Szentbékkálla Balaton Uplands wine district
Second-generation family winery in the Káli basin — white wines only, small batches
About the winery
Istvándy Jenő Pincészete is a second-generation family winery in Szentbékkálla, in the heart of the Káli basin. The Istvándi House, built in 1825 and home to the family for six generations, serves as the centre of the winery. With its ornate gable decorations, this building is today a distinctive folk architectural monument of the Balaton uplands and protected heritage.
On five hectares, they produce only white wines in small batches — a maximum of 30,000 bottles per year. The winery's philosophy is the smoothest yet most conscious winemaking: they believe that wine begins in the vineyard and that carelessness or excessive intervention always takes its toll. Each batch has its own role: some showcase the Káli basin's terroir character, others explore the finer facets of a grape variety, and some are impressions of winemaking thoughts or experiences.
In the courtyard, Szimbio Borudvar features their own wines alongside those of friends, where tastings work as a living space and journey through time while respecting the house's past.
Grape varieties
Current range
An airy, elegant blend of aromatic grape varieties, where the aromas complement rather than overpower each other. The aim is for the wine to reveal new layers as it interacts with air in the glass.
Rizling
A spirited Riesling from Szentbékkálla's Farkastető vineyard, offering taut minerality from the volcanic limestone soil and fruity elegance from the Káli basin's diurnal temperature swings.
Olaszrizling
A light Olaszrizling with brief oak ageing, offering taut, vibrant, volcanic character.
Olaszrizling
A light Olaszrizling prepared in complete oxygen exclusion, offering a more playful, charming, and capricious character.
Chardonnay
A vineyard-selected Chardonnay with depth, ripeness, and subtle oak ageing. The plot is harvested in two stages so the wine carries both the variety's fruitier character and deeper tones.
Olaszrizling
A post-natural Olaszrizling made with minimal intervention yet conscious intention. Grapes harvested at full maturity, fermented in wooden barrels and aged on fine lees without racking, stirring, clarification, or filtration.
Olaszrizling
A numbered, small-batch natural Olaszrizling in only 300 bottles, each individually numbered with hand-made closure seal. After extended lees ageing, it is a rich, textured, deep-toned wine.
Sárgamuskotály
A sparkling wine made using ancestral method, bottled during fermentation's final days. Clean elderflower, fresh peach, and fine bubbles with a character that doesn't strive for perfection, instead revealing the beauty of incompleteness.
Wine photos are taken from the winery’s website (istvandyjeno.hu) and are removed on request.
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