Sipping "Bulls Blood" wine in Valley of Beautiful Women

EGER, Hungary — The Hungarians have come up with an excellent way for travelers to recycle their plastic water bottles.

I handed my empty half-liter bottle to Jozsef Sarai today along with 200 forint (about $1), and he gave it back to me filled with red wine siphoned directly from the barrel.

Hungary has 22 wine regions, and the best place to sample and buy here in Eger is at the dozens of cellars like Jozsef's built into caves in an area called the Valley of Beautiful Women.

I haven't been able to find a reliable explanation for the name, but it is indeed a beautiful area, covered with vineyards, about a 30-minute uphill walk from town. Even if you have a car, walking or taking a taxi is a good idea because Hungary has a zero-tolerance policy for driving with any amount of alcohol in your system.

Estimates are there are about 200 caves around Eger (a 60-mile-long cellar system extends under the town itself), supposedly first dug by locals seeking refuge after the Turks invaded in the 16th century.

Thirty-five or 40 are open to the public along a horseshoe-shaped road filled with kitschy little restaurants decorated with wagon wheels and fake wooden bridges.

The fanciest cellars have outdoor decks to service the bus tour crowd. The smaller-looking ones, such as Jozsef's, with its simple stone facade and brown metal door, are deceivingly big inside.

Years worth of mold and moss cover the ceiling and walls, and casks and barrels line a long back-room tunnel. With the help of a customer who spoke some English, I learned that his family has been making wine here since 1954.

Eger's most famous wine is a hearty red called "Bulls Blood," made from three or four varieties of grapes, including cabernet and merlot. Legend has it that the Hungarian soldiers gained strength to fight off the Turks by drinking red wine mixed with the blood of bulls.

Most of the bigger cellars charge for tastings, but Jozsef pours tiny glasses for free, even for small-time customers like us. The three young Hungarians whom we followed into Jozsef's left with six liters, maybe more.

The tourist office gives good directions to the valley, but if you happen to be here and can't find your way, no problem.

Just watch for people walking out of town carrying grocery sacks filled with plastic water bottles.