- Bulgarian wine
Grape growing andwine production have a long history inBulgaria , dating back to the times of theThracians . Wine is, together with beer and graperakia , among the most popular alcoholic beverages in the country.Viticultural regions
A government decree of
13 July 1960 officially divided Bulgaria into five distinct viticultural regions.Danube River Plains (Northern Region)
The Danube River Plains or Northern region encompasses the south banks of the
Danube and the central and western parts of the Danube River Plains. The climate of the area is temperate continental, has a hot summer and many sunny days a year. Typical styles are Muscat Ottonel,Cabernet Sauvignon ,Merlot ,Chardonnay ,Aligoté ,Pamid and the localGamza .Black Sea Coastal (Eastern Region)
The
Black Sea Coastal region is where 30% of all vines are located. The region is characterized by long and mild autumns that are a favourable condition for the accumulation ofsugar s to make fine white wine (53% of all white wine varietals are concentrated in the region). Wine styles include Dimyat,Riesling , Muscat Ottonel,Ugni blanc ,Sauvignon blanc ,Traminer , andGewürztraminer .Valley of the Roses (Sub-Balkan Region)
The Valley of the Roses region is located south of the
Balkan Mountains . It is divided into an eastern and western subregion, with styles such as Muscatel, Riesling,Rkatsiteli , Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominating. The region mostly produces dry and off-dry white wine and less red wine. The region includes the Sungurlare Valley, famous for its wine from theRed Misket grape variety.Thracian Valley (Southern Region)
The temperate continental climate in the area and the favourable distribution of precipitation are good premises for the developed red wine growing in the lowlands of Upper Thrace. The region includes the central part of the Valley, as well as parts of the
Sakar mountain.Mavrud , a famous local wine, as well as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Muscatel and Pamid are grown.The Balkan Mountains serve to block the cold winds blowing from the plains of Russia, and the region to the south of the Balkans, the valley drained by the Maritsa River, enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and warm, dry summers.
truma River Valley (Southwestern Region)
The region includes the southwestern parts of Bulgaria, the valley of the river Struma in the historical region of Macedonia. The area is small in size, but is climatically very distinct and characteristic, owing to the strong Mediterranean influence from the south. The local style
Shiroka melnishka loza (taking its name from Melnik), as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are cultivated.ee also
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Globalization of wine
*Wines from Bulgaria References
* " [http://www.vinoto.com/display.php?page=region Wine in Bulgaria — Regions] ". Retrieved from Vinoto.com, 26 March 2006.
* " [http://www.bulgarianwine.com/bgwines.html Bulgarian Wines - FAQ] ". Retrieved from BulgarianWine.com, 26 September 2006.External links
* [http://www.bulgarianwines.org/ BulgarianWines.org, Bulgarian wine portal]
* [http://vinoto.com/ Vinoto.com, general Bulgarian website on wine]
* [http://vino.start.bg/ Vino.Start.bg, portal page]
* [http://www.bulgarian-guide.com/bulgarian-cuisine/bulgaria-wine/ Short articles on Bulgarian wine]
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