Best of Budapest & Hungary

To distinguish the most prestigious wines of Eger, the wine region is proud to present its own special bottle, to be launched this summer. The design was inspired by a traditional, local bottle.

“At last year’s Bikavér Festival, Zsolt Nyitrai MP announced that in cooperation with the Egri Borműhely (Eger Wine Workshop) a special bottle would be developed following the example of so many other wine regions, hopefully with similar success. A lot of work and long negotiations were needed to realize the plan but in less than a year we have managed to get to the production stage with the assistance of the Eger Municipality and the Orosháza Glass Factory,” reveals Gergő Soltész, President of the Egri Borműhely.

One of the most important events of Eger (and of Hungary) was the siege of the Castle of Eger in 1552, when the Hungarian defenders successfully repelled the attacks of the conquering Ottoman army. The date and the event are essential parts of the cultural and historical heritage of Eger and this is honored and commemorated by the Eger wine region bottle with its inscription ‘1552 Eger.’ The shape was inspired by an old, almost forgotten Bikavér bottle used in the 1930s. Only a handful of these are left scattered in the local cellars. This design was the starting point for the Egri Borműhely members. To conform to modern norms, the shape was a little updated, the color changed and each bottle comes with the aforementioned inscription. The intention of Egri Borműhely members was to present a bottle that is immediately recognizable and so provides visual assistance for customers looking for Eger wines of superior quality. To qualify for the application of the new bottle, a wine must be made in the wine region and pass the blind test of the local wine assessment jury. The eligible categories are white and red wines, single varietal wines and blends, and the two major brands of the region Egri Csillag and the only ‘Hungarikum’ red wine: Egri Bikavér. The only criteria is to conform to the product description of ‘Egri Superior’ and ‘Grand Superior’. This initiative is open to any local winery that intends to join and can meet the strict requirements. Minimalizing the impact of winemaking on the environment is high on the agenda of Egri Borműhely members: reducing bottle weight was to decrease their carbon footprint and to make another step towards sustainability.

Eger Wine Workshop

The Egri Borműhely was founded by ten winemakers (Bolyki Vineyards and Winery, Egri Csillagok Plc., Eszterházy Károly University, Gál Tibor Winery, Juhász Testvérek Winery, Ostoros Family Winery, Petrény Winery, St. Andrea Vineyards and Winery, Thummerer Vineyards and Winery, Tóth Ferenc Winery), committed to sharing their ideas and working towards a common goal. It was clear to them that united they can go further and raise the profile of the Eger Wine Region. The direction they envisioned was to develop their wine ranges, to finetune the existing brands and to establish the standards for the highest wine category. In practical terms this means the strengthening of Egri Bikavér, increase the market share of Egri Csillag, reframing Szépasszony-valley, the creation and introduction of a special Eger bottle and commitment to make local wines more attractive to younger customers.