Sabar Wine House

Sabar Wine House stands on Sabar Hill near Káptalantóti, where the Badacsony wine region meets the Káli Basin. Sabar is perhaps the smallest hill in the Balaton Uplands, just 217 metres high, yet the terrace still looks far. It is a small, family-scale place where wine and calm are the point.

An economist and a small hill

The wine house was founded in 2009 by economist Gábor Ádám as his own artisan winery. His aims from the start: make excellent wine, build the local community and raise the reputation of the Badacsony wine region. The estate has since grown to seven hectares, and two old cellars on Sabar Hill have been restored and filled with wine again. „Here on Sabar I found the peace I had always longed for deep in my heart,” reads the wine house’s introduction.

The 1937 cellar

The cellar was built in 1937 as cellar, press house and home in one. It stood empty and decaying for years before getting new life with modern tanks, oak barrels and winemaking equipment. In 2013 it gained a new cellar wing and a tasting terrace. On cold days a cast-iron stove warms the tasting room, so tastings and wine dinners are cosy in winter too.

The wines

Their own vineyards grow Olaszrizling, Ottonel muscat and Cabernet Franc; partners supply Szürkebarát, Rhine Riesling, Kékfrankos and Kéknyelű. The wines are concentrated, moderate in alcohol and volcanic in character. Their 2012 Olaszrizling made the top five at the first Olaszrizling October event. About 25,000 bottles are made a year, and the wine house means to stay family-sized even as it grows.

The smallest hill

Sabar may be the smallest hill in the Balaton Uplands: just 217 metres, on the edge of Káptalantóti, where the Badacsony wine region turns into the Káli Basin. The wine house and most vineyards are on its slope. Two old cellars on the little hill have been restored and filled with wine again, which the wine house says brought life back to it. The Liliomkert market and the Istvándy Estate are in the same village, so Sabar fits a wine tour of Káptalantóti.

Tasting on the terrace

The wines can be tasted on the cellar terrace all year round. Organised tastings are worth booking ahead; they include a short walk in the vineyard, ending with wine and dinner. To simply buy wine, visit Sabar Vinotéka in the village.

Who it is for

Wine lovers looking for a small family winery beside the big names, couples for a quiet afternoon, and anyone heading to the Káli Basin who wants to stop for a glass of Olaszrizling. It is not a restaurant; plan a hearty lunch elsewhere.

What does it cost?

Mid-range: the wine house does not publish current tasting or wine prices; ask when booking.