Barta Winery | Tokaj

The Barta Winery is based in the heart of the Tokaj region, in the famous village of Mád, whose historic vineyard classification dates back to the 1700s. It was founded by Károly Barta, who saw the potential in a steep, imposing hillside known as the Old King Vineyard (Öreg Király Dulo in Hungarian), that had been abandoned after WWII, ignored throughout the Communist regime and gradually reclaimed by the surrounding forest.

Károly Barta pioneered the recent trend in the Tokaj region of purchasing and replanting long-forgotten, historic vineyards. He started buying up parcels on the Öreg Király hill in 2003 and now owns around 13.5ha of vineyards in the Mád region. Since 2009, the wines have been made and cellared in a 16th century Baroque mansion on the main street of Mád, that Károly has painstakingly restored and added to, preserving the old paintings and period features for visitors to the region as well as the local community.

Winemaker Vivien Ujvári joined Barta Winery in July 2016, after working her way around vineyards in Napa Valley, New Zealand, Australia and Tokaj. Her team’s winemaking philosophy is one of minimal intervention, aiming for purity and character in their wines, achieved through organic farming. Spanning dry styles as well as sweet Szamorodni and Aszu, Barta’s wines are a celebration of the distinctive Furmint variety, reflecting the unique qualities of their incredible terroir.