Best of Budapest & Hungary

In spring or summer when looking for light and refreshing wines it’s worth considering Egri Csillag (the name translates to ‘Star of Eger’), the leading white wine of the Eger wine region, that is best known for its red cuvee Bull’s Blood. This easy-going and thoroughly trendy white blend is gaining traction beyond the boundaries of its home.

The Eger wine region is characterized by cool climate and lower than average precipitation. This is a combination that benefits both red and white varieties of which there is a large selection. This diversity is the reason crafting blends has a long-standing and venerable tradition in Eger. Almost half of the vine-growing area is planted with white varieties so it was a timely decision in 2010 to work out the regulatory guidelines for a white blend that would act as the counterpart of the red blend Bull’s Blood.

The counterpart of Egri Bikavér is more and more popular

“Today practically all Eger wineries produce Egri Csillag, there are several events focusing on this type every year, and the wines are widely available in supermarkets, wine stores and in restaurants,” János Bolyki notes. “Our aim is to produce sprightly, juicy wines with cool labels, bottled under screwcap, fit for everyday consumption.” Egri csillag is a blend of at least four varieties, and at least half of the varieties must be indigenous to the Carpathian Basin.

There are three categories (all of them dry): Classicus, Superior and Grand superior. Classicus is a light, crispy wine with intense fruit and floral aromas and, should it receive oak ageing, marked toasty character is undesirable. These light and refreshing bottlings are everyday wines. They are perfect accompaniments to a quick weekday dinner and are similarly suitable when friends turn up unexpectedly, you can take it along on a picnic, a bike tour or a visit to the lakeside or simply as a companion to chilling out after a hard day at the office. Spring and summer dishes have just the right style and weight for these wines. Simple pasta dishes, roasted chicken, seasonal vegetables, spicy sandwiches, fish burgers, salads, sea food – there is no reason to think of complicated dishes to pair with Egri Csillag Classicus. The winery of the Juhász brothers (Juhász Testvérek Pincészete) is best known for its light and easy-drinking wines and Egri Csillag is one of their most popular products. “Our main goal is to offer a dynamic and fruity wine to our customers, something that is an excellent choice to weather the summer heat. Young people have also come to like it, partly because Egri Csillag has become trendy, and partly because it represents a very attractive quality-price-ratio,” says Ádám Juhász.