It was some ten years ago since we were in Hungary. And then we went back recently. There has been a revolution in wine production in the mean time. We were thoroughly impressed by almost all of the wines we tasted in Budapest earlier this year.
Eger is, after Tokaj, the most famous wine region in Hungary. Here they make both red and white wine. It is mainly a red wine region though. Many people remember it since long ago as a source of hars and full-bodied Egri Bikaver, Bull’s Blood. Today these wines have reached a totally different quality level: often full-bodied, yes (but not always), but now with plenty of fruit, structure and balance.
In Britt’s latest article on Forbes, New Blood Revives Famous Hungarian Wine Egri Bikavér, she gives you some recommendation for a few outstanding producers of Egri Bikaver as well as other wines from Eger. Plus as a bonus an brand new restaurant and wine bar in Budapest that you should visit if you can.
Here’s the introduction:
Hungary as a wine region has been around for quite some time. However, I doubt that the wines have ever been as good as they are today. Many people automatically think of Tokaj when Hungarian wine is discussed. Tokaj has always been the prestige region of Hungary, producing sweet wines of rare intensity. But dig a little deeper and you will find amazing dry whites and reds as well. Not least the amazing Egri Bikavér.
Wherever you go in the Hungarian wine regions today, Tokaj or elsewhere, things have evolved enormously. Our first trip to Hungary was in 2004. We went to Tokaj and Eger and we tasted some very good wines. But now quality is first class. And the wines are also exciting for the wine lover who is tired of seeing the same grape varieties over and over again. You see these so called international varieties also in Hungary but you have many local grapes. Admittedly some of them hard to pronounce. But see it as a challenge. And you don’t always have to learn the name of the varieties, just the name of the wine, like Egri Bikavér, Bull’s Blood from Eger.
Read Britt’s full article on Forbes: New Blood Revives Famous Hungarian Wine Egri Bikavér.
