Reinventing Bull’s Blood

Bikavér means Bull’s Blood in Hungarian, and this brand name is probably familiar to my British and German readers as it was one of the ‘export qualities’ of Hungarian wine in the 1980s. With the simultaneous collapse of Communism and rise of New World wines, Bikavér lost most of its Western presence, and I don’t think it is widely seen today. In Poland, it remains a popular brand at the lower end of the market. If you’ve 2€ to spend, look for the image of a bull on the bottom shelf of the supermarket.

Bikavér is a tricky subject, and in Hungary you’ll meet with all sorts of opinion as to where the name came from, where the wine was first produced, and what it should be today. The unequivocous facts are the following: Bull’s Blood is a red wine blend coming either from the northern Hungarian region of Eger or the southern one of Szekszárd. Theoretically it should be made of at least three different grape varieties, with Kékfrankos (a.k.a. Blaufränkisch in German-speaking countries) dominating, and some Kadarka and Portugieser (formerly called Kékoporto) in the blend. (In practice, there are no few French-dominated Bikavér blends, and the recent tendency is to increase the participation of Pinot Noir).

This lack of definition and consistency is the biggest problem of Bikavér today. There is no doubt both Eger and Szekszárd (as well as Hungary’s third leading red wine region, Villány to the east of Szekszárd) can produce impressive Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon respectively, but it is equally obvious the indigenous varieties need to be positioned more strongly than they are today. No better occasion than to use the Bull’s Blood ‘brand’ to vehicle them to wider recognition. But too many Hungarian producers have been trying too hard. Late harvesting with 14.5% alcohol and ageing in 100% new high-toast oak have resulted in a series of caricatural reds. 2003 and 2006, warm vintages with lower acidity and higher natural alcohol, bring particularly unpleasant memories.