A Chinese proverb says that “Truth comes after the wine”
Who has made the first wine? – Certainly, any lover and connoisseur of wine have asked this question many times. Christ's first miracle was turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Ancient Greeks and Romans have created many legends and myths concerning discovering of wine, and ancient Egyptians have left wall drawings and description of different sorts of wine. From the Babylonians we have inherited the first rules concerning wine, and they have also established laws to regulate the functioning of wine markets. According to archaeologists, first cultivated vines dated back 7000 years.
If you ask someone what is best known for Bulgaria, the most probable answer will be ‘wine’. Growing of vines and making wine on Bulgarian lands goes far back to antiquity. Thracians, who inhabited our lands before the foundation of the Bulgarian state, were extremely talented farmers and winegrowing was part of their means of living. Wine has been a part of their daily lives, and mandatory part of all rituals in honor of their gods. The Thracians were considered the best winemakers in Antiquity and the Slavs and proto-Bulgarians continued their highly developed tradition, when they came to the Balkan Peninsula. According to Homer, the most popular wine was the fragrant and heavy wine of Maroneia, a city in Thrace of that time. Traditions have survived, and nowadays Bulgaria is the sixth largest exporter of wine in the world. It is a fact that in recent years the quality has been continuously rising, new areas have been planted, experiment have been made with new varieties, new and most modern vinification techniques have been applied. Bulgarian wines are increasingly winning prestigious awards at international wine fairs.
Bulgaria has very favorable conditions for growing of vineyards, the abundant rain falls in the spring and autumn, the hot summers and diverse soil are a prerequisite for the production of different sorts of wine. The White Wines are made mainly from white grapes, but also of red grapes with uncoloured juice. Typical for their technology is that fermentation takes part without the solid parts of the grape, like clusters, skins, seeds. The classic white wines are of rich straw yellow colour and nuances of ripe and overripe fruit are found in their aroma and flavour.
In rosé wines, tastes of fresh wild strawberries and raspberries prevail.
The Red wines are produced only from sorts of red grapes with coloured or uncoloured juice. The colour of red wines ranges from violet and purple tones to ruby red colours and brick-brown nuances. The aroma and taste of red wines greatly differ from that of the white ones.
As categories, wines are divided into: table wines and quality wines produced within a definite region. As types they can be: quiet, sparkling and special-sparkling wines, sparkling wines, liqueur wines, flavoured wines, noble sweet wines.
In 1960, a Government Decree officially divided Bulgaria into 5 regions.
The Danube Valley – The Northern vine- and wine-growing region. The Danube Valley covers the southern shores of the Danube and has a moderate-continental climate with hot summers and a great number of sunny days. The widespread varieties are: Muscat Ottonel, Gamza, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Aligoté, Pamid, etc. High quality dry white wines are produced here, naturally sparkling wines under the classical technology, and qualitative red wines with rich fruit aroma and fresh taste.
The Thracian Valley – The Southern vine- and wine-growing region. It includes central parts of the Thracian lowland and parts of Sakar Mountain, the climate here is moderate-continental. Mavrud, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Muscat, Pamid and others are grown here. The wine from the typical local variety Mavrud is highly valued because it combines the aroma and taste of red berries, spices and herbs.
The Black Sea – The East vine- and wine-growing region. Some of our best dry and semi-dry wines are produced here, and they combine pleasant fruit aroma, full-bodied taste and elegant freshness in the end. 30% of the vineyards of Bulgaria are located here. The varieties: Muscat Ottonel, Dimyat, Chardonnay, Ugni Blanc, Traminer, Sauvignon Blanc, are grown here. Especially here, Sauvignon Blanc gives excellent quality grapes.
The Struma Valley – The south-western vine- and wine-growing region. It includes the south-western parts of the country and is distinguished by special climatic features making it close to the Mediterranean areas. Along the valley of Struma, the local variety Shiroka Melnishka loza (Broadleaved Melnik) is grown, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
The Rose Valley – The Sub-Balkan vine- and wine-growing region. Mainly the widespread varieties of: Red Muscat, Riesling, Rkatsiteli, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are grown here. Basically, dry and semi-dry white wines are produced here, and less red and flavoured wines.
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