HUNGARIAN BULLS BLOOD WINE

Before we venture into red wine tasting in the Valley of the Beautiful Women, I’d like to give you a taste, figuratively speaking, of bulls blood.  Who knows, before we get to the end we may do it metaphorically as well.

(For those reading this blog and have been to Hungary, you are no doubt acquainted with bulls blood wine and my wish to skip this post.  However, I betcha if you read on there is likely a thing or two you didn’t know about its history).

(For the benefit of those of you who have not had the opportunity to visit the land of the Magyar, continue on to the next paragraphs.)

As the story goes in about 1550 Suleiman the Magnificent (no doubt mom and pop thought great things were in store for their newborn when they hung that moniker on him) decided to send his Turkish forces (also known as Ottomans) to capture the castle at Eger.  Hey, why not? he thought, since he’d captured most of Hungary already.

However, It was not destined to happen.  As legend goes, the Hungarians, far outnumbered, fought so fiercely defending the castle that it was rumored among the Ottomans that their ferociousness was due in part to mixing bulls blood in with their wine.

Before the Ottomans withdrew they had lobbed almost 12,000 cannonballs into the Eger fortress.  Although the siege may have been in vain, it was good business for Ottoman chiseler’s (of marble that is).  Yep, that’s what they made cannonballs from back in the day.

Before I get to far afield, bulls blood wine or Egri Bikaver as it is known is sort of appellation controlled.   It can contain a blend only from the following 13 varietals:

 Kadarka, Kékfrankos (AKA Blaufränkisch), Portugieser, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Menoire, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Turán, Bíborkadarka, Blauburger and Zweigelt.  

Officially Egri Bikavér must contain at least 3 of these grapes.

Wait, there’s more.

 

It comes in three blends.  For the ‘classic blend’ it is obligatory to make the blend from at least three grape types; their percentage must exceed 5% respectively, and no variety may exceed 50%; the use of Blue Franc is obligatory, and this variety must be blended in the highest percentage to make the wine; the percentage of Turan and Bíborkadarka must not exceed 10% either combined or respectively.

For the superior and grand superior blends it is obligatory to make the blend from at least three grape types; their percentage must exceed 5% respectively; with the exception of Blue Franc (which can be as high as 50%), no variety may exceed 30%; Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon must not represent more than 30% of the blend either respectively or combined; and the blend must not contain more than 5% Turan.

If that wasn’t confusing enough consider this.  After the communist takeover of Hungary in the 1950’s vineyards were put in the hands of the state.  The Russian vineyard managers only had one thing in mind – quantity.  Forget quality.  The goal was to produce and send as much wine, preferably as high as possible in alcohol content back home.  The goal so I am told, for the Russian back home was to get drunk as quickly and as cheaply as possible.

Hence, in 1990 after the Soviets withdrew (it took 13,500 rail flat cars to remove all their equipment)  there existed a conundrum of sorts.  The bulls blood wine made for about four decades under the Soviets tasted, well like schlock.  This was the only version of the wine many Hungarians knew.

 

Upon their departure the vineyards reverted to private ownership.  Even so, it took several years to re-prune and cultivate the vines so quality bulls blood wine could once again be produced.

  

Fellow Magyars when offered a bulls blood wine to sample post  soviet occupation simply said they did not want to taste it because they remembered what it used to taste like. Wineries had a task over the next few years of reeducating their fellow Magyars.

One final note before my fingers start cramping from banging so much on my netbook’s keys – what does it taste like?

I guess that is the real conundrum.  Remember from above, you have a choice of 13 varieties of grapes to use and a minimum requirement to only use a certain 3 of them.  Hence, some wineries will use only 3 or 4 grapes in varying proportions, within the limit of the law.  Another winery may use a blend of 6.  Another winery may use a blend of 6.  No there is nothing wrong with those two identical sentences.  That is because the two wineries may use several different grapes in their blend of 6.

It is no wonder why two different people who taste Egri Bikavar from different wineries come away with such different impressions about the wine.

I have gone on too long about bulls blood.  I’ll save my red wine tasting notes till the next post, so as not to lose any more or your attention or patience.

However, in my first paragraph I did promised you bulls blood metaphorically.  For that I refer you to Ernest Hemmingway ‘Death in the Afternoon’ which is his nonfiction account of the traditions of Spanish bullfighting.