It was a sunny fall afternoon and we were off to visit Bulgarian wineries. The timing was perfect for Spaswinefood given that Bulgarian wine making is undergoing a rebirth. True, there has been long history of wine making in Bulgaria, dating back over 3,000 years to the Thracians. Bulgaria was once the one of the largest wine producers in 1980's. The collapse of communism sent Bulgarian wine production into decline. In recent years Bulgarian wines have been making a come back; so when the opportunity arose to visit Bulgarian wineries in the Rose Valley and Struma River Valley wine regions I could not resist. Besides Bulgaria is also known for its roses.
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| Vineyards, Villa Melnik © Spaswinefood |
My first introduction to Bulgarian wines was in Plovdiv at the Digital Wine Communications Conference (#dwcc15). Before arriving in Bulgaria however, I did some research on the indigenous grape varieties. During our Bulgarian press trip I tasted wines made from the following indigenous grape varieties:
- Shiroka Melnishka Loza (Broadleaf Melnik) is a Bulgarian red grape variety found near the Greek border. Wines produced from these grapes have been compared to Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines. Winston Churchill has been reported to have been extremely fond of this wine.
- Melnik 55 (Early Melnik) is a hybrid Bulgarian grape developed because the Broadleaf Melnik grape often ripens late when the weather is cold and damp. The hybrid was produced with Broadleaf Melnik and Valdiguié pollen.
- Mavrud comes from the Greek word (mavro) meaning black. The wine made from this grape has a dark ruby color. It has been described as having high tannins and excellent acidity. On the palate it tends to be spicy, with stewed fruit and herbal flavors.
- Ruen is a cross between Shiroka Melnishka Loza (Broadleaf Melnik) and Canernet Sauvignon. The result is an expressive wine that has described as having flavors of black cherry, liquorice, cigar and nuts.
Not only is Bulgaria a great place to discover its indigenous grapes but also there has been a long tradition of growing international grape varieties.
Bulgaria's Rose Valley and Struma Valley
After pickup at our Plovdiv hotel we drove 50 km
to Chateau Copsa in the Rose Valley. Rose Valley is not only known for its rose oil production but also is one Bulgaria's wine regions. Along this beautiful route we made a short stop in the small town Karlovo. It was a relaxing, pleasant sunny
Sunday afternoon, just perfect for a walk in the center of town. It was warm afternoon and leaves were beginning to change, kittens
were playing near an old church.
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| Autumn Day, Karlovo, Bulgaria © Spaswinefood |
After a relaxing walk we continued onto Chateau Copsa, the first winery on our itinerary.
Chateau Copsa
Rose bushes at the end of vineyard rows are planted not just for aesthetic reasons. Given that both roses and grape vines are susceptible to the same diseases roses are used in vineyards to indicate overall health of the grape vines.
Struma Valley
We retraced our journey back to Plovdiv where we continued onto Sofia. It was then onwards for a 2-3
hour drive to Melnik, Bulgaria, near the Greek border. This route took
us through a beautiful gorge between Rila and Pirin mountains.
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| Struma River © Spaswinefood |
It was a long drive; so by
the time we arrived in Melnik we were indeed ready for a change of pace.
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| Melnik, Bularia © Spaswinefood |
When we arrived in Melnik, the smallest town in Bulgaria, with a population of 385 people, we were met by the owners of Villa Melnik. For lunch we were served a typical Bulgarian meal.
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| Melnik Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
Lunch was a wonderful dining experience.
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| Lunch in Melnik © Spaswinefood |
The wines available at lunch were included Villa Melnik, Bergulé Viognier Chardonnay 2013 and a red table wine.
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| Villa Melnik, Bergulé Viognier Chardonnay 2013 © Spaswinefood |
Let's take a look at a few of the amazing foods we had for lunch.
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| Pork Plate © Spaswinefood |
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| Vegetarian Plate © Spaswinefood |
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| Dessert Bulgarian Style © Spaswinefood |
After lunch we walked
around Melnik, stopping for a visit at Kordopolova House, a 200-year-old historic house from
the National Revival Period.
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| Kordopolova House, Melnik © Spaswinefood |
Yes, we tasted some of the wines made at Kordopolova House.
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| Wine, Kordopolova House © Spaswinefood |
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| Kordopolova House Wine © Spaswinefood |
Then we were off to visit Villa Melnik Winery.
Villa Melnik Winery
Villa Melnik Winery, Harsovo is a boutique family-owned winery. While at Villa Melnik we viewed the
vineyards, toured the modern winery facilities, and the underground cave-like
cellars.
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Villa Melnik Vineyards © Spaswinefood
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| Taking in the View, Villa Melnik Winery © Spaswinefood |
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There just happened to be Melnik grapes being processed when we arrived at the winery.
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| Melnik Grapes, Villa Melnik Winery © Spaswinefood |
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| Processing Melnik Grapes, Villa Melnik Winery © Spaswinefood |
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| Villa Melnik Winery Family and Winemaker © Spaswinefood |
The wine tasting at Villa Melnik included both international and indigenous
varieties (Broad-leaved Melnik, Melnik 55 and Mavrud).
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| Villa Melnik Winery Wines © Spaswinefood |
One of the winery's primary goals is to focus of producing high quality wines from the local grapes, in particular Melnik. I was very impressed by the overall quality of the wines I tasted, which were made by a talented young winemaker. Melnik 55 was a big hit with our group.
