Everything about Egri Bikav R totally explained
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Egri Bikavér ("Bull's Blood of
Eger") is
Hungary's most famous
red wine. It comes from the Eger wine region of northern Hungary; the
Szekszárd region produces a similar wine with similar name (
Szekszárdi Bikavér) but different character.
Blend
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 It is a difficult grape to vinify, and has increasingly been replaced by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 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,
Syrah, and the modern Austrian hybrids,
Blauburger and
Zweigelt.
Origin of the name
According to legend, the name originates from the invasion of
Suleiman the Magnificent around 1552.
"To motivate and support the small group of soldiers during the
Siege of Eger castle they were served delicious food and a lot of red wine. Among the Turkish soldiers it was rumored that bull's blood was mixed into the red wine, as otherwise the strength and firm resistance of the town and castle of Eger couldn't be explained. Finally the enemy gave up."
It has been suggested that the term Bikavér was coined by poet
János Garay in 1846.
History
Under the Turks, the Hungarians' traditional white grapes were replaced by Kadarka and its relatives. In the 18th century German immigrants brought with them the Blauer Portugieser. Hungary didn't escape the effects of the
phylloxera epidemic in 1882, after which Blaufränkisch and small amounts of the Bordeaux varieties were introduced. At this time the different varieties were often grown together as
field blends in the vineyard, and vinified together; towards the end of the 19th century they began to be processed separately into wine and then blended.
Under Communism, Kadarka was largely replaced by the Bordeaux varieties and in particular the easy-to-grow
Zweigelt. This and the industrialisation of production saw Egri Bikavér become a much lighter, simpler wine during the 1970s and 1980s.
Following the fall of Communism, much Kadarka has been planted and since the mid-1990s there has been a return to a more traditional, much darker style of wine. In order to eliminate some quality problems, a stricter regulation was planned in the mid 90s. The regulation was introduced in 1997, thus Hungary's first
Appellation d'Origine Controllée (AOC) was created. That was the time, when the 3 out of 11 rule was applied.
Egri Bikavér Superior
In 2004 a new level, Egri Bikavér Superior was introduced. In this case, 4 out of the 11 recommanded varieties must be used at least and also a lower yield must be applied.
Drinking
Despite considerable investment in vineyards and wineries, Egri Bikavér is still quite variable. The difference in quality between good ones and the cheap mass-market versions can be immense - but you generally get what you pay for. A good one requires two or three years of
oak aging, and is best with game, beef, or other spicy food. Egri Bikavér should be served at 16-18°C.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Egri Bikav R'.
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