Kislaki Bormanufaktúra and Wine Garden

Kislaki Bormanufaktúra is in Szőlőskislak, a village of Balatonboglár tucked among the vineyard hills to the south, at Fő utca 44., about three kilometres from the shore. Géza Légli farms his 19-hectare estate here, and on summer evenings he pours the wine himself in the wine garden next to the cellar. It is not a beach stop and not a restaurant: it is a winemaker’s courtyard, worth the trip for the wines, the quiet and the sourdough bread.

The youngest Légli

Géza is the youngest member of a well-known Boglár winemaking family. As a teenager he did not want to work at the family winery, so he trained as a potter and worked for years alongside his middle brother. The family estate was taken over by the eldest brother, Ottó Légli. Wine only caught Géza’s interest later, and even then he did not go back to the family cellar: in 2005 he founded his own smaller, artisan winery in Szőlőskislak. In his younger years he also played football in the county second division, including on the pitch in Kötcse. He used to say he would never plant Olaszrizling in Kislak, only perhaps one day in Kötcse. In 2013 he did start building an estate in Kötcse, where 2017 was the first vintage.

Vines the way the hill gives them

No insecticides or herbicides are used in the vineyard, weeds are kept down mechanically and the grapes are picked by hand. The soils vary: Vitéz and Matacs are loess, while Jánoshegy, the estate’s most important vineyard, has heavy, in places stony loam. They want to show these differences in the glass, so alongside the estate wines they also bottle single-vineyard wines: Jánoshegy Kékfrankos and Riesling, Matacs Chardonnay, Vitéz Cabernet Sauvignon and Lakitető Franc Syrah. The Kötcse Olaszrizling comes from the highest and most calcareous sites in the wine district. The Géza Légli range includes Riesling Válogatás, Kabinet Riesling, an orange wine, Franc Válogatás and the red Kislak, and there are traditional-method sparkling wines made from Riesling and Chardonnay. The Riesling Grower Brut has also featured in the wine pairing at Kistücsök’s Chef’s Room in Balatonszemes.

The wine garden

Kislaki Borkert is the cellar’s courtyard, with tables outdoors. Between 1 June and 31 August it is open on Friday and Saturday evenings from 17:00 to 21:00, and from September to May visits are by appointment. The wines come with local and homemade bites: fresh house sourdough bread, sourdough pogácsa, the house wine crescents, regional cheeses, smoked and roasted meats, cold platters and homemade spreads, house syrups and house wine vinegar. Hot dishes are cooked as a daily special at the bigger events, or otherwise by prior arrangement.

Kislaki Autumn

Every autumn they close the harvest with an all-day celebration. In 2026 it was on 19 September: Géza talked about the new vintage among the tables, the writer Krisztián Grecsó performed twice on the terrace, and guest chefs cooked lamb porchetta, wild boar stroganoff with truffle and a warm potato stew with Scotch egg. Entry with a glass of wine was 3,900 HUF, and children and dogs were welcome. If you are planning for next autumn, keep an eye on the estate’s events.

Staying on the vineyard hill

Jánoshegy was once an inhabited vineyard settlement; of its several hundred houses only a few still stand. The family rescued two of them, Jánoshegy 10 and 26, and restored them as guest houses with old stoves and simple country furnishings. There is accommodation on the village side as well, next to the wine garden. If you sleep here, the vine rows are your neighbours.

Who we recommend it for

Wine lovers looking for a less familiar side of the south shore, who would rather spend a summer evening in a winemaker’s courtyard than on a busy promenade. Couples and groups of friends who would happily spend a weekend on the vineyard hill around Kislaki Autumn. It is not the place for a quick dinner after the beach: the wine garden opens in the evening, and the wines deserve your time.

How much does it cost?

In the estate’s online shop the estate and single-vineyard wines cost between 2,600 and 3,900 HUF a bottle, the Géza Légli range around 6,000 HUF and the sparkling wines over 7,000 HUF. Prices by the glass and for food are given on site. Out of season, it is worth arranging your visit by phone.