Cadarcă

Portrait

Cadarcă, called Kadarka in Hungary and Gamza in Bulgaria, is an old red variety of central and southeastern Europe. Its origin is disputed: Hungary and the Shkodër region of Albania are named; recent genetic research names the Turkish variety Papazkarası as one parent. In Hungary it was once an important component of Bull's Blood but has largely been replaced there by Kékfrankos and Portugieser. In Bulgaria Gamza stands mainly in the Danubian Plain. In Romania Cadarcă is grown in Banat and Crișana.

The vine forms large, compact bunches with small, almost round, dark blue-black berries. The wines are pale, spicy and low in tannin, with sour cherry, paprika and pepper. In Miniș a sweet wine from partly raisined grapes, the "Aszú of Miniș", also called bull's blood, was first made in 1744. Today mostly dry wines are made.

Cadarcă pairs with paprika dishes, goulash, sausage and grilled pork.