STORY OF THE TOKAJ KABAR GRAPE VARIETY

Antal Kneip / Lead Researcher of Viticulture

​Origins of the Kabar Grape

​Among the six certified Tokaj grape types, much like the Zéta, the Kabar is one subtype that is also created by cross-breeding other grapes. Let’s take a look at the events surrounding its birth!

Previously registered as Tarcal 10, Kabar was born in 1967 in Tarcal, on the experimental site of the National Wine and Viticulture Research Institute (now called: Tokaj Research Institute) through the crossing of Bouvier as mother, and on the paternal side or pollen donor, Hárslevelű clone 1007. The crossbreeding programme is credited to László Brezovcsik and Gáborné Szakolczay, while the comparative examinations were conducted by Ferenc Marcinkó, László Baracskai and Sándorné Éles. The efforts of these experts led the Kabar to be granted a probationary cultivation license in 1995, and later a national recognition in 2005. Its name originates from one of the tribes that came along with the Khazars and the Huns back before they moved into the Carpathian Basin. Like we once wrote about Zéta, Bouvier was chosen mainly because of its earlier maturation but similar fruit characteristics as Hárslevelű.  It was important for the hybrid to be able to have a much safer harvest in regards to both quality and quantity.

Bunches of Kabar grapes

​But how does the cross-breeding of a grape variety happen anyway?

In the case of Kabar, in the Bouvier mother vines’ individual flowers the caps and pollen capsules were eliminated 4-5 days before the flower would begin to bloom. Following this, the inflorescences were covered with cellophane wrapping in order to prevent external pollination or fertilization. The father variety’s vines (Hárslevelű) were also covered with the same wrapping so as to hinder any foreign pollen to come into contact with it.
The allocated time to finish the process of the hybridization – the pollination by the desired parent– proved to be quite short, as the Bouvier’s blooming begins slightly earlier than that of the Hárslevelű.
While the paternal inflorescenses were in full bloom, the pollen was collected and used to pollinate the maternal flowers once the appearance of secretion drops was visible on the stigmae (female reproductive organs). After the process was done, the cellophane was switched to a tulle cover to allow the grapes to breathe a little, and at the same time offered protection against insects and infections. Once the grapes were fully matured, the seeds were extracted, cleaned, dried and finally stored until the sowing began.
In spring, the seeds would receive a number and were put into seedbeds. After diligent care they grew and started off their little seedling life. In the second year, they were put into seedling trays and the examination period had begun. Once the fruit charactersistics started showing themselves (3-4 years) it was time to evaluate the vines one by one, as the inherited traits vary between different seeds. Based on the evaluations, it was the number 62 plant that happened to be chosen for further cultivation and thus came to be known as Tarcal 10. The vine was used to start vegetative propagation (grafting), and went on to more evaluation in microparcels and then comparative experiments.

​The Kabar grape variety is unique with its darker-coloured foliage compared to other Tokaj varieties. Its vegetative vigour is regular, the bunch size is smaller compared to Hárslevelű, 130-140 grams in average, although it inherited the mother variety’s vulnerability to downy mildew (Peronospora) and powdery mildew. It’s recommended to plant it in a site free of  risk of frost damage. Thanks to a relatively high sugar content at biological maturation (not unusual to reach 250 grams/liter), it can be harvested 10-14 days earlier than Hárslevelű. Its wine is fruity, aromatic and rich, acidic composition is optimal with careful harvest timing, as it is essential to balance the relationship between the acidic content and the sweetness.

Vinyard with Kabar in Tokaj - Péter cellar

​It is currently the grape grown on the smallest area in the entire Tokaj region. Its production area was approximately 21 hectares in 2016 and 27,43 hectares in 2021, which can be considered a dynamic growth. Several wineries have recognised the valuable traits in Kabar: an earlier and safer harvest along with a greater chance of shrivelling and therefore the botrytisation process to start. Not unlike Zéta, sometimes even the entirety of a cluster is wholly botrytised, which leads to an easier selection of the aszú berries. Albeit in smaller measures, it is used to make both dry and sweet wines and also used to vinificate late harvest or even wine specialties via noble rot, such as a blend partner or even an aszú base wine. Kabar is also found on other wine regions across our country in some small plots.

Translated by Mara Várhelyi and Antal Kneip

Furmint

Hárslevelű

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Zéta

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