Hungary's Legendary Red Wine

The year was 1552 and the Ottoman Empire was invading Western Europe. In the small town of Eger, Hungary, Captain Istvan Dobo knew that in order to slow the Ottoman advance on Western Europe he had to defend the town’s strategically vital fortress. As Dobo

prepared his 2,000 men for an onslaught from the Turks who were 150,000 strong, the citizens of Eger opened their wine cellars and offered their deep red wine to provide the soldiers strength against the opposition. They drank heartily and the wine spilled over their full beards and onto their armor, staining it blood red. As the battles waged on and the Hungarians held off wave after wave of Turks, word began to spread that they weren’t drinking red wine at all, but the blood of bulls to make them strong and fierce. The superstitious Turks became fearful and demoralized as they continued to lose ground to the undermanned Hungarians and called off the month long siege.

Gabor Palotai brought the tradition of Bikavér, or Bull’s Blood, to the Umpqua Valley when he started Palotai Wines. While the traditional grapes of Bull’s Blood, Fekete Frankos, Fekete Juhfark, Budai Nagyfürtu, Ingaly, Kadarka, and Medoc Noir aren’t being grown, Gabor’s goal was to combine old world tradition with new world winemaking and the fruit forward blend of Pinot Noir, Baco Noir, and Maréchal Foche to lend their deep color to this traditionally named wine. Palotai's one-of-a-kind Bull's Blood can only be found at their Tasting Room just outside of Roseburg for $25 a bottle.

To summarize it best, The New York Post author Joseph Gallivan writes, "Just over the Coastal Range, this rustic grape-growing region in one of the sunniest, non-desert parts of Oregon is worth a detour. From bright Tempranillo at Abacela to the spicy Baco Noir at Girardet (and on to the rich, surprisingly sophisticated Bull's Blood at the funky, Hungarian-influenced Palotai), the Umpqua's all about memorable reds. Winemaking here is still a laid-back affair- take it slow and meet the people behind the wines."