a human factor
Breaking the stereotypes
In all geographical areas where wine is made, the link between territory, grape variety, climate and human factor (in the sense of history, culture, traditions and winemaking methods) is fundamental and determines the character of the wine. This also applies to the Bulgarian wine regions, in a country with a centuries-old wine culture and with climatic conditions that are very suitable for the cultivation of both “international grapes” such as Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, etc. and “autochthonous” varieties.
It has not been proven that terroir makes wine unique, but subtle differences in taste do arise. Researching and testing the influence of each component of terroir is difficult and perhaps impossible. There is ongoing debate about this in the wine world. But you can be sure that this is a wine journey that leads to freedom of choice.
In full respect of tradition
A New Generation of Winemakers
Wines are made by relatively small-scale, independent producers who put their heart and soul into how their wines are grown and made. The excellent result being essentially dependent by local conditions, old techniques and a single ingredient, home-grown grapes.
WINEMAKERS' assurance
Looking to the past, to create something new
Some experts would say that different winemaking techniques obscure the terroir and can affect the flavors of the wine. Most blind wine tasting exams use “typical” examples of wines from particular vineyard locations or wine regions. But “typical” has little meaning when winemakers make deliberate changes or are allowed to ferment uninhibitedly.
But what do certain well-known varieties taste like if they come from a different terroir and go hand in hand with people and traditions?
Man has cultivated the soil in vineyards for centuries. In addition, humans have adapted grape varieties to the environment through crossbreeding. In principle, human influence can be replicated but it’s a very long and difficult process. However, the question is whether all human influences can be copied – love, passion, devotion. You can personally rate this.
Black Sea Coast (North)
Tsarev Brod Family Wine Cellar
Ivan Ivanov, who has been making wine more than 20 years, co-owns the winery with his wife – both agronomists – planted the first acres of vineyards. It is a bold and romantic dream that has withstood the tests of time to become a home of real wine, laying the foundations of new styles in winemaking.
The vineyards are situated in the village Tsarev Brod, 10 km away from the town of Shumen. The area of the vineyard is 42 ha – 27 ha of old vines from 2001 and 15 ha of new ones from 2017. The average altitude of the area is 250 m. A characteristics, which include a unique microclimate and soil, determines the varietal composition: Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Gergana, Pinot Gris, Eumolpia, Cabernet Franc.
Thankfully for Ivan – a visioner and dreamer, his family members shared this vision. They brought on winemaker Nikolay Krastev to help them achieve their dream. From dirt to grape to barrel and, ultimately, to glass, wine, and the process of producing it are a beautiful intersection of science, the natural world and human ability, they believe. With his education as an enologist Nikolay knows that the key to making wine is passion and dedication to the process. “The wine is what I do; it is also what I am passionate about”.
It's not just a winery - it's art.
South Sakar Hills & Eastern Rodopes
BRATANOV Family Winery & Vineyards
This pair’s professional interaction differs from that of many generational winemakers—where a husband holds all craft and technique onto and his wife folow the ruls. Instead, they meld contrasting skill sets, which—paradoxically, though synergistically—strengthens their growing presence within the southeastern wine region.
Hristo Bratanov is a terroir-driven perfectionist/scientist focused on producing high end wines from a specific and illustrious plots of grapes within Sakar mountain. His wife Tanya Avramova is a businesswoman/entrepreneur who has honed the ability to produce and sell perfect wines to finicky customers (like me).
Wines produced by Bratanov and enologist Maria Stoeva are solidly made and readily enjoyable. Balance is inherent, flavors coherent, acidity and tannins are enhancing rather than distracting. As the French would say, the rapport qualité-prix (price/value ratio) of 3-BLEND wines are superb, while SYMBIOSE deserves its niche among leaders in Sacar region.
The family have 44 hectares of their own vineyards, planted with the classic noble varieties of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Viognier, as well as the local Mavrud, Rubin, Gamza, Tamianka. The grounds are located on the sunny hills of South Sakar near the village of Shishmanovo, the town of Harmanli, South-Eastern Bulgaria. The Maritsa River passing nearby and the winds from the Aegean Sea penetrating along its course create an almost Mediterranean climate.
