Top 100 wines of Bulgaria - Page 4

Discover the top 100 best wines of Bulgaria as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the wines that are popular of Bulgaria and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of Bulgaria

Bulgaria, while far from the most famous or prestigious of the world's wine-producing nations, certainly ranks among the most prolific. This Eastern European country has a Long history of viticulture, and its wine has more to offer than the sea of cheap reds (mostly Cabernet Grape/sauvignon">Sauvignon) that flowed westward in the 1980s would suggest. The country now has a growing number of promising wine pioneers, but perhaps the most remarkable era of Bulgarian viticulture dates back to the mid-14th century, just before the once-mighty Bulgarian Empire began to fragment and cede Power to the Ottomans. Bulgarian art, more than 1,000 years Old, depicts wine as Part of Bulgarian culture, especially among the ruling classes.

A remarkable painting from 811 AD shows the Bulgarian monarch Khan Krum drinking wine from the skull of the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus I, his opponent at the Battle of Pliska. Today, Khan Krum's Cellar in the Black Sea region bears his name. Bulgaria is gradually regaining its identity as a modern wine-producing nation, discovering New terroirs, grape varieties and styles. It has yet to establish a distinctive "Bulgarian" wine style, opting instead for reliable and marketable names such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling and Muscat.

These French varieties were introduced to Bulgaria in the 1960s, at the height of the communist regime, and their productivity earned them a place in many Bulgarian vineyards. They quickly replaced traditional varieties such as Kadarka (Gamza), Mavrud and Melnik. Only two sub-regions have been officially recognized by the EU at PGI level, which is roughly equivalent to a French PGI or an Italian PGI. These are - The Danube plains, including the northern part of the Black Sea region - The Thracian lowlands, including the Struma valley and the southern part of the Black Sea region In addition, there are 52 designations at PDO level (PDO/DO/DOC).

Discover the grape variety: Grenache

Grenache noir is a grape variety that originated in Spain. It produces a variety of grape specially used for the elaboration of wine. It is rare to find this grape to eat on our tables. This variety of grape is characterized by medium to large bunches, and grapes of medium size. Grenache noir can be found in many vineyards: South West, Cognac, Bordeaux, Provence & Corsica, Languedoc & Roussillon, Rhone Valley, Loire Valley, Savoie & Bugey, Beaujolais.

Food and wine pairing with a wine of Bulgaria

wines from the region of Bulgaria go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or spicy food such as recipes of cabri en colombo with creole sauce, shoulder of lamb stuffed with cognac or lamb shoulder confit.

Organoleptic analysis of wine of Bulgaria

On the nose in the region of Bulgaria often reveals types of flavors of cherry, smoke or tropical fruit and sometimes also flavors of citrus fruit, tree fruit or dried fruit.

News from the vineyard of Bulgaria

DWWA 2022: Sneak preview of styles to look out for

With more than 18,200 wines tasted by our expert judging panels and entrants spanning 56 countries, the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2022 edition promises to deliver an eclectic mix of brilliant bottles to seek out – across a broad range of prices.  Official results for DWWA 2022, including the winners of coveted Platinum and Best in Show medals, won’t be published until 7th of June. However, here are just a few of the styles to watch out for, based on a selection of personal highligh ...

Former mafia boss Michael Franzese targets international expansion for his wine brand

Franzese was known as the ‘yuppie don’ in the 1980s after rising to the rank of caporegime in the Colombo crime family. Fortune Magazine placed him at No. 18 on its 50 Biggest Mafia Bosses list, and he gained a reputation as one of the mob’s biggest earners since Al Capone. He was portrayed by Joseph Bono in Goodfellas. Franzese became a born-again Christian during a lengthy prison sentence for racketeering, and he managed to walk away from the mafia without going into protective custody. He is ...

Couple arrested in Croatia over €1.6m wine heist

A man and woman carried out the ‘meticulously planned’ theft at the Atrio hotel and restaurant in western Spain back in October. They made off with a bottle of 1806 Château D’Yquem and a large haul of Domaine de la Romanée Conti after breaking into Atrio’s famous cellar. That sparked a nine-month international manhunt. Police in Spain teamed up with Interpol and Europol, plus authorities in Romania and the Netherlands, to track a pair of suspects down. They eventually swooped on a 29-year-old Me ...