Although not a Carpathian Basin variety in terms of origin, it has now become so important in Hungary that we can say it's our other black Hungarian variety alongside Kékfrankos. It was probably brought to the country by Serbs fleeing from the Ottomans. It is strongly associated with the settlement of Shkodra in present-day Albania; although the variety's exact origin is unknown, it is most likely a Balkan variety. It has many synonyms, such as Törökszőlő and Fekete Budai, Skadarka in Serbia and Gamza in Bulgaria.
Kadarka has become a real national treasure and many producers have stood by it, devoting time and energy to shaping the variety's identity. Old documents mention it as the most common variety in the 19th century.
Nowadays, Kadarka is grown on almost 1,000 hectares around the world, with 325 of those in Hungary. It is most common in the Szekszárd wine district in terms of proportion, while the greatest quantity is to be found in the Kunság wine district. Outside Hungary, it is also cultivated in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania and Romania (Minis wine region). In the Danube region, it is made into ethereal fresh, fruity red wines with red berry aromas, discrete spiciness, restrained tannins and light body. Its pale colour also makes it popular for rosé wines. In Szekszárd, it makes monovarietal wines and is a mandatory ingredient in the Bikavér blends.
It's often compared to Pinot Noir, which is mainly due to its lack of anthocyanins. It is characterised by medium ruby-purple colour, red berry fruit cherry, fresh spices, paprika and gingerbread with appealing herbal and delicate floral notes. It is light to medium in body with restrained tannins and bright acidity. It is a difficult variety, but is really worth taking the trouble to work with. We can now proudly say that it is a local variety that has found its home in the Carpathian Basin and can be used to make unique, lovely wines that have their own particular style.