Bull's Blood, a wonderful Hungarian mixture
Sunday, September 21, 2008
As I am one to always look for some interesting wines, I
came across Egri Bikavér, better known as Bull's
Blood of Eger. Now, I have had Sangre de Toro in the past,
but this one was something a little different, so I had to
take the plunge.
However, when I opened the bottle up for myself and two
compadres, I actually expected the worst, as the bottom of
the label said "Quality dry red wine" and I normally can't
stand dry wines (I just suffered eating dust bunnies when I
last tried a Sagrantino di Montefalco that was Secco and not
Passito).
According to the wikipedia entry, Bull's Blood of Eger is
Hungary's most famous wine, coming from the Eger region of
Hungary. From the site:
Egri Bikavér is a blend that has varied over the years,
although the blend is anchored by the ancient Kadarka
variety. Kadarka is believed to have arrived during the
Turkish invasion of the 16th century, either by the Turks
themselves or by Serbs displaced by them. It is a difficult
grape to vinify, and has increasingly been replaced by
Blaufränkisch, known locally as Kékfrankos.
Officially Egri Bikavér must contain at least three of
the following 10 grapes: Kadarka, Kékfrankos (or
Blaufränkisch in German), Blauer Portugieser (Kékoportó),
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Menoire (known
as Kékmedoc, or Médoc Noir before), Pinot Noir, and the
modern Austrian hybrids, Blauburger and Zweigelt.
The legend is interesting as well, as it was rumored to
have been mixed in with actual bull's blood in order to
fortify the men against a siege of Eger.
I can say that the wine is worth a try. Check out the
review I wrote on it.
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