I purchased this wine at Trader Joe's for $3.99.  It sells at most retailers for five to ten dollars.  Now that the communist regimes of Eastern Europe have fallen, we are starting to see wine imports from these countries on our shelves.  The most famous and well respected wines from Hungary are the sweet Tokaji wines (Tokay wines).  Bull's blood is the term used for the red wine from Eger.  The wine has nothing to do with bulls or blood.  Legend has it that in the 1500's the main fortress in Eger was under heavy attack.  The soldiers in the fort started guzzling the local red wine to bolster their courage before running out to battle.  They apparently spilled the wine all over themselves.  When they charged at their attackers with red liquid running down their faces and drenching their clothes, the enemy thought that the locals must have been drinking bulls blood, and fled in horror.  So goes the tale.  The wine is a blend of Kadarka, Kekfrankos, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Kekoporto.

I'm sure that there must be some producers who make better bulls blood than others, but I did not care for the wine that I purchased.  Perhaps it is just an acquired taste, since the grapes are much different than the varietals that we are used to in the United States.  The wine smelled to me like cleaning fluid of some sort.  Once past the nose, the wine was better.  On the palate, the wine was not unpleasant like it was on the nose, but was nothing to get excited about.  The flavors were thin, and the wine was one dimensional,  sort of like a really watered down Beaujolais.  The finish was not unpleasant, but there wasn't much to it.  It was over before the wine reached the back of the tongue.

If any readers have more experience with Bull's Blood of Eger red wine, and can steer me in the right direction, please log on and share your knowledge.  Otherwise, I don't think this wine is for me, despite the cool story behind it.

2 stars

 

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