Bulgarian Wine

Bulgaria is north of Greece and south of Romania with the Black Sea to its east and Macedonia (FYROM) and Serbia on its western border. Viticulture has been established here for the last 3,000 years but not without interruption. Winemaking developed under Roman rule but the Ottoman reign from 15th to the 19th century slowed it down significantly (though Turkey’s demand for table grapes kept Bulgarian viticulture alive). There are two appellations in Bulgaria: the Danubian Plain and Thracian Lowlands separated by the Balkan Mountains. Most vineyards are between 300 and 1,000 feet in elevation.

Under communist rule in the 1960s, high-yielding French varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot mainly) replaced most of the acreage of Bulgaria’s indigenous varieties. While the international ones remain prolific today, Kadarka (also called Gamza), Mavrud and Melnik—all capable of producing powerful reds—are Bulgaria’s most important indigenous varieties. White varieties dominate only in areas near the Black Sea; Dimiat (from Serbia), Rkatsiteli (from Georgia) and Muscat Ottonel as well as Chardonnay (both with French origins) remain the most popular.