We make distinctive wines with characTerroir and balance!
Black Sea Coast (North)
Prisoe Family Winery & Vineyards
The name “Prisoe” reflects an old Bulgarian word describing an open, sunny, and warm place, mirroring the winery’s location, surrounded by acacia forests with abundant sunshine and a refreshing sea breeze nearby. The soil is a unique combination of fine white sand from the ancient seabed of the “Fossil forest” and the rich black earth of the Danube plain.
Stefan’s roots run deep, raised in a winemaking family, he was exposed to the industry from a young age. He continued to build his knowledge of the business through college, selling wine, working harvests, and creating wine for friends with his father, Rumen Baptadzhiev. With Prisoe Winery, Stefan hopes to build on this legacy and make his own splash in the wine world.
In 2005, they began constructing the winery, planting Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot vines in 2007. The winery emphasizes preserving ancestral winemaking traditions and techniques. Red grape fermentation and ages in 500-liter barrels. This meticulous approach yields distinctive wines with unique characters, capable of leaving a lasting impression.
Everyone has dreams. But few are afraid to fight for them.
Thracian Valley Lowland (West)
Manastira Family Wine Cellar
Manastira wine cellar is a heritage site in the heart of Thracian valley. After 25 years of agroresearch, the Stamenovi family has focused on wine making, which is sourced from around 300 meters of altitude gradient in Lesichevo village. It is located in southern Bulgaria, 25 km. northwest of the town of Pazardzhik and 70 km. from the city of Sofia, in a deep valley surrounded by the slopes of Sredna Gora, along the banks of the Topolnitsa River.
Wine cellar “Manastira” has 30 hectares first-class vineyards of the varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Mavrud, Merlot, Syrah, and Ancelota, as well as white grape varieties: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscat Ottonel. Their goal is to produce a boutique product of high quality, carrying the spirit of ancient history and at the same time of the unknown and the new.
The family’s Stamenovi winery is one of the leading producers of the world-renowned Mavrud. The passion, dedication and expertise put into these expressive wines are a reflection of the Zlatina and Dejana family’s spirit of innovation and respect for each estate’s unique terroir. They usually don’t talk about themselves, but about their love of wine, which they inherited from their parents. They are young, business graduates in Barcelona and currently specializing at the Wine and Spirit School London.
Our love for history, the richness of Bulgarian nature and good wine help us turn this piece of land into a paradise on earth.
Struma River Valley (South West)
Orbelia Family Winery
This small family winery was founded in 2013 by a Bulgarian entrepreneur Kostadin Chorbadzhiyski, who decided to pursue his passion for winemaking. The winery is located in Southwestern Bulgaria, near the village of Kolarovo, at the foot of the picturesque Belasitsa mountain. The winery grows local Bulgarian grape varieties, such as Shirokolistno Melnishko, Ranno Melnishko (also known as Melnik 55) and Sandanski Misket, as well as a number of international grape varieties, such as Cabernet Franc.
Orbelia Winery owns 15 hectares of 37-year-old vineyards in the nearby villages of Mitinovo and Starchevo. This region has a long-standing viticultural tradition, dating back to the time of the Thracian civilization.
The Chorbadjiyski family aims to preserve the traditions of winemaking, as well as to showcase the Bulgarian gastronomic and cultural heritage. The grapes are hand-picked and undergo a strict selection process. The wines express delicious ripe fruit aromas and show an abundance of warm southern character.
We have the abilities to produce different styles of wine using the last generation technologies.
Danube Plain (North West)
Bononia Estate
Located right on the banks of the Danube, the boutique Bononia Estate winery is focused on the typical for the terroir white wines and rosé, as well as on delicate red wines. The main grape varieties cultivated are Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, as well as the local varieties Vrachanski Misket, Dimyat and Gamza. The vineyards of 170 ha, located near Vidin, in the lands of Gomotartsi and Koshava, nearly the banks of the Danube river, have influence by the unique local weather conditions – carbonate chernozem (black soil) formed on a typical loess and the mild western wind.
The ambitious winery brings together 3 centuries of tradition, as the original building from 1895 was one of the first breweries in Bulgaria and later turned into a winery.
