Bulgarian Wine Culture

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Bulgaria: Cultivating Wine for More Than Three ThousandYears

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It was believed that the history of winemaking in Bulgaria started between 6000 B.C. and 3000 B.C. This was during the time of ancient Thrace. There may also be a possibility that it is the first country to produce wine all over the world. Thousands of years before the Romans ruled the entire Europe the Thracians grew and cultivated vineyards in the north and south parts of the Balkan Mountains what is deemed to be the best grapes to produce several varieties of the most excellent wines in the world. They also developed several techniques in making wine and created and designed several tools to be used in the cultivation of the vineyards. The Thracians traded with the Greeks their sweet, dense wine as evidenced by Homers Iliad and Odyssey. During the rule of the Roman Empire, techniques in producing wine improved, and it is believed that it was during this time that white wine was introduced. When Christianity reached Bulgaria in the 9th century and the Crusades were happening all over Europe, it was believed that the country was spared by the Crusaders. This was because of the Crusaders appreciation for Bulgarian wine. During the 14 th and 15 th century, the wine trade expanded all over Europe. It was in the 15th century that the Ottoman Empire toppled the Roman Empire and ruled all over Europe. Upon the takeover of the Turks of Europe, production of wine was declining, but wine consumption was steady and it survived due to the fact that the beverage was an important aspect in certain Christian practices all over the empire. The demand for high quality wines surged in the mid 18th century, when the number of upscale Christians increased and traditions that involved drinking wine were restored. The Bulgarians saw this as an opportunity to export their red wines since the export market was starting to grow. In the 19 th century, Bulgaria was already known globally to be one of the main producers of wine, exporting thousands of carts to Russia and Poland each year. However, at that time, Bulgarian wine was of poor quality, although it had potential to compete with French wines. The positive comments of the members of the affluent society were what put the Bulgarian wine permanently on the global map.

The Liberation of Bulga separate state from the Ottoman Empire.m Despite this major political event, the wine industry of Bulgaria did not falter. At this time, 50,000 hectares of land were dedicated to viniculture. Unfortunately, it was the phylloxera that brought down Bulgarias wine industry. Such plague was a common viticulture hazard affecting western European countries.
Bulgaria immediately acted on and sought a solution to this problem. The Ministry of Agriculture and Trade of the country appealed to Pierre Viala, a French wine expert, to solve their worsening problem. Viala recommended a solution that has been tried and tested in other European countries experiencing the same problem.

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Viala was impressed with the indigenous grape varieties that Bulgaria has. He also suggested various modifications to the wine production and viticulture that could put the country ahead of its European rivals. It was the report of Pierre Viala that urged Bulgaria to set up an experimental station for all their wines and grape varieties in Pleven in 1902. Such station was transformed into a wine institute and a museum that exists even to this day. When Bulgaria was behind the Iron Curtain, the wine industry of the country was centralized and monopolized. It was made to become a state industry. Although the country was still under the communist rule in the 1960s and 1970s, Bulgaria mass produced its prestigious varieties of red wine and were exported to various countries around the globe. In the 1980s, Bulgaria was the second largest producer of wine, but the wine industry collapsed along with communism in the country. The industry plummeted because the red wine from Bulgaria had the reputation of having poor quality due to the fact that it was mass produced.

Viticultural Regions in Bulgaria

In July 13, 1960, government decree No. 162 divided Bulgaria into five wine-growing regions. Danubian Plain region is situated in the northern part of Bulgaria. It surrounds the south banks of the Danube River and the central and western parts of the Danubian Plain. This particular region has a modern continental climate and experiences hot summers and frequent sunny days. The varieties of wine found in this area are Muscat Ottonel, Gamza, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Aligote, Pamid, and others. This region is famous for its excellent white wines, specifically sparkling wines that are produced using a classic technology. Black Sea region is known as the Eastern Wine region. Thirty percent of the vineyards are located in this area. The climate in this region is characterized by lengthy and mild autumns. This kind of weather helps the sugars in the grapes to build up needed in the production of delicate, semi-dry white wines. These white wines are distinguished by a pleasant fruity aroma, dense taste, and sumptuous freshness at the end. Muskat

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Ottonel, Dimyat, Chardonnay, Ugni Blanc, Traminer, Sauvignon Blanc are the varieties that are being cultivated in this region. Rose Valley region is located below the Ba kan Mountains and extends to the south of the Stara Planina Mountain. Wine varieties such as Red Misket, Riesling, Rkaziteli, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are cultivated on the southern slopes of the Stara Planina Mountain and the Sredna Gora mountain range. The Rose Valley region produces dry and semi-dry white wines that have a distinctively pleasant and fruity aroma and harmonic taste. Thracian Lowland region is located in the southern part of Bulgaria. It is comprised of the central parts of the lowland as well as parts of the Sakar Mountain. The climate in this area is moderate continental with a substantial amount of rainfall throughout the growing season. The wine varieties that are grown in this area are Mavrud, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Misket, and Pamid. The climate experienced in the Thracian Lowland region is essential in the production of splendid, rich and dense red wines of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Mavrud varieties. Struma River Valley region is located in the southwestern part of Bulgaria. The climate is similar to that of the Mediterranean areas. Among the varieties that are being cultured in this region are Shiroka Melnishka, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. These categories of wine are characterized by fullness to the taste and warm southern tones in the aroma. The taste and aroma of wines, especially the Shiroka Melnishka, from this region become much more defined when the ageing process is longer. The popularity of Bulgarian wines continues to grow. In 2007, Bulgaria ranked 20th in the worlds wine producing countries with 200,000 tonnes of wine. In 2012, it was able to produce an estimated 1.2 million hectoliters of wine which was 2.1 percent higher than in a year before. Bulgaria still remains one of the top exporters of wine, despite the marginal decrease in production each year. This is one of the consequences brought by the Land Reform Act that was introduced in the country last February 1991. This law allowed people to reclaim their property which was theirs or their families before 1945. The land areas for viticulture were subdivided into small portions and were distributed to the individual private owners, thus rendering the continuing of the wine production much more expensive. This, in turn, posed some serious problems with the investment and marketing aspects of the wine industry.

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