The latest news about the bottle with the „1552 Eger” inscription is that from now on it can only be used for Egri Bikavérs. The creators of the bottle, the members of Eger Wine Workshop made their decision so as to make the most emblematic wine of the region easier to identify.

The shape of the bottle launched in the summer of 2019 was inspired by one that was used in the Eger wine region in the 1930s and then almost completely forgotten. The bottle was updated to conform to modern standards. The „1552 Eger” inscription on the bottle honours and commemorates one of the most important events in the history of the city, the siege of the Castle of Eger where the attacks of the Ottoman army were successfully repelled by the defenders.

Photo: Attila Busák

In the first two years following its launch many customers got to know the special bottle. However members of Eger Wine Workshop felt that the concept needed some fine-tuning in order to make the message more unambiguous. 

„There aren’t too many wine regions that can take pride in possessing an unmistakable character. To be frank, we weren’t always certain that Eger was one of them, even though we have always had Bikavér right in front of our eyes. But once Eger winemakers committed themselves to Egri Bikavér it all became so obvious. We are witnessing a new era of self-awareness in the wine region. The Egri Bikavér bottle is a further step in this direction”, summerizes the region’s current efforts local winemaker, Tibor Gál.

According to the new and in effect regulations the Egri Bikavér bottle can contain nothing but Egri Bikavér. To strengthen the perception that the special bottle is a guarantee of consistently high quality Bikavér the top two categories of the AOC system, the superior and grand superior Bikavérs are automatically eligible for the use of the Egri Bikavér bottle. However wines belonging to the classicus category have to pass a quality test in order to enjoy the same privilege.