Attila Petzold has come a long way from his original profession to become perhaps Hungary’s most knowledgeable pálinka expert. After qualifying as a baking technician—in other words, a baker—he continued his studies at the University of Food Industry. He then realised that baking was not quite his calling. He stayed at university, but while specialising in fermentation technology, his attention turned towards drinks, and he wrote his dissertation on wine. In 2008, he stumbled into the pálinka business almost by chance through a magazine he edited. Today, he oversees commercial activities at Brill Pálinkaház. He began teaching courses on spirits independently before joining the teaching team at Winelovers Wine College.
He started working at the House of Hungarian Wines while still in his final year at university. “That’s where I learned to taste, and where I learned to present wines and other drinks in a way that people without specialist knowledge could understand. To this day, I consider that one of my greatest strengths as an educator,” says Attila. After six years at the House of Hungarian Wines, he spent a brief period making wine in Budafok and took on various wine consultancy assignments. He continues this consultancy work today, primarily helping to assess wine quality and identify faults.
It is little wonder that, for Attila, teaching was only a matter of time. “A few years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a sherry educator training course in Spain. Afterwards, I felt I had gained something worth passing on to others. I only teach subjects I know thoroughly—subjects where I can answer almost any question that comes up in my classes.”