do you think that organic farming and a more sustainable approach in general is something that is strong enough to propagate "from the bottom up," from the growers themselves, or is some kind of top-down mandate needed? For example, some kind of regulation, possibly supported by financial subsidies, as is customary in the EU? After all, even the latter option ultimately benefits nature. What is your stance on the spread of non-invasive agriculture?

I think a lot about complex networks, network theory, and big data. Nature is the most complex network we know, and there is no manual for it. I can only approach it intuitively, as I do with this question. I think we have already hit a wall, and there is no point in continuing with the invasive practices we have used so far. I do not believe in top-down orders or general subsidies. Ideally, the world should function without manipulation and subsidies.

When we think about subsidies, I would turn the system around. I would give everyone the same subsidy per hectare so that the land is cultivated, but those who pollute it would have to return the subsidy.

It's very hard to prove that I don't use something. It's easier to check whether something has been used.

I heard the other day that in the future, fashion will be far more important and influential for wine than climate change. What do you think about trends? Do you feel that the style of your wines is changing because consumers are changing, or is it your own taste that is evolving?

I compare fashion to the mood in a beehive—I have no idea what mood humanity will be in in the future, so it doesn't affect me. I notice trends, I let them influence me, but honestly, I focus on how I am changing. I look for a correlation point where I can make a living, protect nature, not make overpriced wines, and make wines that I like. I used to enjoy more extreme wines, but as I get older, I increasingly prefer calm wines with high energy. I'm not talking about E per 100 ml now.

What do you think is important for building our region's reputation in the future? In my opinion, this is something that we winemakers should work on much more together, collectively.

I think we need very simple support from "state marketing." The winemakers who have a real tendency and, above all, a willingness to go international should have their expenses for participating in festivals partially covered. For example, a winery with a production of 30,000 bottles could apply for a maximum of €15,000 based on its plan for a specific year and have, for example, 50% of its expenses covered. Companies producing up to 100,000 bottles have a real chance of succeeding internationally, and I am only considering natural wines here.

This requires a very simple aid scheme, simple evaluation, and a winemaker's annual budget. I believe that without successfully established companies, we have no chance of showcasing the region. We need to plant flags on the map, because that's the only way to make the region visible.

Take for instance what Phil Sareil from Jenny&Francois [importer of both Nestarec and Strekov1075 in the USA, ed. note] said in the recent panel discussion at Bottled Alive – that consumers ask lesser-known winemakers how far they are from Nestarec. [Laughter] Fellow winemakers behave spontaneously this way anyway and would organize themselves based on similar values. Forcing connections from above is a misunderstanding of how the natural scene is developing.

Last question: What has surprised you, opened your eyes, pleased you, or made you pause for a moment lately?

I have always known how important community and cooperation are, having good people around you, attracting each other, gravitating toward each other. In all areas of life, I feel the same problem, namely that we have become too solitary. We have focused only on our own values, our own happiness, which without our surroundings, i.e., without cooperation and without witnesses to our existence, becomes invalid. Nature is a vivid example of cooperation between individuals. Humans, thinking that they have the right to do so as one of nature's participants, have taken dictatorial control of processes.

I am thinking mainly of the evolution of plants, where, through breeding and cultivation, we have stopped the natural development of plant populations. Thanks to monocultures, we have achieved efficiency and prosperous agriculture, and we profit from it, but only financially and not in the long term. I am looking for a different model, a true balance.

To what extent can grapes be grown without monoculture, and what is, actually, the real long-term profit? Money is certainly not a priority, but it cannot be ruled out because it is one of the levers. I am looking for a higher principle and other practices on the basis of which we can live and let live.

Read more of our interviews and musings