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| Stunning Views from Villa Melnik Winery © Spaswinefood |
By the time we left Villa Melnik it was already getting dark. We viewed the beautiful sunset as we drove to our next winery.
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| Sunset, Struma Valley © Spaswinefood |
Orbelus Winery
Our
next stop was a visit Orbelus Winery, Kromidovo. The moon was already beginning to rise when we arrived.
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| Moon Rising, Orbelus Winery © Spaswinefood |
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| Orbelus Winery © Spaswinefood |
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| Arriving at Orbelus Winery © Spaswinefood |
This organic winery's unique architecture definitely creates a wine inspired setting for wine tasting. If you are looking for high quality organic wines then Orbelus Winery is the Bulgarian winery to watch.
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| Ready for Wine Tasting, Orbelus Winery © Spaswinefood |
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| Wine Tasting, Orbelus Winery © Spaswinefood |
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| Orbelus Winery Wines © Spaswinefood |
I very much enjoyed the wines I tasted at Orbelus Winery. When we left the winery that night the moon was shining brightly.
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| Moon Over Orbelus Winery © Spaswinefood |
This winery visit was the perfect ending to an enjoyable day visiting Struma Valley wineries.
Zlaten Rozhen Winery
Our final stop for the day was the winery
hotel Zlaten Rozhen Winery, Kapatovo.
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| Zlaten Rozhen Winery Hotel, Kapatovo © Spaswinefood |
After checkin at the hotel we did a wine
tasting, followed by dinner.
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| Zlaten Rozhen Winery Hotel © Spaswinefood |
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| Zlaten Rozhen Winery Hotel © Spaswinefood |
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| Zlaten Rozhen Winery Hotel © Spaswinefood |
It was indeed a pleasant wine tasting, dinner and a relaxing stay at Zlaten Rozhen Winery Hotel. Given the Rozhen Monastery in located in Kapatovo, some members of our group took the time to visit the monastery before breakfast. After breakfast we were off to visit two more Struma Valley wineries before returning to Sofia.
Orbelia Winery
Orbelia Winery is a new winery founded in 2013. The philosophy of the winery is to produce premium wines from grapes traditionally grown in the area.
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| Arriving at Orbelia Winery © Spaswinefood |
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| Orbelia Winery © Spaswinefood |
During our visit we tasted the following wines.
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| Orbelia Winery Wines © Spaswinefood |
1. Musket 2014 (produced from 31 year
old vines),
2. Chardonnay 2014,
3. Rose 2014 (Broadleaf Melnik 60%, Merlot 40%),
4. Melnik
2013,
5. Cabernet Franc 2013, and
6. Merlot
2014.
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| Orbelia Winery Sign © Spaswinefood |
Given that the winery only produced its 1st vintage in 2013 the winery is well on its way to producing good wines.
Sintica Winery
Sintica Winery gets its name from an old Thracian tribe in the region. Old archaeological
ruins have been found in the nearby mountains from this period. It was originally a state run winery that became private after the fall of communism.
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| View, Sintica Winery © Spaswinefood |
It was this winery that created Melnik 55, which it still produces as a wine. The winery's portfolio however is mainly international grape varieties. Their focus is on producing premium quality wines.
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| Sintica Winery Wines © Spaswinefood |
Our wine tasting at Sintica included:
1.
Chardonnay 2013,
2.
Red Blend 2008 (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah),
3. Melnik 55 2008 (the variety was created at Sintica),
4. Merlot 2008, and
5.
Merlot 2011.
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| View from Sintica Winery © Spaswinefood |
As we left Sintica Winery I stopped once more to taken in the view. As we walked back to the van the fall colors were in full bloom.
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| Leaving Sintica Winery © Spaswinefood |
Our hosts took us to lunch in at the Oasis Restaurant in the nearby town.
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| Restaurant Oasis © Spaswinefood |
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| Lunch, Restaurant Oasis © Spaswinefood |
Our hosts brought along for lunch a very good wine, Le Passionel Cuvée 2008.
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| Sintica Winery, Le Passionel Cuvée 2008 © Spaswinefood |
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| Restaurant Oasis © Spaswinefood |
After lunch we checked the archaeological site Sandanski next door.
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| Sandanski Archeological Park © Spaswinefood |
After quite a full morning agenda it was time to leave for Sofia.
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| Sofia, Bulgaria © Spaswinefood |
We did see a little of Sofia before being dropped off at an airport hotel. From all reports Sofia is an amazing place for Spaswinefood explorations. Sofia has three hot springs. Bulgaria has the largest number of hot springs in Europe. There are lots of reasons to return to Bulgaria.
Our visit to the Struma River Valley certainly gave an overall impression that there are exciting things happening in this wine region. The Struma Valley wineries that we visited offered a wide of range of wine making styles. The Struma Valley wine region has amazing potential. It is certainly a Bulgarian wine region that I expect to shine. I would need to visit more wineries in the Rose Valley wine region to get a broader perspective on the overall wine scene. The Rose Valley also must be a beautiful place to be in May and June when the roses are blooming.
Spaswinefood is so looking forward to writing future posts on Bulgaria. Our Bulgarian press trip was indeed a wonderful introduction to Bulgarian wineries, and yes I did get time to smell a few roses. I invite you to join me in my travels in Bulgaria and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.
Sharon
October 2015
Sofia, Bulgaria
© Spaswinefood
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| Posing with Our Villa Melnik Host © Spaswinefood |
Note: This expense paid press trip was sponsored by #dwcc15 and our Bulgarian hosts.
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