Tóth Ferenc Winery and Eger Wine Festival

International Kadarka Day is held on 20 November, however, Tóth Ferenc Winery does not put up with just one day of the year for their beloved variety: they celebrate Kadarka every Friday! Plus, next weekend, on 9–11 July visitors can taste three Kadarka wines at their booth at Eger Wine Festival in the green heart of Eger.

Tóth Ferenc Winery is one of the most active Hungarian wine estates with summer picnics on the spectacular Síkhegy plateau, chocolate and wine pairings, wine hikes and many other activities. The tasting room awaits wine connoisseurs all year, and on top of that, their charming guest house at the foot of the famous Eger Castle offers cosy and unforgettable stay.

See more about Várvédőház guest house
Follow Tóth Ferenc Winery on Facebook or Instagram to see their upcoming events

Key facts about the jubilee Eger Wine Festival

– This year the 30th celebration of Eger wine will take place in Eger, in the beautiful Archbishop Garden, the green heart of Eger.
– The event is admission free, while food and wine samplings are to be paid at the exhibitors. Tasting glass is needed to be purchased.
– Live music, dance shows are provided on two stages and there will be other programs, like parades (for example tractor parade).
– Egri Bikavér wines have special importance at the event: all the exhibiting wineries collaborate with a restaurant, and they present a Bikavér pairing at their booth.
– Tóth Ferenc Winery will offer

Várvédő Egri Bikavér Grand Superior 2022 (Síkhegy vineyard)
with pork cheek, home made pickles and flatbread.

– Tóth Ferenc Winery will offer three summer whites:

Egri Csillag 2025
Egri Csillag Superior 2024
Édes Lányom 2024

– As written earlier, Tóth Ferenc Winery will offer three Kadarka wines:

Kadarka Siller 2025
Egri Kadarka 2024
Egri Kadarka Superior 2023

See more about Eger Wine Festival
Did you know that Eger is the most visited city of Hungary after Budapest? Find the top sights of Eger here.

Have you not heard of Egri Csillag wine? Well, it is the “Star of Eger”!

Read more

The Star of Eger – the wine and the visioner

Why is Síkhegy so special?

Dreamlike event spot in Eger wine region

Guest house by the feet of Eger Castle

You can be the lord by the castle!

 

Cheers to the passionate winemakers of Kadarka / Gamza / Cadarcă! Hopefully you can find a Kadarka wine near your home, just like Elizabeth Smith US (photo below) wine writer did: she stocked her Kadarka choice weeks ago. She bought her Kadarka for Compline, a wine shop and wine bar in Napa Valley. If Compline had not been so keen on introducing Hungarian wines to the Californian wine enthusisasts, she would not have entered the Hungarian WebWineWriting contest – at which she actually won one of the 4 categories.

Compline team about the Kadarka in the photo above: “Heimann Porkoláb-völgy Kadarka 2020 – you don’t need to even try to pronounce, but you should know that Hungarian Kadarka is one of our ABSOLUTE FAVORITEwines at Compline, and this is the producer who shepherded the historic grape through the dark times of communism and back into the light.” The importer when Compline gets Hungarian wines is Danch and Granger Selections. As they say, “Our focus will be centered on (but not limited to) Hungary and its immediate neighbors: Slovakia, Serbia, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Romania. We will dig deeper into fewer relationships while at the same time opening up new appellations to the US market and putting an emphasis on organic farming, native grapes, and low intervention winemaking.”

More info about Heimann Porkoláb-völgy Kadarka 2020

More info about Kadarka / Gamza / Cadarcă grape variety

More info about Kadarka Day, wines, producers

 

Wine of the Weekend – especially with “pogácsa”

Kadarka is an indigenous grape variety in Hungary (and in some other countries). It gives light coloured, easy drinking, fruity and spicy red wine. Frittmann family winery in Kunság makes a true Kadarka with all its typical characteristics: “The light garnet red colour is typical to the Kadarka grape variety. In the nose, it evokes cherry, sour cherry and spices. The fresh and medium acidity contributes to the loose and dynamic feeling of the sip. Alcohol content is low, tannic acid level is slightly moderate. Spicy aromas on the palate, together with red berries in the background. A vigorouswine, which can be matched in many ways to such typical Hungarian meals like different stews, paprika or lecsó.” The wine fermented in tank and aged in large wooden barrels for 5 months. At the 2021 issue of Decanter World Wine Award it received bronze medal.
It is also worth trying with “pogácsa” (in the cover photo above), a traditional Hungarian salty cake, a typical wine bite.It is easy to make, this my favourite recipe from my mother.

