The wine region of EGER

Bulls and heroes

Any tour of northern Hungary's wine region must include a stop at the Szépasszony-völgy ( Valley of the Beautiful Woman ) in Eger. While taking a leisurely taste of the ruby-red bull's blood wine, the you can get a feel for the history of the place, including the story of the Turkish siege of the castle, when the defenders drank the red wine from pails - even in the heat of battle! The deep red colour of the wine staining their armour misled the Turks.
"The Hungarians are so brave because they're drinking the blood of angry bulls"- so spread the rumour among the Muslim invaders. It's a fact that the Hungarians won the battle, and also that the bull's blood wine from Eger became world famous!
The spicy, high acid bull's blood is in fact born from the combination of blue grape varieties, fermented in wooden barrels. Varieties include the Kékfrankos, to which at least two other varieties are added (chosen from Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Kékoportó, Zweigelt, Merlot, Kadarka). The more the varieties added, the richer the wine.
The Mátraaljai wine region attracts those who like a white wine with a mellow character and full bouquet.. The Italian Riesling is the main variety, but others include the Hárslevelű, the Leányka, the Ottonel muskotály, the Rieslingszilváni, as well as Chardonnay, Szürkebarát, and Tramini. The Abasári Italian Riesling and the muskotály from Domoszló are especially worth tasting.