WELCOME TO THE WORLDOF OUR UNIQUE WHITE WINE, RADKA!
Our vines gather the golden rays of the sun on Felső-Bea, one of the oldest vine-yards of Abaújszántó, in the Tokaj region, and then, with the minerals of the terroir, take shape in a truly unique and noble wine.
My name is Stephen Ernest Benkö, I am a producer of a micro winery from Tokaj and I would like to introduce my wines to you.
I was born and raised in the US, and grew up in California very near Napa Valley, and spent a lot of time in the Napa wineries. After graduated school in NY and Boston, and then worked in DC, I moved to Hungary more than 30 years ago. My father was Hungarian and my mother Swiss, so living here feels a bit like having come home.
My Czech wife Radka is an art consultant, and she works with a number of Central European artists. She features a different one on each label. Thus in this way we try to marry our two passions, wine and modern art.
There are currently four vintages available, 2018 – 2021, with 2022 coming in the Spring of 2023.
Our particular “dülő,” or slope is one of the most highly regarded vineyard-tracts in the region. It’s called “Felső-Bea,” which means simply „upper Bea,” and there is some historical evidence which shows that grapes have been cultivated here since the late 15th century. Our plot sits on a hill above the little village of Abaújszántó with a good sunny exposure with steady breezes as well which keeps the rows dry.
I use only a reductive fermentation process, which is to say simply we use only temperature-controlled steel barrels throughout the entire process.
I only make the one wine because for now I like to try to see how good a wine I can make from the one vineyard in Tokaj.
We do not advertise our wines as I like to know our wines are going to a good home, as it were. Our production is very limited, and my goal is to offer it only to the best restaurants and winelovers in search of top quality rare wines.
We choose the works of Hungarian and international contemporary painters for the labels of our wines, so each bottle offers not only a gastronomic but also a visual experience.
2021
The Radka Furmint 2021 reflects the minerality from the vines roots running deep in the Abaujszántó volcanic soil. We produced and aged this vintage in the style of Burgundy white wines, rare in the Tokaj wine region. Its high acidity, made silky by a little residual sugar, ensures a long life. An exceptional wine.
Zsófi Barabás
Zsófi became known in Hungarian fine art with her compositions made with geometric elements and her large-scale abstract canvases.
Click on the links to discover more about our artists!
2020
This elegant, highly structured dry wine is balanced with the delicate fruity aromas of the Bea Dülo. Perfect for Italian, seafood and other cuisines.
Natálie ROUČKOVÁ
The impressive horse painting on the label is the work of a young Czech painter born in Prague, who is close to these noble animals both as a show jumper and as an artist.
Click on the links to discover more about our artists!
2019
This aromatic, full-bodied wine is the perfect match for seafood and Asian cuisines, and also pairs well with crispy roast pork accompanied by steamed cabbage and bread rolls. It is also an excellent complement to after dinner cheeses.
Márta Kucsora
Hungarian painter who became known in international circles with her vibrant, experimental pictures.
Click on the links to discover more about our artists!
2018
An elegant, crisp wine born from the marriage of Furmint and harslevelu. Intense and multifaceted, minerality, lime, white peach, Anjou pear and elderflower dominate its aroma and taste. An excellent accompaniment to white meat and fish, moderately spicy dishes and hard cheeses. The finish is nuanced, long and elegant.
Márton Romvári
Natural forms of the micro and macro world are present in his creations.
Click on the links to discover more about our artists!
Reviews, recommendations
A basket of fresh apples. A small bottle bouquet has already appeared, but it is full of candy, perfume, green apple, fruity and intense aromas. I fell in love with its scent, a special virtue is that it also presents the terroir of Abaújszántó very nicely. On the palate, light, lively acids surprise you from the hot year. The beginning is tight, the second half of the sip is smooth, round, elegantly silky. Sufficiently long and complex item.