St Martin Day dinner, 12 November

Taste Frittmann Kadarka and all the new vintage wines of Frittmann Winery on 12 November at their St Martin Day dinner. The winery is situated in Soltvartkert, a small town about 90 minutes’ drive from Budapest. The estate has a comfortable guest house accommodating 12 people. St Martin Day dinner will feature traditional courses made of goose and certainly each plate will have its own wine pairing.

Date and time: 18.00–22.00, 12 November
Venue: Frittmann Winery, Soltvadkert. Eötvös u. 6., Hungary
Price: 15 000 HUF / person
Booking: borhaz@soltvadkert

Celebrate International Kadarka Day on 20 November, wherever you are.

More information about Kadarka on the website of Kadarka Day

Frittmann wines are available in several countries, for example in the United Kingdom (Malux, Best of Hungary). If you cannot find Frittmann wines near you, order them from Winelovers Webshop, they ship to every European country.

20 November – the 1st International Kadarka Day

9 wineries joint forces to initiate the very first Kadarka campaign. While in 2008 there were nearly 600 hectares under Kadarka vines in Hungary, in 2021 there are only 273 hectares (according to the official statistics of the National Council of Winemakers, aka HNT).

The recent initiative has double objectives: to spread the world about the variety for as many winelovers as possible and also to create a bilingual (Hungarian and English) “Knowledge Hub”, which is updated continuously – even after 20 November.

Participating wineries in 2021

– Eszterbauer Winery (Szekszárd)
– Hagymási Winery (Eger)
– Heimann Family Estate (Szekszárd)
– Koch Winery (Hajós–Baja)
– Lajver Wine Estate (Szekszárd)
– Németh János Winery (Szekszárd)
– Sebestyén Szekszárd (Szekszárd)
– Tóth Ferenc Winery (Szekszárd)
– Tüske Cellar (Szekszárd)

On the website we can find Kadarka wines from the above mentioned wineries along with webshops with international shipment and importers.

Kadarka For Us

On the website of Kadarka Day readers can find the opinion of renowned wine experts, for example Tamlyn Currin, wine writer of JancisRobinson.com:

“Kadarka, to me, has the transparency of a child, the soul of a poet, the strength of a survivor, the beauty of hands worn by work and love, the quietness of dawn, the wildness of craggy rocks, the earth-rootedness of tree trunks and the sweetness of lark song. It’s a grape of contrast and contradiction: simple-complex, sad-happy, bright-shadowed. It’s one of the most underestimated grape varieties in the world!”

More opinions

10 things to know about Kadarka

1. It is not diluted!

If you order a glass of Kadarka, you might be surprised at the colour: Kadarka wines are not as dark as for example Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Kadarka wines have vivid, pale ruby colour, since the skin of Kadarka berries contain less colour. In this respect Kadarka is similar to the famous Burgundian grape, Pinot Noir.

2. Spicy and lovely

So what is Kadarka like? The colour is light ruby, the nose is spicy, rich, fruity. On the palate it is a delicate, fruit driven wine with medium body, refreshing acidity and low tannins.

3. Drink it young? Misbelief!

Kadarka is said to be an everyday wine and it is considered to be consumed young, within one or two years. However, due to the careful selection of the best clones (variants of the variety), some winemakers can create more complex, more serious Kadarka wines with ageing potential. Quality can also be increased by keeping yield low – they leave less bunches on the vine, thus the remaining bunches tend to be more concentrated and richer in flavour.

4. Partner of paprika

Fűszeressége miatt a kadarka remekül illik a paprikás ételekhez, mint a halászlé vagy a csirkepörkölt. Könnyebb teste és alacsonyabb tannintartalma miatt vadételekhez, marhahúsokhoz ne adjuk, azok ugyanis elnyomnák a bort. A kadarka kiváló még magában vagy egyszerű borkorcsolyákkal is, hosszú baráti beszélgetések kísérőjeként.

5. Plays well in the “orchestra”

Kadarka can give exciting varietal wines, but it works well in blends as well. Have you never tasted Kadarka? Well, if you have tried ‘Bikavér’ (aka Bulls’ Blood), well, it is most likely that you have drunk Kadarka. Both in Eger and Szekszárd, in the two wine regions of Bikavér it is obligatory to include at least 5% Kadarka in the blend.

6. Less and less and less…

According to some written evidences long ago 70% of Hungarian vineyards were planted with Kadarka. Nowadays we grow more white grapes than black, and some international varieties gained importance like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2008 there were only 600 hectares under Kadarka, and by now (in 2021) we have even less, only 273 hectares altogether.

