Lunch at Saffron Mezze in Kingston was accompanied with bull, “Bull’s Blood” and reminiscence, writes wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.

BOTH my lunch companion, Alex, and I had travelled to Hungary. I recalled a wonderful but short time in Budapest in the early ’90s where the memories were of cheap and plentiful drinks and a wonderful boat ride on the Danube. 

But he had lived and worked there and had an intimate knowledge of the country and a good knowledge of its wines, so I spent a lot of time listening to his fascinating stories of life and wine memories from that country. 

Plus, he generously provided a tangible kicker to memory: a 2011 Thummerer Egri Bikavér Superior, to go with the kebabs. It’s a blend described by the Hungarians as “Bull’s Blood”. 

There are three grades of this wine – classicus, superior and grand superior – and distinct rules that govern its production with up to 13 grape varieties permitted so long as three of them are part of the blend, with other state-based requirements for getting this name. 

It was a wine of good ruby colour, no browning, with an aroma of some familiar grape varietals, such as cabernet franc, but also blended with varietals that are locally grown such as Kadarka and Kékfrankos about which my knowledge is absent. 

But part of the rules appear to be that no one varietal can dominate. It had a characteristic cabernet nose with black fruits and violet predominating. 

Surprisingly, there was some astringency in the finish for a wine of 12 years. But this ameliorated as the lunch progressed and was dampened by food. The wine was better with food than as a quaffer.

Alex told the story of the origin of its name: “In the 16th century Eger castle was under siege by the Turks. The Turkish soldiers came across the red wine grown in the region. 

“But to drink it within the rules of their religion, they called it bull’s blood, ascribing the valour of the local Hungarian defenders to its strength, so it was a permissible drink and that’s how the legend began.” 

On the internet, one version of the story is slightly different with the Turks giving up the castle siege because it was rumoured that bull’s blood was mixed into the red wine, as otherwise the strength and firm resistance of the people of the town and castle of Eger could not be explained. No matter the story, the nomenclature that was applied is memorable and lives on. 

Alex had also brought to lunch a Grof Degenfeld 1999 Tokaji Aszú. This is a wine of exquisite sweetness that went well with coffee. Alex was very knowledgeable about this product: “These are botrytis-affected grapes that are intensely sweet. 

“They harvest the noble rot affected aszú grapes, and crush them separately from the base wine. The proportion of aszú grapes added to a standard size barrel of base wine varies from three to six hods (or “puttonyos” in Hungarian), which determines the final wine’s level of sweetness and intensity.

“The one today has had five added. It gives it a silky texture and is delicious. Let’s have one glass each because I’ve promised the rest to dinner guests tonight.” 

The tokay was indeed spun-sugar delicious, with no claggy aftertaste. I watched as Alex put away the remainder of the bottle ready to take home. But the friendship remained intact as I reminded myself of his generosity. 

“One good reason to only maintain a small circle of friends is that three out of four murders are committed by people who know the victim.” –George Carlin