{"id":5359,"date":"2019-03-27T20:35:21","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T01:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/?p=5359"},"modified":"2019-03-27T20:43:33","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T01:43:33","slug":"eger-valley-of-the-beautiful-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/2019\/03\/eger-valley-of-the-beautiful-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Budapest Day Trip to Eger\u2019s Valley of the Beautiful Women"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So after wining and dining in Budapest<\/a> its only natural to want to go deeper into the fantastic wines of Hungary. Enter Eger and Sz\u00e9passzony V\u00f6lgy<\/a>, or the Valley of the Beautiful Women. About a two hour train ride from Budapest, it\u2019s a great alternative for those wanting to get a closer look at Hungarian Wine but without having to commit to formal tasting or tour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

With around 200 cellars (~ 4 dozen open to the public) carved into volcanic rock in the valley, wine lovers can wander from cellar to cellar tasting to their heart\u2019s delight. What ruin bars are to Budapest, wine cellars are to Eger. So just think of it as a wine crawl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Grounds at Valley of the Beautiful Women (Sz\u00e9passzony V\u00f6lgy)<\/i><\/b><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While a wide variety of local wines can be found in the Valley of the Beautiful Women, the most predominant is Egri Bikav\u00e9r \u2014 or \u201cBull’s Blood\u201d \u2014 the traditional red wine of Hungary\u2019s Eger region. This bold and robust red wine is the signature wine of the region and is always a blended wine of multiple varieties with K\u00e9kfrankos (aka Blaufr\u00e4nkisch) as a major component. Just about every cellar will have it – pretty sure I tried everyone\u2019s to compare! Egri Bikav\u00e9r\u2019s alternative \u201cBull\u2019s Blood\u201d name also comes with quite the history. It\u2019s name goes back to the 16th century battle between the Hungarians and the Ottomans. After the unexpected and miraculous Hungarian victory, the legend began that the soldiers got their strength from drinking wine mixed bull\u2019s blood and the name stuck.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there\u2019s more than Egri Bikav\u00e9r to be sure. Eger\u2019s terroir has been compared to that of Burgundy with its cool, continental climate and limestone and clay soils. Fresh, elegant wines are there for the taking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The horseshoe amongst which the wine cellars sit is rather charming. Some of the fancier cellars have nice patios and seating areas outside as well as trendy interiors, while others are more old-school, rustic outfits with the basics. I\u2019d say the more \u201cmodern\u201d cellars will offer better service as they are geared more toward tourists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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