7. Save it from extinction!

Thank God most winemakers have realized – here and all over the world – that local grapes are grown on purpose. Indigenous (native) grapes adapt the soil, the climate and even our drinking habits in the best way. It is not by accident that our ancestors grew Kadarka in great quantity. It is worth rediscovering Kadarka and “going back to the roots”. It is time that you, winelovers should discover this exciting, amazing variety. Taste it, buy it and help us increase Kadarka vineyards again!

8. A primadonna with problems

So why did so many grapegrowers abandon Kadarka? Because it is a very sensitive grape and it needs extra care, infinite attention. Spring frost can destroy the entire crop, or if it survives, then autumn rainfall can cause damage.

9. Kunság, Szekszárd, Eger

Hungary has 22 wine regions, and 10 of them does not have visible amount of Kadarka (less than 0.1 hectare). We can find the most Kadarka vineyards in Kunság wine region (86,2 hectares), then in Szekszárd (75,4), followed by Eger (33). We can also mention Hajós–Baja (24,8), Villány (21) and Csongrád (11,9). In Balatonboglár, Bükk wine region, Etyek–Buda, Mátra, Pécs and Tolna there are less than 10 hectares.

10. Attack of the Clones?

The sensitivity of Kadarka did not discourage all winemakers. Some of them decided to work together with researchers and they managed to select the best and most resistant clones with the best characteristics. There is nothing like “manipulation of genes” here, the Kadarka clones are absolutely natural, what happened was just a long procedure of monitoring many different variants of the Kadarka grape to select the best ones. Like finding the “thoroughbred” horses to win the race.

Wine of the Weekend

Kadarka, the wine of an indigenous black grape used to give only easy to drink, light bodied, everyday wine, suitable for simple local meals. Things have changed: some winemakers have realized, that in outstanding vineyards, with extra attention, Kadarka has the potential to give complex, exciting wines. Kadarka Man has proved it again: Heimann & Sons Premium Kadarka 2019 from Porkoláb-völgy is far from being an everyday wine.

Kadarka Man

It is not a joke. If you try to find Zoltán Heimann Jr on Facebook, you will find him under the nickname Kadarka Man. With reason. After graduating from Geisenheim University, Germany, and completing his training in Montpellier and Udine, he joined the family estate full time, however, he has his own range within Heimann Family Estate, the so called Heimann & Sons, with only Kékfrankos and Kadarka wines. “With his brand new collection of wines, Zoltán Heimann Jr gets right down to the autochtonous expression of his homeland in the southern Hungarian town of Szekszárd. He has vinified sophisticated and expressive wines of origin from the most exciting vineyards, where delicate Kadarka and spicy Kékfrankos provide him with best material. The artistic label shows the path that Heimann & Fiai will thread: via the best wine bars from San Francisco to Kopenhagen.”
Indeed, Heimann & Sons wines are available in some of the best wine bars of the world thanks to their importers: USA: Danch&Granger Selections (California), Knit Wines (New York), Canada: Rezin (Quebec), Germany: K&U Weinhalle (Nürnberg), Naturgenuss GmbH, Weinhandlung Suff (Berlin) BorStore.de, Weingenuss aus Ungarn (online), Denmark: Løgismose, The Netherlands: Anfors-Imperial, Belgium: Roi de Rois, Russia: Lion Wine, Poland: NaWino

Soon to be sold out

Bortársaság, the Hungarian distributor of Heimann wines (cover photo is from Bortársaság) reported at the end of August, that thank to its popularity, only a few hundred bottles were left of Heimann Porkoláb-völgyi Kadarka 2019. The prestigious German Falstaff magazine praised the wine as well and gave it 92 scores: “Bright chimney red. Fine fruity scent of griottes. In addition, a hint of caramel and floral tones. In the mouth with supple fullness on the one hand, almost creamy, but on the other hand also with elegant lightness and a lot of juice. Harmonious acidity. In addition, an immensely fine tannin. Very original, delicately mineral playing wine. Falstaff Top Value”

The British Decanter magazine gave the wine almost the same score (p1) in its Hungarian supplement: “This wine has a very pale delicate ruby colour, but there is great fruit intensity on the nose. Bursting with sweet red berry fruits, almost like sugar-coated cherry and cranberry with over-ripe raspberry. The fruit aromas are uplifted by a fresh floral character, while there is a silky texture with focused acidity carrying the flavours through to the finish.”

On 20 November the first International Kadarka Day is celebrated. It is time to stock some Kadarka!

More about Heimann Family Estate and Heimann & Sons