“The dűlő is the tangible colour of nature’s beauty,” says the Istvándy family. This description reveals a lot about the emotional attitude of the family toward not only their own winery and catering businesses, but also the entire Badacsony region. A human scale, quality production, unity even against the current – this is what every bit of this idyllic estate strives to represent.
It is no easy task to disentangle the seeming chaos of geographic coordinates and functions belonging to the multitude of places named Istvándy. For example, if you come by bike from the direction of the Badacsony on your way to Káptalantóti looking for the Guesthouse, you’ll be sure to make an unnecessary turn unless you do some research in advance. You have to look out for the red bicycle “left” at the stop of the regional shuttle bus, as the Winery is located further up the road. The Borműhely (Wine Workshop) is not to be confused with the Borgaléria (Wine Gallery), and don’t look for Zozi Apu, the signature figure of the Káptalatóti Market, at the Bordiszkont (Discount Wine Shop). There is a lot to talk about, so we visited the Istvándy siblings, Csilla and Gergő, to give you a taste based on their account of what is going on in their Badacsony besides winemaking.
Apart from the splendid location among the vineyard parcels (dűlős), the most attractive factor about the Winery on Tóti-hegy is that Csilla Istvándy and her colleagues, almost all of whom are related to her one way or the other, put delicious dishes on the table for their visitors. If you are after a hot meal and you plan on visiting with a bigger group, be sure to make an appointment in order to be able to enjoy fresh and hot food prepared from local ingredients to go with the wines and the breath-taking panorama. Csilla Istvándy has made a great effort to create top-quality dishes, the flavours being enhanced by an idyllic atmosphere regardless of what time of day you arrive here. Dogs sniffing around in the bustle of aprons coming and going, wooden tables with embroidered tablecloths, a friendly word or two and the humility so indispensible in catering - you will find all of these in this part of the estate.
The same goes for the Istvándy Guesthouse, which hosts wine tastings in the winter season, has three rooms for those who need to postpone their departure due to an elevated blood alcohol level or their inexplicable attachment to the Káptalantóti vibe.
A deservedly popular spot about ten minutes from the house, the Liliomkert Market has a stand of Istvándy wines, which are definitely worth checking out. Just as the market is a small island of its own within the Balaton Uplands, Zozi Apu also strives to inject some unique colour into the busy market scene. The wines as well as the mangalica meat products of the Istvándy family make his job much easier, and advertising the pork chuck with the words of Gábor Kardos is also effective: “it makes you go off heroin, but it will get you hooked”.
“It is cool and fresh” – Gergő Istvándy is not talking about the Istvándy rosé fröccs, but the Bordiszkont just outside Révfülöp, in Pálköve. Experience the ars poetica of the wine shop, run jointly with the Laposa Winery in the cellar of Ivó’ka, from June every day with the exception of Monday. Welcome soda water and a great selection are a given.
The Révfülöp-based Borgaléria is not known for being cool, it is a place targeting customers who are knowledgeable about and profoundly interested in wine. The aim is to attract visitors whose curiosity is a real challenge to satisfy.
The latest hit of the Istvándy family is housed in the brick cellar of a Badacsony villa built in the 1900s. Don’t let the word cellar mislead you, as the place has a terrace with a premium view of the Balaton. The winemaking manufactory, the main attraction of the Istvándy Borműhely, is still under construction, but once it is finished, guests will be able to blend, bottle and label wines here. Until then feel free to drop by for wine tastings or a fröccs in the afternoon, and if you’re lucky you may be able to exchange a few words with Gergő. If you ask him about the future plans of the Istvándy family, though, expect a longer chat than that.
