From the foundation to Törley Holding
Joseph Törley had its business registered at the Budapest Court of Registration on 1 August, 1882 under the name of “Törley József és Társa” /Joseph Törley and Co./. Thus, the history of Törley sparkling wines goes back to nearly a century and a half.
Openly for the novelties, Törley has continuously developed its factory and the technology of sparkling wine manufacturing – for example, he was the first one in Hungary who introduced the disgorging process. Thanks to this, his plant had become the most modern sparkling wine factory of the country by the turn of the century. Over the next few decades, the reputation and flavor of Törley has become known from America to Australia, and the factory had deposited stocks in Hamburg, Berlin and Copenhagen. And the greatest recognition was that at that time, Törley sparkling wine was drunken also in Paris.
After the death of the founder, the factory continued to flourish also under the direction of the heirs, and by 1910, it had reached the production level of two million bottles a year. Following the peace treaty in Trianon, the turnover declined significantly, reaching its lowest point during the Great Depression. In the 1930’s, the demand for sparkling wine grew again, but the success was eventually broken by the Second World War, followed by a period full of difficulties and then a rebirth.
After the war, until the nationalization of 1950, the plant had been trying to survive, employing only four people. Production started again in 1951, and Törley became the only sparkling wine factory of the country under the supervision of Unicum Liqueur Factory.
The history of Törley can be regarded as truly eventful also from the aspect of the structure of the company. The company fused first in 1960 with Hungaria, then in 1973 with Hungarovin. The company was further expanded by the fact that in 1982, Hungarovin restarted the operation of François winery, in 1986 it acquired the György-Villa building, and in 1995 it acquired 99% ownership in BB. Including the Törley brand, between 1997 and 2004, these brands belonged to the Henkell & Söhnlein Hungary Group.
Törley Holding was established in 2005, and thereafter, it merged with Szent István Korona, which was created by the transformation of Hungarovin and György-Villa, acquiring first Walton in 2010 then François winery in 2013. Finally, in 2014 Hungaria also merged with Törley, which is still holding its market leading position in Hungary.