One does wonder how this valley, which is sometimes called THE VALLEY OF THE BEAUTIFUL WOMEN, got it's name, but I suspect it's because there were women out there in the fields, planting, tending, and harvesting grapes. In the Eger region and in view of the Bukk Mountains, this region has amble opportunity to go wine tasting and indulge in thermal spas. However, the history of the name refers to a single beautiful woman. Who was she?
SZEPASSZONYVOLGY INFO (in Hungarian) Lots of information about Eger
EXCERPT (Translated into English and edited by me)
Opinions about the origin of the name vary. Ferenc Bako's article entitled "Eger Wine Cellars" reads "This name preserves the memory of the ancient religion of the pagan Hungarians. The Beautiful Women was one of the goddesses of the ancient religion, the figure corresponding to Venus, the goddess of love. Among the agricultural population of Eger, some say that a beautiful woman owned the valley or part of it. Others that a famous woman sold good Eger wine here in her cellar. According to another source, there was a manor villa on the side o the valley, inhabited by a stubborn mistress of a military officer, and she is the origin of the name.
About the wine: The Eger Bull Blood became famous in the 18th century. It's raw material was provided by goose-footed black grapes, the Turkish gohor, the black Franc and the Cello.
Click on the label Wonderful-Hungary to get to the entire series on this theme.
