This winery ticks so many boxes... tiny and family owned, steeped in history, from Tokaj - the oldest classified wine region in Europe (1737), Furmint grape variety specialists, and just all round nice people.Located in the crazy sounding village of Mád (regarded as Tokaj's most important and prestigious wine area), the vineyards have been in the family for centuries, however, the opportunity to build the Kardos winery was only possible after the Central and Eastern Europe revolution of 1989. From humble beginnings of selling wines from their cellar door and to local bars, this boutique winery started to get more serious when the owners son, Gábor Jnr. came on board full time in 2008. Abandoning a law degree for the land, Gábor Jnr started modernising the winery, introducing strict yield restrictions, multiple bunch selection and selective harvesting techniques - all of which dramatically increased overall wine quality. With vineyards in Mád and the two neighbouring villages of Rátka and Bodrogkeresztúr, Kardos produce (in the words of Gábor Jnr) “aracteristic dry white Tokaji and late harvest sweet wines by optimising the exceptionally characteristics and extraordinary uniqueness of the Mád terroir.

This area of Hungary is renowned for producing exceptional sweet dessert wines where its grapes have been affected by noble rot. The soil is of volcanic origin with high concentrations of iron and lime. The region has a unique micro-climate due to the protection of the nearby mountains - winters are
bitterly cold and windy, spring is cool but generally dry, and summers are hot. Autumn usually brings early rains followed by an extended Indian summer, allowing a very long ripening period. The Furmint grapes begin maturation with thick skins but over time, the skin become thinner and transparent. This
allows the sun to penetrate the grape, evaporating mush of the liquid inside, producing a higher sugar concentration. Unlike most other grapes that would burst and spoil, Furmint grows a second skin which seals it from rot and concentrates the grape's natural sugars. The grapes are left on their vines
long enough to develop the noble rot mould.

Crème caramel, cheese board, chocolate marmalade cake.