16 March 2022 / Sue Tolson
Perhaps we could even say notorious, as it gained a bit of a bad rap during the years of communism, when it was exported in industrial quantities as ‘Bull’s Blood’ to Anglo-Saxons, or Stierblut, to German-speaking lands. However, this has certainly changed now, with Bikavér rediscovering its illustrious past, making it something that should be on every red wine lover’s radar. In fact, its importance to Hungary and its intrinsic ‘Hungarianness’ has now been recognised, and it has been listed as a ‘Hungarikum’ since 2017.
Bikavér is produced in two of Hungary’s wine districts, Eger in the cooler northeast and Szekszárd in the warmer south. So, how come two very different wine districts which are not even next to each other ended up producing a wine with the same name? Quite by coincidence as it happens.
Perhaps we should begin with the name of this Kékfrankos-based blend. As you may have gathered from the first paragraph, it has something to do with ‘bull’s blood’. This is in fact a direct translation of its Hungarian name Bikavér, a combination of bika the Hungarian word for bull and vér meaning blood. Naturally, both regions claim the name as their own.
Certainly, the legend of how Egri Bikavér came to boast this name is better known. Legend has it that when Eger Castle was being besieged by the Turks in the 16th century, in 1552 to be precise, the soldiers defending the castle finally gave up all hope of winning and descended to the castle cellars to consume all the wine before they succumbed to the besiegers. However, drinking all this wine imbued the Hungarians with such bravery that they saw off the Turks. The Turks, seeing the Hungarians with red liquid dripping down their beards and fighting so ferociously, assumed they had been drinking bull’s blood to boost their courage. They then turned and fled. Or so the legendary Hungarian tale goes. However, its first reference only comes at the end of the 19th century, when Géza Gárdony wrote of the castle defenders’ beards stained with rich Eger wine in his 1899 novel ‘Egri Csillagok’ (Stars of Eger), which incidentally gave local winemakers the idea for the name for their more recently created white blend, Egri Csillag. Although there is also an earlier mention of Bikavér from Eger in a book of proverbs from 1851…
But to return to Bikavér and this time head to Szekszárd, or Szegszárd as the name of the town was spelled until 1903, and we find that esteemed Hungarian poet János Garay had already praised Szekszárd’s dark red wine in his 1846 Szegszárdi Bordal, or Szekszárd drinking song, saying that it had a colour like ‘bull’s blood’. So, it would seem that Szekszárd pipped Eger to the post. Composer Franz Liszt was also a fan of Szekszárdi Bikavér, even going so far as to send Pope Pius IX 50 bottles of the fiery red. It must have done him some good, as the pope lived to be over 90 years old. So, although Tokaj is considered to be ‘the king of wines and the wine of kings’, it seems that Bikavér also ended up on a pope’s table in the 1860s. Sadly, Szekszárd was not allowed to use the name during the communist period and only regained the right to do so at the end of the eighties, which is why the name is more closely associated with Eger.
Modern Bikavér is a Kékfrankos-based blend in both regions, although a large range of varieties are permitted for the blend in both. So, as winemakers have quite a free hand to select the varieties and blend, it can come in quite a range of styles, from medium-bodied, easy-drinking everyday wines to full-bodied, mineral spicy reds. However, it is always a fruit-forward wine with plenty of sour cherry and spice, fairly high vibrant acidity and medium to pronounced silky tannins. You’ll also discover restrained complexity from careful oak ageing and sometimes a distinct minerality. Szekszárd wines are often a little lighter due to a higher proportion of Kadarka in the blend, despite their warmer origin, while cool-climate Eger produces fresh, tight wines. It’s always an appealing elegant blend, which therefore speaks rather of place than variety.
Both regions stipulate a minimum of four varieties, with Kékfrankos being the dominant variety. In Eger, it must comprise 30-65% of the blend, while in Szekszárd, it must be minimum 45%. Szekszárd wines will often have a lighter, floral touch, thanks to the minimum 5% Kadarka that must be included – not the case in Eger. It also comes in a range of quality levels, with different ageing and other requirements for each category. Three in Eger – Classicus, Superior and Grand Superior – and two in Szekszárd - regular and premium.
Eger Wine District
As both regions up their game and rediscover their exciting terroirs (limestone, rhyolite and andesite tuff in Eger and loess in Szekszárd), winemakers are increasingly showcasing individual vineyards using Bikavér as a foil. Expect to see names like Görögszó, Iván-völgy or Hidaspetre from Szekszárd, as well as Nagy-Eged, Síkhegy or Pajados from Eger.
There is, of course, some natural rivalry between the two regions, as it is certainly hotly debated who used the name first, but the two winemaking communities also work together and try to build on their similarities, rather than on their differences. Indeed, they battle it out every year at the ‘Bikavér Párbaj’ in Budapest, a big tasting with producers from each region pouring their Bikavérs. Each table has a winemaker from each region, so you can taste the rivals alongside each other!
Szekszárd Wine District
