Wines made from Müller-Thurgau grapes of Bulgaria
Discover the best wines made with Müller-Thurgau as a single variety or as a blend of Bulgaria.
Müller-Thurgau shows the character of its noble origins. This Swiss white grape variety is a cross between the royal madeleine and the riesling. The idea that the latter was crossed with the sylvaner is irrelevant. The variety can be recognized by its vigorous character and its semi-erect habit. Preferring rich soils and short prunings, the plant sees its buds open quite early. The buds are cottony and soft green in color. The slightly embossed and tormented blade, with 5 to 7 lobes, makes it possible to distinguish the adult leaves. The clusters appear compact, pyramidal or cylindrical in shape and small to medium in size. The flavour of the Müller-Turgau berries is reminiscent of Muscat. The juicy and crunchy pulp is revealed under a greyish skin. When ripe, the fruit has a mottled shell on a golden yellow background. Switzerland prefers to extract the juice from this variety. The wine made from it is rather heavy and does not keep well.
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.
The W/O (standing for ‘without’) Frappato 2020 – an organic Sicilian red – is packaged in a bottle made with ‘wild’ glass (the name bottle manufacturer Estal has given to its 100% recycled glass). The launch, which forms part of the company’s pledge to become Net Zero and halve its carbon footprint by 2030, marked a ‘UK first for wine’, according to the online wine merchant. It follows a recent audit commissioned from EcoAct – a specialist company advising on sustainability, which sh ...
In brief: Rhône 2020 En Primeur Northern Rhône 2020: 4.5/5 A reliably fresh, balanced and approachable vintage – a return to classicism after a series of powerful years. Excellent white wines. Southern Rhône: 4/5 Fresh, juicy and immediate reds with lower alcohol than recent years, though some lack concentration. Beautiful white wines. ‘These are wines that will provide huge amounts of pleasure, straight out of the gate. It is that rare thing – an excellent vintage for early drinking.̵ ...
France’s Ministry of Agriculture has announced several measures this week designed to help ease a ‘crisis in the wine sector’. An initial part of the the plan is to offer financial support to winemakers wishing to drain excess stocks via a new distillation scheme – an emergency measure that has been used at certain times in the past. The Ministry said €40m of national state funding and another €40m of supplementary funds from the European Union would enable a crisis distillation pro ...