Fata Wine Bar – a new place in Badacsony

Balatoni Kör (Balaton Circle) is an association of winemakers and restaurateurs to promote Balaton region as a valuable resort with attractions and quality hospitality all year long. The largest lake of Central Europe used to be the favourite meeting place of citizens from communist East Germany and their relatives from West Germany, and of course the light blue lake was the holiday destination of every Hungarian family. Some of the restaurant owners still concentrate on the summer season only, as a consequence they do not provide quality products, they do not want to keep their guests to become regular visitors, they only want to earn money until the summer ends. Balatoni Kör fights this attitude and show examples to follow. Fata Wine Bar is another initiative to offer more to the lovers of Balaton.

Shelter for gourmet wanderers

Fata Winery is situated in Badacsonytomaj, on volcanic mountain of Badacsony. They make decent wines of indigenous and international varieties, their Kéknyelű is really pleasant. But the reason to mention them is their excellent hospitality that we have experienced ourselves recently (we did not announce ourselves as winewriters, we simply went there like average visitors, this article is not a promotion).

The family owning the winery has run a restaurant for a while – in fact since 1927! – called Borbarátok (Wine friends), they also have some roomsto stay, and now they have just opened an open air wine bar. The official opening took place in August – perhaps to demonstrate their intention to be an all year long shelter for gourmet wanderers. And indeed they are, we can tell you. It was pouring with rain on an early September Saturday, we did not want to drive long, so we first stopped in a restaurant near Szigliget, which is closer to our base. The restaurant was open, but the waiters sent us away: the kitchen stopped for today, they said. At 8 pm! Thanks God we heard about the opening of Fata Wine Bar, thus we headed for Badacsonytomaj. The wine bar was not open – because it is open air and it was raining like hell –, but the restaurant was. The modern, cosy room was full of young people, all of them seemed to pay attention to the wines, it was obvious that they deliberately chose a wine themed restaurant. Our food was superb, delicious bistro food, our waitress was naturally kind and attentive, the prices were reasonable. We will definitely go back on a nice, sunny autumn day to enjoy the terrace of the wine bar as well.

Youthful concept

The wine bar – to be precise wine and sparkling wine bar – is the love project of the new generation of the family, István and Gergely Nagy. Accordingly they serve quality coffee and beers, natural fruit drinks, and of course some pálinka – the Hungarian natural distilled fruit spirit. Beside their own wines, they offer wines of their mates from Balaton, for example Kreinbacher Prestige Brut (from Somló), Syrah from Pállfy Cellar (Balaton Uplands), Bella Sunrise Rhine Riesling from Villa Sandahl (Badacsony) or Garamvári Brut Nature 2015 from South Balaton. This méthod traditionelle sparkling wine was awarded champion award at the latest edition at VinAgora international wine contest. The fruit for this wine was outstanding, so is the result. The blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir has wonderful, tiny bubbles. The nose is matured, fruity and spicy, the aftertaste shows a hint of almond.

Most of the wines are available by the glass as well. We warmly recommend Fata Wine Bar and Borbarátok restaurant – a lovely place to enjoy the beauties of volcanic Badacsony.

Fata Wine Bar and Borbarátok restaurant

Address: Badacsonytomaj, Római út 88.
E-mail: info@borbaratok.hu
Tel.: +36 30 467 3089