Roaming the twisting roads of Káli-medence, one can catch a glimpse of more than lavender plantations and carefully shaped haybales: as you pass the feet of Szűcs-hegy, you can't help but wonder what the gazebo up on the hillside could be. Is that a private home or a pension? Luckily, the terrace close to the clouds is open in front of everyone: it belongs to a winehouse. We visited the Kaal Villa, where we peeked into the world of winemaking and tasted the repertoire.
The rightful owners of that certain wine terrace and the vineyard called Kaal Villa in Mindszentkálla are Dorisz Szanyi and Csaba Tímár. The young couple has been dealing in wine since 2008; the cultivation of grapes and rural life have become their calling and style of life by today. Similar to other entrepreneurs who have relocated to the Balaton Uplands, they also claim that the scenery, the air, the micro-climate, and the Káli-medence ambience captivated them so much during their holidays here that they could not imagine their common future elsewhere.
They left the capital behind for the Kaal Villa - so they can live for their passion in a place of which others can only dream. Although they only begun the construction of the wine cellar (then hardly 20 square metres large) in 2008, today they operate a modern cellar of almost 200 square metres, developed with the help of leading edge technology. They cultivate 5 acres of land on Szűcs-hegy and the neighbouring Csobánc-hegy, which -according to Csaba- makes it possible to produce about 50 000 bottles of wine. A nice quantity, especially from young winemakers, who do not have generations worth of expertise in the profession.
The design of the terrace and the wine cellar is a compliment to Csaba's creativity; he had worked in the construction industry beforehand. Glancing up Kaal Villa from the road, the sight brings Greece, the Acropolis and Dionysus, God of wine to our mind. It is inviting and elegant, and once you arrive, it grows all the more alluring: the turfed terrace, the sun loungers, the packed white walls and the wooden roof of the terrace together are delightful spectacle.
The entire winehouse has earned itself the title smart: inside, they have a bistro with bar stools and a small kitchen, where they prepare snacks (from ingredients procured from nearby producers and farms) to go with the Kaal Villa wines. Future plans include a pension, for full range of service.
After some snacks, we started to discuss wines and instead of overcomplicated explanations, we tasted the wide spectrum of Kaal Villa wines: we tried the trendy rosé, the light white, and the full-bodied red. They don't like to rush their wines, which means that Csaba is often pressed to come out with one item or the other. The young winemaker, however, is not one to hurry, he follows his own experiences, and he'd rather make mistakes now than face them unexpectedly later. He believes that the wine repays the attention. In terms of attention, he goes as far as playing classical music to the wines in the cellar all-day-long to provide the right ambiance for the maturing process.
The Kaal Villa is open everyday (with the exception of Mondays and Tuesday) from early afternoon to 9 PM. The wines are available in bottled form and also for tasting. The winehouse is not prickly about people drinking wine with sparkling water - there is a separate section for spritzers on the menu. We liked Káli Tavasz 2012 the best; this really light summer white wine is a Zenit-Welschriesling blend. Being an elegant, smooth, still robust Pinot Noir 2012 has also caught our attention. The most dividing item is Zenit 2012, which Csaba characterized as an instant favourite or dislike.
The pleasant climate of the location, the amazing panorama, the fine wines and the hearty hospitality all speak in favour of the Kaal Villa, just like the dash and the willingness to experiment: these are, without question, youngsters to watch out for.