2024 brought Bononia Estate an extremely prestigious distinction: 53rd place in the annual international competition World’s Best Vineyards Top 100, ranking among the most beautiful, picturesque and exceptionally well-maintained wineries and vineyards in the world.
If you're going to invest time, resources, and heart into something, it has to be done right.
South Sakar Hills & Eastern Rodopes
Kosev Family Winery
When multiple generations find reason to invest in a vineyard, there’s hope that the fruit and wine one can make from a given old vineyard stands a better chance than average of being exceptional. Ivan Kosev is a new generation of small-scale, independent producers who put their heart and soul into how their wines are grown and made.
This project is inspired by the passion for wine. It begins in 2019 with the purchase of 53-year old vines. The sort of the massif is Merlot and is located at the foot of the southern slopes of the Sakar Mountains. The soil is clayey, reddish, with marble pieces. Maritsa River is located several kilometers away and has many underground waters. There are 300 sunny days a year. The peace and quiet there is mesmerizing.
The excellent result being essentially dependent by local conditions, old techniques and a single ingredient, half centurie-grown grapes. Ivan Kosev’s concept is to make wine in the vineyard. There is no industry around and the area is very clean, the main livelihood is agriculture. Vines are farmed organically and without irrigation. He uses natural and biological vineyard protection еncouraging natural predators like birds, bats, and beneficial insects to control vineyard pests. The terroir does not “speak” but rather “screams” in the complex red wines, and the white and rosé wines show mature and well-expressed aromas and flavors.
But old vines are so much more than that, as source of complex, concentrated wines, they are a genetic treasure that can secure the future of vineyards from environmental stress and climate change.
Love for wine, attention to detail and striving for perfection.
Struma River Valley (South West)
Family Wine Cellar Villa Melnik
Villa Melnik, boasting 30 ha of vineyards and a modern winery, has meticulously designed its vinification process to rely on gravity, adding to the enchantment of its cellar nestled within a sand hill. In 2004, they planted a diverse range of high-quality local and foreign grape varieties, including Broad-leafed Melnik, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and ancient Thracian Mavrud, among others. The winery’s vineyards span two massifs in the warm and sun-drenched region of Melnik, Bulgaria, known for its Mediterranean climate, sandy soils, limestone, and volcanic deposits, offering an ideal terroir for winemaking.
Today, the vineyards of the winery are in two massifs. About 20 ha are located in the area of Mindalo, in the land of the village of Vinogradi, Melnishko. The other massif, with an area of about one 10 ha, is located immediately in front of the winery – in the area of Beli breg, in the land of the village of Khrsovo.
Villa Melnik is the brand of Melnik native Militsa Ziktanova, built to reflect her experience growing up in wine region, and her relationships in the wine community. Working with trusted farmers and childhood friends, her company reflects her deep understanding of wine, one that can only be developed growing up around the vines. The family’s hands-on approach ensures each vine receives the necessary attention to fulfill its potential.
People make our wine special.
Black Sea Coast (North)
Villa Ovcharovo
Located 12 km from Targovishte, Ovcharovo village rests atop remnants of ancient Neolithic and Thracian artifacts. The winemaking project begin in 2009, planting 15 ha of vineyards with red varieties like Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and white grapes such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Тhe terroir sits at a high elevation of 320 meters, unusual for the Danube Plain, resulting in significant daily temperature fluctuations of about 15°C. The geographical area is mostly hilly or undulating. It has a mild, temperate continental climate with maritime influences and a refreshing breeze from the Preslav Mountain. Autumns are warm, dry and long, which greatly favours the accumulation of sugars in the grapes. The annual average temperature in the area is approximately 10,7 °C. In terms of annual average precipitation, maximum levels mostly occur in late spring and early summer. The soils in the area are sandy-loamy chernozem and grey forest soils.
The vineyards are predominantly hand-cultivated, respecting the land, and the harvest is carefully controlled to ensure the best quality.
Between 2012 and 2014, a winery with a capacity of 60-65 thousand bottles was constructed at the vineyard’s edge. Typically, they produce small batches of up to 6,000 bottles per vintage.
The family and friends are our roots and support, the land is our source of strength and freedom.