Tonković Winery

Tonković Winery (Vinarija Tonković) is a family-owned heritage winery located in Kraljevo Brig, on the Subotica-Horgoš sandlands in the Vojvodina region of northern Serbia. Founded in 2006 by the Tonković family — Croatian physician Miro Reljanović, his wife, neurologist Gordana Tonković, and former diplomat Ignacije Tonković, a long-serving director of the Palić Zoo and a well-known figure in Vojvodina public life — the winery was established with the mission of preserving the culture of its region and reviving the historic Kadarka grape variety. The family acquired roughly ten hectares of land in the early 2000s and planted Kadarka on about 7.5 hectares, making it the only grape variety cultivated on the estate. The remaining hectare and a half is intended for authentic old white varieties such as Kevedinka. The winery is deeply rooted in the terroir of the Subotica-Horgoš sandlands. Its cellar is dug into a sand dune beside the vineyards and farmstead (salaš), maintaining a constant temperature of 14 degrees Celsius. All work in the winery, including pressing, is done by hand. The wines are aged in 300-liter wooden barrels made of Hungarian oak, with new barrels regularly purchased for the Rapsodija and Icon lines. Tonković produces a range of wines exclusively from Kadarka, including the flagship Fantazija, the Rapsodija, a rosé, a dessert wine, and the Allegro — a white wine made from black grapes using the Blanc de Noir method. The winery has earned international recognition, with Decanter bronze medals for Fantazija 2011 and Rapsodija 2012, a recommendation for the Rosé 2014 in the local variety category, and inclusion of its Kadarka wines in the Wine Museum in Bordeaux. Tonković Winery positions itself as a heritage producer dedicated to the revival of Kadarka, a grape that was once dominant in Vojvodina and Slavonia but nearly became extinct there by the 1960s, displaced by Pinot Noir due to its greater sensitivity. The winery collaborates with enologists from Hungary (University of Szeged), Spain (Rioja wine region), and the University of Novi Sad to produce contemporary, elegant wines from this ancient indigenous variety of the Pannonian Plain, whose roots trace back to Lake Skadar in the 17th century. Through the vision of Ignacije Tonković, Kadarka has been affirmed as one of the most important Bačka wines, competitive on the international stage.

Tonković Winery was founded in 2006 by the Tonković family, a Vojvodina Croatian family, with the aim of reviving the Kadarka grape variety. In the early 2000s, the family purchased about ten hectares of land in Kraljevo Brig on the Subotica-Horgoš sandlands. They planted Kadarka on approximately 7.5 hectares, making it the only grape variety on the estate. The remaining hectare and a half is planned for authentic old white varieties such as Kevedinka. The first Kadarka vines were planted on sandy soil to produce a distinct style of Kadarka. The winery was established with the mission to preserve the culture of its region in northern Bačka, nurturing vineyards on specific baked soil and producing wines with a strong stamp of that terroir. The founders were Croatian physician Miro Reljanović, his wife, neurologist Gordana Tonković, and former diplomat Ignacije Tonković, who was a long-time director of the Palić Zoo and a legend of the Vojvodina public scene. The project was driven by the vision of Ignacije Tonković to affirm Kadarka as one of the most important Bačka wines. To revive Kadarka and improve production, the winery established expert cooperation with enologists from Hungary (University of Szeged), Spain (Rioja wine region), and the University of Novi Sad, aiming to make contemporary and elegant wines from this old indigenous variety of the Pannonian Plain, whose roots trace back to Lake Skadar in the 17th century. The winery built a cellar dug into a sand dune, with constant temperatures of 14 degrees Celsius, and arranged a farmstead (salaš), and production began. All work in the winery, including pressing, is done by hand. The wines are aged in 300-liter wooden barrels made of Hungarian oak, with new barrels regularly purchased for the Rapsodija and Icon lines. The winery produces a range of wines from Kadarka, including the flagship Fantazija, Rapsodija, a rosé, a dessert wine, and the Allegro — a white wine made from black grapes using the Blanc de Noir method. The winery has achieved success, evidenced by Decanter awards: Fantazija 2011 and Rapsodija 2012 received Decanter bronze medals, Rosé 2014 received a recommendation for a local variety, and Tonković's Kadarka wines entered the Wine Museum in Bordeaux.

• 2014

  Rosé 2014 received Decanter recommendation for local variety.

• 2012

  Rapsodija 2012 awarded Decanter bronze medal.

• 2011

  Fantazija 2011 awarded Decanter bronze medal.

• 2006

  Winery founded by the Tonković family.

Heritage winery reviving the historic Kadarka grape, producing handcrafted wines from a unique sandy terroir.

• Fantazija

  Flagship Kadarka red wine, elegant, soft, fresh, medium-bodied, ruby red, with aromas of red and black fruits, especially cherry.

• Rapsodija

  Produced from grapes from the best parts of the vineyard, aged in new Hungarian oak barrels.

• Allegro

  White wine made from black Kadarka grapes using the Blanc de Noir method (skin separation by saignée).

• Roze

  Fruity rosé wine, enjoyable year-round, with freshness and body, aromas of wild strawberries.

• Icon

  A wine line aged in new Hungarian oak barrels.

1. 1Vinarija Tonković official websitevinarijatonkovic.com
2. 2Wikidata: Tonković Winerywikidata.org
3. 3Vinarija Tonković - Wikipedia (Croatian)hr.wikipedia.org