Hungarian wines are little known in New Zealand, and indeed the rest of the world. Perhaps most famous are the sweet wines of Tokaj, even mentioned in Hungary's National Anthem. A close second would be the 'Bikaver' wines - Bulls Blood.
Eger Wine DistrictThere are 22 wine districts in Hungary, across 6 wine regions. Two of these can make wines labeled as 'Bikaver' or Bulls Blood. Szekszárd in the South, and Eger in the North. Of the two, Eger is the most famous and produces the richer and more complex wines... and is home to one of the foundation stories of Bikavér wine. On this map Eger is the dark red region '20'. |
|
The enduring legend of 'Bulls Blood' comes from the siege of the fortress of Eger. Rewind in history to the year 1552. Hungary is suffering invasion (again) at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans expected an easy victory at this key fortress, as they had crushed all other opposition in Hungary to this point, including occupying the capital Buda for 10 years. |
|
An Ottoman victory was not to be. The 200 year old stone walls of Eger, combined with skilled use of explosives, and the high morale of the defenders, and as the story goes more than good dose of 'dutch courage' the dramatically smaller number of Hungarian soldiers were able to defeat the invaders. Hungarian troops were a fearsome sight, even outnumbered 17 to 1... their armour, tunics, and beards stained red. The Islamic (and thus non-drinking) attackers assumed that the defenders must be fortified by drinking the Blood of Bulls! In actuality it was the stains from drinking their rations of the local wines. The successful defense was a symbol of national pride for Hungary, "patriotic heroism and the superiority of a national army over an unmotivated foreign mercenary force". After the failed siege, Eger remained undefeated by the Ottomans for more than 40 years. |
The fortunes of Bulls Blood wines have waxed and waned over the centuries. During the Socialist era after World War II, Hungary underwent an economic and social transformation. Private farms were seized and the agricultural sector restructured into a series of specialised Collectives and Co-Operatives. The focus was on higher use of machinery and quota driven output.
Viticulture quality suffered dramatically. The best hillside vineyards were mostly abandoned as they delivered smaller volumes of grapes, and could not be easily managed with mechanisation and large Russian tractors. High grape vine yields were preferred over high quality, and Bulls Blood became synonymous with cheap jug wine.
|
Fast forward to the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and Soviet control, Hungary transitioned to democratic government. The last Soviet troops left Hungary in 1991. It did not take long for the new revolution in Hungarian wine to take root- passionate winemakers started to restore the reputation and quality of Hungarian wines. |
|
Perhaps the most influential of these in Eger was Tibor Gál. Already a highly recognised international head winemaker at the world-famous Ornellaia winery in Tuscany, he returned to his native Hungary in 1992 to revitalise the Egri Bikaver traditions. He focused on the local grape varieties Kékfrankos and Kadarka, and creating wines uniquely Hungarian. Remaining natural without sacrificing quality, wines that are harmonious, complex, and exciting. |
The 'Bikaver Blend' |
|
Bulls Blood is not a single grape variety, in fact it required to be a blend of a minimum of 3, depending on the quality tier, with the dominant grape being Kékfrankos. |
Kékfrankos (or 'Blaufränkisch' in Austria), is the core grape of every Bulls Blood wine. The name translates to 'Blue-French', the central European grapes of superior quality considered 'Frankish' in comparison to the inferior 'Hunnic' varieties.
Its first origins is probably somewhere between the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, Austria, or Hungary, I would consider Hungary to be the 'spiritual' home of the grape as it produces three times the volume of next highest grower, next door neighbour Austria.
Kékfrankos wines can be anywhere from light to full bodied, depending on the viticulture and winemaking, commonly bringing flavours of wild blackberry, black cherry, bitter chocolate, pepper and other spices.
Kadarka is another key grape in Bulls Blood, possibly native to Hungary (or possibly Serbia / Albania) and also widely grown in Bulgaria and Romania. It has more than 90 different names depending on the particular neighbourhood! Kadarka is typically a lighter bodied and pale coloured wine, herbal and floral aromas and flavours of red berries, cherry, paprika and gingerbread.
The other permitted grapes in the Bikaver Blend include Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zweigelt, and other local varieties, at the discretion of the winemaker so long as Kékfrankos remains the dominant grape in the blend.
Ancient hotbed of volcanic activity
Although there are no active volcanoes in Hungary nowadays, some millions of years ago, the part of Central Europe that is now Hungary was a hotbed of volcanic activity with numerous giant volcanoes under a vast inland Pannonian Sea. This covered much of the Pannonian Basin, and its remnants as well as its volcanoes now shape the topography of much of central and northern-eastern Hungary. Eger is surrounded by a mosaic of complex soils, the dominant sub-soil being a volcanic rhyolite tuff, with a variety of dense clay, limestone, and gravel. This wall is in the Tibor Gal winery, carved out of rhyolite tuff, like 99% of the cellars in Eger, and indeed the famous fortress walls.
The soil combines with the cool temperate continental climate, the Bükk and Mátra mountains protect the region from harsh northern winds.
The end result is a savoury dry red wine. Most often a medium to full bodied wine, with a mix of dark fruit, savoury spices, herbaceous notes, and sometimes an aromatic floral lift. Perhaps consider it most similar to a fiery Bordeaux style red with a spicy twist, with minerality imparted by the volcanic soils. The difference between the mass-produced thin wines of old and the modern high quality Bulls Blood can not be overstated.
There are three formal quality tiers of Bikaver- Classicus, Superior, and Grand Superior. Each tier has rules around the grape blend and the aging of the wines. The Bulls Blood wines we import avoid the lower tier entirely.
The top Grand Superior classification requires the wine to be from a Single Vineyard block. The top two Bikaver we import come from the top terroir of Eger, the Nagy-Eged Hill. The similarities with the Corton hill in Burgundy are striking!
The top two St Andrea wines considered by Decanter Magazine among the very top wines of the world, compare these with Grand Cru Classé wines at a fraction of the price.
Our 'Bulls Blood' wines can be found here.
