St. Andrea Áldás Egri Bikavér
Here in Turkey we have a grape called, Öküzgözü, which means “bull’s eye.” Hungary goes one step further with a wine they have: Bikavér which means “bull’s blood.” That’s far more hardcore. But what is Bikavér?
Bikavér has a fantastic origin story which I won’t try to recreate but which I highly recommend checking out on Taste Hungary’s blog. It is a red wine (usually a blend) made in two of Hungary’s wine regions: Eger and Szekszárd. While production rules differ slightly between the two regions, a few things are consistent:
- A minimum of four grapes must be in the blend
- Kékfrankos (Blaufränkish) as the dominant blending grape
- Other grapes may include domestic/traditional grapes like Zweigelt, Turán, Kadarka or international grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
- Minimum oak ageing (but the exact minimum varies by region)
While this wine is made in two of Hungary’s regions, mine came from Eger so let’s take a closer look there. Eger covers about 5,160 hectares pretty much smack dab between Budapest and Tokaj. Vineyards average 160 to 180 meters in height with Nagy Eged, a 500 meter hill, being the highest point. While Nagy Eged is limestone, the majority of vineyard soils consist of volcanic rhyolite and andesite tuff. Important varieties here include Kékfrankos (of course), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Blauburger, Zweigelt, Portugieser, and Pinot Noir.
Bikavér production in Eger is serious business. The wine can fall into three categories: Classicus, Superior, and Grand Superior.
- Classicus: minimum six months oak ageing; 13 grape varieties allowed in the blend; minimum 11.5% abv
- Superior & Grand Superior: minimum 12 months oak ageing; 12 grape varieties allowed in the blend; minimum 12% abv
St. Andrea Áldás Egri Bikavér, 2017
There are so many choices if you’re looking for Bikavér in Hungary. How to narrow them down?! In this one instance for me it was simple. Rather than choosing this wine based on any recommendation or knowledge of the winery, I chose it because of the name. St. Andrea. It’s Saint Me wine! How often does that happen?! Founded in 2002 by György Lőrincz and István László, St. Andrea was not named for me of course, rather for Lőrincz’s wife, Andrea. The vineyards sit in the Eger PDO, in the cool mountain village Egerszalók. But clearly I must visit this winery the next time I’m able to get back to Hungary.
St. Andrea creates several Bikavér blends. The one I found is their Áldás (blessings) Bikavér which consists of Kékfrankos 33%, Cabernet franc 25 %, Pinot Noir 17%, Merlot 13% , Cabernet Sauvignon 4%, Menoir 4%, and Kadarka 4%. Fermented in both open wooden vats and in stainless steel then 12 months aging in oak.
Intense, purple-tinged ruby on the pour followed by an equally intense bouquet of cooked fruit, pie filling, sweet tobacco, walnut skin, all spice, cinnamon, clove, and bourbon vanilla. High acidity on the palate turned the fruit flavors from cooked to tart and fresh while the oak imparted flavors of walnut skin, baking spices, and hints of cedar. Medium-plus bodied with high (but balanced) alcohol at 14.5% abv and fine-grained tannins.