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Bulgaria and its wine

 

The history

 

It is little known fact that the wine has been brought in ancient times from the opposite side of the Black Sea - Armenia, Georgia and Iran to what is now the territory of Bulgaria and Greece. Later it has been brought to Rome where the march to the rest of the Western countries started.

 

Bulgaria today

 

As a country with strong traditions in winemaking, Bulgaria today is growing in terms of wine and hopefully soon it will be on its deserved place among the producers with high reputation.

The country has perfect conditions for growing vineyards and since the times of the ancient civilization, Bulgarians are skilled Grape-growers. Now we have two major regions where the divine fruits come from: Northern Bulgaria and Southern Bulgaria, divided by Stara Planina Mountain (shortly called Balkan, where Balkan peninsula is come from).

 

Southern Bulgaria and its wines

 

Southern Bulgaria is the bigger producer of wine with 62% of the quantities, mainly red varieties, but also some interesting whites.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot or even Malbec from the international could be found in the vineyards, southern Stara Planina Mountain, together with the local red varieties Mavrud, Melnik, Rubin, Pamid.

Whites are Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier, Muscat, Traminer, Riesling, Rkatsiteli from the international stars, and Red Misket from locals.

 

Trace valley is the biggest region in Southern Bulgaria, named after the historical tribe inhabited our lands and first to make wine. The climate is continental, with normal humidity and rainfalls. Trace valley is where more of the red varieties are concentrated: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are the “usual suspects”, but Trace valley is also home for three appreciated local red varieties: the most important and prized – Mavrud, the most popular – Pamid and an interesting crossing between Nebbiolo and Syrah (est. in 1944, yet popular as local grape variety), called Rubin.

 

Struma valley is along the river Struma in the South West part of the country. A small, but peculiar wine area with specific climate, very close to Mediterranean and sandy, poor soils. The star here is the local red variety Melnik, named after the smallest town in the country, but significant in wine terms. More and more, an early ripen variety of Melnik, become popular among Bulgarian winemakers – Melnik 55, which soon will be the new dominant in Struma valley. Not to forget of course Cabernet and Merlot, which have strong presentment.

 

The valley of the Roses is maybe the most romantic and well-known region in the world, famous with its rose oil and very little known for its wines. Geographically it is situated just south from Stara Planina Mountain – perfect terroir for Bulgarian roses, but also for fresh, aromatic whites. The varieties here are Riesling, Rkatsiteli, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and a local white – Red Misket. Not to be mistaken, Red Misket is actually a pale rose in color grape variety, giving light, fresh, charming whites with typical slight bitterness at the end of the taste.

 

Northern Bulgaria and its wines

 

Only 38% of the Bulgarian wine is producing north from Stara Planina Mountain and only 1/3 of all the vineyards are there. The most significant red variety here is Gamza (or Kadarka in Hungary and Serbia), which is thought could be the new Pinot Noir. Actually Pinot itself is also well presented in the northern vineyards, together with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. But Northern Bulgaria is remaining territory of the whites.

 

The Danube valley is the biggest part of Northern Bulgaria, along the Danube river. The climate is continental with hot summer and very cold winter. The white varieties are Muscat, Chardonnay, Aligote, Sauvignon Blanc. The reds are Gamza, Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pamid, etc. Here one can find good dry and naturally sparkling wines, very fine reds with nice freshness.

 

The Black sea region is the most famous for its beautiful beaches and entertainment. But it is also a home of fine dry white wines. The autumn on the Black sea coastal region is long and warm, the temperature amplitude is high and varieties like Muscat, Chardonnay, Ugni Blanc, Traminer, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc give beautiful, aromatic white wines. The most important local variety here is Dimyat, which is considered to be excellent for grape brandies.

 

Import and export

 

Over 80% of all Bulgarian wine is exported, but the tendency is local market to grow. The sales on the internal market are growing with 38.7% for the first sixth months of 2011, comparing to the same period previous year. According to the official statistic, Bulgarians have drunk 41 528 372 l for the first sixth months of 2011 (11 583 922 l more than previous year), or 12 l wine consumption per capita for 2011.

The export for the first sixth months of 2011 is 21 646 606 l, or 1.1% growth. The biggest quantities are for the Russian market (10 640 605 l, which means 49.2% of the whole export). Strong markets for Bulgarian wine for the last year were also Romania, Check Republic and Poland.

 

Some statistic

 

Capital: Sofia

Main cities: Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Rousse, Stara Zagora, Pleven

Borders: Romania (North), Serbia (West), R Macedonia (South-West), Greece (South), Turkey (South-East), Black Sea (East).

Population: 7 364 570 people

Parliament Republic

 

Over 200 wineries

Planted area with vineyards - 75 591 hra

Red varieties – 58%

White varieties - 42%

 

Reds: Pamid – 16%, Cabernet Sauvignon – 14%, Merlot – 14%, Gamza – 4%, Melnik – 3%. With smaller % - Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Malbec, Carmener, Fetyaska Negra.

 

Whites: Rkatsiteli – 14%, Dimyat – 7%, Red Misket – 6%, Muscat Ottonel – 5%, Chardonnay – 3%, Ugni Blanc, Aligote, Riesling and Traminer – 1% each. The rest, with smaller % - Viognier, Pinot Grigio, Marcelan, Grenache Blanc, etc.