Familiar with egri medina?

Anyone familiar with the grape Egri Medina used to make Hungarian red wine? My friend was recently telling me how his family grows and vinifies it, but my usual sources have revealed pretty much nothing about this grape. If anyone has any aliases, history, typical characteristics, environmental challenges, and similar information, I'd be very interested in learning more about this grape and wines made from it. Alas, I am not familiar with Hungarian, but if the only sources are in that language I will pass them along to my friend for basic summary. Thanks!

A Google search found 708 hits, none in English except the "Balla 2002 Egri Medina Hungary" listed in the Wine Lovers Page Best Value Wines.

Hi Keith,
You might find this interesting. I think Egri refers to the Eger wine region of Hungary and Medina is the grape variety (Medina of Eger).

http://www.ektf.hu/eger/english/heves/


Salute

http://www.egervin.hu/en/markatermekek8.php

OCW 3rd:

"Eger

much-disputed town in north east hungary whose wines have been exported with success since the 13th century, although various Turkish incursions interrupted this trade. Eger's most famous siege was during the Ottoman occupation of the 16th century when, according to legend, the defenders of Eger were so dramatically fortified by a red liquid which stained their beards and armour that the Turks retreated, believing their opponents to have drunk Bikavér, or bull's blood.

"The town gives its name to a wine region on the foothills of the volcanic Bükk mountains where rainfall is low and spring tends to come late. As well as producing Egri Bikavér, currently being revived and rehabilitated, the region produces white wines, notably from leányka grapes."

Take a look at http://www.mkk.szie.hu/dep/kerteszet/sz ... aindex.htm

The main site is a university, and many of the pages are in English. I don't have time to explore, but you may be able to find info about the variety there.

http://w3.mkk.szie.hu/

http://www.mkk.szie.hu/dep/

Thank you everyone for your responses.

I did some more searching for Medina using ablegrape.com, which was an invaluable research tool in this case. Ironically enough, the most useful summary I've seen yet was in German at Wein-Plus.

It's a cross of Eger 1 x Médoc Noir (neither of which I'm familiar with) and grown on 100 hectares in Eger as well as some spots in Romania, Bulgaria, and France.

The more I hear about Hungarian wines, the more I wish I had better access to them (and the more I desire to travel there at some point)!