Appears in
Oxford Companion to Wine

By Jancis Robinson

Published 2006

  • About

Bikavér, or, on export markets, Bull’s Blood, is a hungarian red wine style that may be made in the eger or szekszárd regions. At one time the blend depended heavily on kadarka, but this demanding local variety was replaced by kékfrankos, supplemented by Cabernet, Merlot, and Kékoporto (Portugieser). Both regions are now making serious efforts to produce elegant, fruity Bikavér wines worth ageing that are neither heavy nor aggressively tannic. Single-vineyard examples are increasingly found.