BEMUTATKOZIK - Radka - Abaújszántó - Táncoló medve (tancolomedve.hu) Gergely Ripka, Wine expert, writer of Tokaj Guide 2023
A milder, more closed scent and it also stings a little. Apples with pears and quinces frolic in it. The taste is high in sugar, with a sweet touch.Gergely Ripka, Wine expert, writer of Tokaj Guide 2023
Fresh, developing, light, youthful citrus and bread scent. Pure and pleasant, perfumed aromas, in which both linden and furmint exert their effects. On the palate, tight acid, lean, drying character. It can easily be called clean, with a little bitterness at the end. Their lime tarts are great to fresh now, and I feel they can be the best with food. Tokaj dry wine with a modern, international tone.Gergely Ripka, Wine expert, writer of Tokaj Guide 2023
Elegant wine, like elegant food, is for me a balance of flavors, emotions and the surprise caused.Gergely Maul, manager, Restaurant Fausto’s, Budapest
I am always looking for wines that cannot necessarily be found in every hotel in Kitzbühel. Since I find the Furmint variety particularly exciting, I added this wine to our offer. This wine fits perfectly with the concept of the Sra Bua restaurant, which offers pan-Asian cuisine. It is also an impeccable choice with desserts, if a purely sweet wine would be too much for the guest. Radka's fruitiness and restrained acidity are a great combination.Sandra Span, manager, Restaurant Sra Bua, Kempinski Hotel das Tirol, Jochberg-Kitzbühel, Austria
A warmer style, the sip is round, dense, with more floral notes of lime leaves. The second half of the sip is more of a phenolic character, with an alcoholic warmth at the end.Bortársaság Ltd., Budapest
The aroma is close to the 2021 vintage, with slightly more yeast notes. The taste is completely different, tight, citrusy acidity.Bortársaság Ltd., Budapest
You can already feel the ripe, slightly oily notes that lime leaves usually have. Bolder taste, quince-like, ripe aromas.Bortársaság Ltd., Budapest
2018 is more about maturity and time.Bortársaság Ltd., Budapest
Ordering
You can place your order by sending us an email or calling us. You find these under Contact.
By ordering our wine you support our efforts to promote small wine producers and Central-European artists.
Restaurants
It fills us with pride that our Radka wines can be found in some of the top Hungarian and foreign fine dining and Michelin-starred restaurants. We update our website and Instagram page regularly, the list of restaurants is expanded with new names every month!
FAUSTO’S, BUDAPEST
One of Budapest’s best and most popular restaurants in the heart of the city center. Traditional Italian restaurant with a rich selection of Hungarian and Italian wines.
Elegant wine, like elegant food, is for me a balance of flavors, emotions and the surprise caused.”
Maul Gergely, restaurant manager.
Laurel Budapest is a restaurant in downtown Budapest that offers a tasting menu and is based on experiential gastronomy. Its wine list includes more than 200 items, with a particular focus on upcoming Hungarian wineries.
PRINS HENDRIK HOTEL & BUNGALOW TEXEL, TEXEL, THE NETHERLANDS
A hotel and bungalow park located next to the dunes and the sea, the restaurant which uses fresh local ingredients and has a limited but seasonally changing menu and a special wine list.
A gourmet restaurant with a long history, but continuously renewed, which represents Russian cuisine with its special, caviar-based creations. Its carefully selected wine list received international recognition this year, with which Arany Kaviar is now considered a restaurant with one of the best wine selections in the world.
The Michelin-starred place, which functions as a restaurant and wine bar, is both a French bistro and a Hungarian family restaurant, as well as a wine shop and bar. The cuisine is rich in flavors, the wine selection is wide and flexible (200 types, mostly Hungarian wines), and the service is personal and informal.
Spago Budapest is characterized by its cutting-edge gastronomic concept based on seasonality. The gastronomic journey is completed by fusion and locally inspired dishes, as well as classics reflecting American, Mediterranean and Asian influences.
The progressive fine dining cuisine uses domestic ingredients and goes back to old, traditional procedures and combines this with international ingredients and techniques. The result is an experimental cuisine, in the dishes you can always discover the play with the structure and texture of the ingredients, lightness and spontaneity.
