Tonkovic Winery revives Kadarka – Indigenous sands-grown grape to get white variety this year

In mid-19th century, on the sands of the Pannonian Plain, a black grape variety used to grow, indigenous to this area. It is not known for sure whether it originates in the Lake Skadar area of Hungary, but it is certain that it all but disappeared following World War II.

However, thanks to the vision of the Tonkovic family, the indigenous variety from Backa is back where it belongs. The variety, called Kadarka, was revived by this winery at the Subotica-Horgos Sands in 2006.

– The very idea of having only one variety, whatever it is, in the entire vineyard is a serious risk. Having analyzed the soil and the variety before planting it, we realized we were taking an enormous risk. As time is going by, we are growing more confident that we made the right decision – says Mladen Ciric of the Tonkovic Winery.

Kadarka yields 700 grams per vinestock

Kadarka is the sort of grape that breaks easily, facilitating the spreading of diseases. On average, it yields 700 grams per vinestock, which, Ciric believes, is really very little. The grapes are also bunched together, making it more difficult to detect potential diseases.

– However, from the very beginning, we saw this project as a great challenge – being totally different, planting only one indigenous variety, which practically no one bothers with anymore here. At the time we were starting out, there very really very few wineries in Serbia – Ciric remembers.

Today they have a 10-ha vineyard, nine fully covered and one where vine is yet to be planted.

The winery's current annual production is around 30,000 bottles.

– The plan is to go for 50,000 bottles a year and that's the limit. I believe that these are optimal quantities of wine for us, in terms of being able to meet the high quality criteria – eKapija's interviewee points out.

Wines from the sand

The Subotica-Horgos Sands are located along the Hungarian border. It is the far south section of a large sandy area stretching between the Danube, the Tisa, Budapest and north Backa.

The winery itself is dug into the sand dune next to the vineyard and the village of Backi Vinogradi.

We asked Mladen Ciric what the advantages of the wine from the sand are.

– For example, two years ago, there was a night in February when the temperature dropped to 26 degrees Celsius below zero. The wineries in this area suffered great damage due to the frost, whereas our output remained unchanged. We also protect the vine with sand – he clarified.



The Tonkovic winery's labels are Fantazija, Rapsodija and Rose, and in addition to these standard three wines, they also have a sparkling wine and a dessert wine, both made from Kadarka.

– I would recommend Fantazija to everybody, as this is the sort of wine that a great majority of people can like. It is lighter and can be consumed without food, perhaps slightly chilled. It matches food easily and is an all-around user-friendly wine – Ciric says.

He adds that Rapsodija is a premium variety of Kadarka. It is first rested for a year and a half in a new barrique barrel, and then for three years in the bottle and it is only then put on the market.

– I'd recommend this wine to people who love slightly stronger wines. Rapsodija is still pretty light, as all Kadarka wines are, but the wood and the best quality grapes make it fuller, higher in tannins and with a longer aftertaste – he explains.

When it comes to Rose, he notes that the 2019 vintage is the best so far.

– I can freely recommend this to everyone. Strawberry aromas dominate the scent, and the flavor features elements of red fruits. It has a salmon color and a moderate alcohol content. We believe it will be a true summer hit.

The Tonkovic Winery is preparing something special and new this year – a white Kadarka.

– White wine from black grapes, or blanc de noirs. Our idea is to have all wine varieties from our indigenous grape, which would be unique in the world. This year, we did a test run of 1,000 bottles to see how it turns out, and next year we expect to increase the quantity and put the wine on the market – Mladen Ciric reveals.

Wine tourism

Whenever wine is mentioned, the conversation inevitably steers toward wine tourism these days. The entire wine scene in Serbia is being brought up to another level, increasing the need for attracting tourists this way.

– We believe that we've come to the stage where we have really good wines, but wine tourism is still in the early stages. We are glad that there are more and more foreigners coming to the country and they also like to visit the wineries – Ciric says.

He adds that, at their their winery, the ratio of local and foreign guests is half-and-half.

– We offer two options in the tourist segment. The first is the tasting of three wines, along with some traditional appetizers from Vojvodina, and the other is the tasting of four to five wines with a traditional goulash or porkolt. The capacity of the large wine tasting room is 30 seats, whereas the small one has five – Ciric says.

Aleksandra Kekic

MR vinogradi doo Palić

Tonković Winery

Mladen Ćirić

Kadarka

Lake Skadar

Danube

Tisa

Budapest

Bački Vinogradi

indigenous grape varieties

Subotica Horgos Sands

growing Kadarka

Kadarka yield

wines from the sand

Fantazija

Rapsodija

Rose

Kadarka sparkling wine

Kadarke dessert wine

white Kadarka

blanc de noirs

white wine from black grapes

wine tourism

wine tasting

wine tasting room