What is "kadarka"

Kadarka or Gamza is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. It has a long history and is popular in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, where it is known as Гъмза Gamza. It used to be an important constituent of the Hungarian red cuvée Bull's Blood of Eger or Szekszárd, but has long been in decline in Hungarian plantations, to be replaced by Kékfrankos and Portugieser. It is also grown in most other eastern European countries where it is sometimes known as Cadarka or Skadarska.

Kadarka is sometimes assumed to originate from Hungary. Another hypothesis is that is related to the variety Skadarsko, which is supposed to originate from Lake Scutari, which is situated on the border between Albania and Montenegro.

In a recent study, it is claimed that one of the parents of Kadarka is Papazkarası which is grown in Strandja region of Kırklareli.

Kadarka wine is characterised by full, easily recognizable taste, deep aroma and dark or medium dark colour. Kadarka is often used for cuvees including some of the Egri Bikavérs, and also for production of table wines. The best Kadarka is grown in Szekszárd and Villány wine regions of Hungary.

In Bulgaria, Gamza is mostly cultivated in the northwestern and central northern regions, in the Danubian Plain. Until the recent decades, Gamza was the dominant grape varietal in these Bulgarian regions. The main features of Gamza are a large yet compact cluster of small, almost spherical grapes, dark blue to black in colour.