One of Balaton’s beautiful restaurants transforms into a wine-tasting place – PHOTOS

Another popular restaurant is closing its doors but, thankfully, only because it will go through a transformation! Read on to find out what lays in store for one of Balaton’s most famous bistros.

As Index reported, one of the most beautiful terraces of Balaton, the Szent Donát Borkúria (Wine Cellar) formerly called Márga, used to be open all year round but now it is saying goodbye – luckily, only as a bistro. The place was well known for its unparalleled views: in winter, guests could admire the landscape through panoramic glass windows.

Szent Donát Borkúria

The Szent Donát Borkúria. Source: https://www.facebook.com/szentdonatborkuria/

Tamás Kovács, the owner of Szent Donát Borkúria, reported in his blog post about the expansion of the winery. He also informed readers of the processes that brought worldwide recognition to their wines from Csopak and Lake Balaton regions.

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The post of Tamás Kovács reads,

“Meanwhile, on the terrace of our bistro, in the hustle and bustle of hospitality, these messages that are important to us are often lost, unfortunately. People interested in our wines were not getting the right feedback so we decided to turn the former guest area of our bistro into a tasting room where various wine programmes will be held.”

The Szent Donát Borkúria. Source: https://www.facebook.com/szentdonatborkuria/

He also added that they closed their former restaurant era at the end of last summer.

However, fear not: according to nlc.hu, the Szent Donát Borkúria will reopen to the public from the beginning of February, although advance booking will be required.

A bit of history

The Szent Donát Borkúria. Source: https://www.facebook.com/szentdonatborkuria/

As Index reported a while back, wine and gastronomy are integral parts of the family-owned and operated Szent Donát Borkúria. The cellar and the on-site kitchen with a panoramic terrace are located in the building of the Csopak manor house, which serves as the centre of the estate. Today, the area has grown to 16 hectares, mainly in the vineyards of Csopak and Paloznak, and to a lesser extent in Tihany and Szentbékkálla, where the farms are managed with a strictly organic approach.

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What is interesting is that Tamás Kovács’s wife has created a tradition years ago.

They were struggling with a particularly difficult vintage, so she drew a smiley sign on the barrels with chalk.

The wine recovered within weeks and since then, the smiley has been portrayed on every barrel.

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