Where are the best wineries in Bulgaria and what kind of wine do they make

For those who want to combine their vacation in Bulgaria with the tasting of local wine, we have prepared the list of wine farms that are always pleased to welcome new guests. The tour includes a stroll through the au pair, recommendations of the sommelier and, of course, the best samples of winemaking art combined with local snacks. The cost of tasting is 10-20 euros per person. In some farms, in addition you will be offered a full dinner and even an overnight stay at the hotel at the winery. Do you and your friends want to try yourself as wine experts? Just call and schedule the time.

Bulgaria is the country of winemakers and is among the twenty countries with the largest area of vineyards. The climatic conditions of the country allow the cultivation of the most popular wine varieties in the world. More than 150 large and small wineries produce more than 130 million liters of wine a year. Almost every third farm organizes wine tasting for tourists on its territory.

Bulgarian wine is considered to be the national treasure. In 2000, the Bulgarian National Chamber of Viticulture and Wine-making was established. It unites professional wine producers, publishes quality certificates, organizes tasting commissions to check the taste of the drink. This organization has identified the boundaries of the largest wine regions of Bulgaria.

There are 5 of them: the Danube Plain, the Thracian Lowland, the Rose Valley, the Struma River Valley and the Black Sea Coast.

Every wine lover has a favorite variety. Among the ones cultivated in Bulgaria, there are also worldwide popular types:

white - Aligote, Riesling, Traminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Muscat and
red - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz and Kadarka,

and local varieties:

white - Dimyat, Keratsuda, Tamyanka
red - Mavrud, Pamid, Misket, Melnik.

In accordance with EU regulations, Bulgarian winemakers have a classification of their products, which divides them into 3 categories:

1. Wine without indication of geographical origin. This is an inexpensive wine from a certain variety, from a mixture of varieties or even without an indication of such. The cost of a bottle in a store usually does not exceed 4-6 BGN (2-3 Euro). A lot of this wine is sold on tap.

2. Wine with protected indication of geographical origin. It is marked with the abbreviation “ЗГУ” (protected geographically). Produced in a certain region from local varieties. In the blend there should be at least 85% of grapes from this region. The average cost of a bottle depends on the manufacturer and is kept within 6-10 BGN (3-5 Euro) per bottle.

3. Wine from a certain grape variety grown in a certain region with a protected name by origin. The manufacturer must use 100% of the local grapes in order to mark the wine with the abbreviation “ЗНП” (protected name by origin). Usually it is a wine from the grapes of common varieties - Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Muscat, Riesling - and it is sold within 10-20 BGN (5-10 Euro) per bottle, and sometimes even more.

№	Region/City	Winery / Tasting room
1	Blagoevgrad	Medi Valley, Logodaj, Orbelia, Uva Nestum, Orbelus, Rupel Winery, Georgievi Brothers, Zlaten Rozhen, Villa Melnik
2	Burgas	Chateau Medovo, Boi&Ar, Dives Estate, Minkov Brothers
3	Varna	Salla Estate, Varna Wine Cellar
4	Veliko Tarnovo	Vinprom Lyaskovets, Maryan, Vinprom Svishtov, Svishtov
5	Vidin	Magura
6	Vratsa	Chateau Burgozone
7	Melnik	Slavova Krepost
8	Nessebar	Messembria Winery
9	Pazardzik	Villa Terres, Karabunar, Bessa Valley
10	Panagyurishte	Rumelia
11	Plovdiv	Dragomir, Todoroff, Starosel, Villa Yustina, Domain Trifonoff, Darobas, Villa Vinifera, Black Sea Gold, Chateau Copsa, Sopot
12	Ruse	Leventa, Seven Generations, Nisovo (Wine Union)
13	Silistra	Opreff
14	Sliven	Domaine Boyar, Edoardo Miroglio, Chateau Windy Hills, Angel's Estate
15	Sofia	Rasin Winery
16	Stara Zagora	Midalidare Estate
17	Targovishte	Chateau des Bergers
18	Haskovo	Katarzyna Estate, Terra Tangra, Castra Rubra
19	Shumen	Osmar, Tsarev Brod
20	Yambol	Marash

See the list of wine farms