Szarkaláb Bistro: a multi-legged success in Mád

Borbarát Vendégház (Wine-Friendly Guesthouse) was opened in 2005 in Mád. Dénes worked at an important local restaurant then, and his parents had been making some of their own wine for years. If there already was a guest house, wine-press, grapes, the Szarka Cellar was also launched quite slowly: with a lower vine-stock load, paying attention to details in viticulture in the spirit of quality, basically selling to the guests. After the wine technologist training, the lots of 2009 already got into the flow of trade. József Szentesi became the first trader. The 0.3 hectare has become 2.5, with 9,000 bottles a year, which is sold in the top gastronomy, exports and now in the private bistro of Mád.

Grapes have been grown organically since 2015: “No chemicals, herbicides or absorbent materials.Only orange oil, sulphur, copper, tea extract from nettle, cinnamon, lemon.” Naturalness and sustainability have been present for six years, which is Dénes strives for with every wine, besides high precision. Barrels and tanks are also play a great part, the barrel is not left out from almost any wine. “If everything is in good state with the raw ingredients, then the natural yeasts ferment, which I inoculate from a well-fermented ‘mother barrel’.” So in wine no artificial additives disfigure the meeting of the region and the vintner. They strive for a similar organic world in Magyar street, in Szarkaláb Bistro, where there are not many tables at once, but the direct intention is that the few guests who reserve on time can get a unique, special, local experience.

“Our model works, although we haven’t seen a classic year as a whole because of the covid, but in the summer there was also a strengthening domestic tourism, with a nice reopening in June. I only open for check-in, but in 2022, on Friday-Saturday we are constantly open. There may be a demand during the week as well, but there is no energy left, Enikő and I run the bistro together.” The lack of top gastronomy in Pest was felt, and some exports and online sales managed to eliminate the shortage.

They are lucky with catering and gastronomy, so you can better combine flavours: they don’t just try to present aszú as a dessert. “You can try them with Thai flavours, which completely re-evaluate it, but combined Tokaj with a little blue cheese, you can nicely finish a meal. If the consumer gets an experience, then we may stir up the stagnant water.” With the late-harvest Enikő cuvée, the goal is lighter consumption. Although the sugar is 196 g / l, but with the bunch processing it feels smoother, better drinkability, it is also due to the one-way technology: “I pick the bunch, which can be rather shrivelled, but in the case of Enikő it is like aszú. There is no soaking, it gives lightness, which can be the entrance into understanding aszú. Ginger, tiny acidity is great with coconut milk, beside Thai flavours, it's no coincidence that these wines are used with pleasure in the Far East, which we see in our markets as well.”