The wine history of Bulgaria

The oldest traces of wine growing in Bulgaria are 3,000 years old. This makes the Bulgarians among the oldest winemakers in Europe. Since then, wine growing has experienced various peaks and valleys. Immediately after the fall of the wall, Bulgaria was very successful in Western Europe for a few years. But the vineyards and cellars were outdated. That has changed in the meantime. Bulgaria is doing well. The quality has clearly increased and exports are increasing.

The ancient Greeks already made wine from Bulgarian vineyards. The oldest traces of viticulture are 3,000 years old. Homer already mentions in his Iliad honey-sweet wine from the city of Ismarus in Thrace. Several indigenous Bulgarian grapes – Mavrud, Gamza, Misket and Dimyat – that are still cultivated today date back to this period before Christ.

Bulgarian wine in the Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, Christianity gained a grip on viticulture. Many monasteries took over vineyards or founded new ones. They played an important role in production. Bulgarian wines were sold as far as Central Europe. Dubrovnik, in the south of Croatia, played an important role as a transit Port.

Ottoman rule in the 16th and 17th centuries had disastrous consequences. The Islamic Turks did not drink wine. The Christian Bulgarians continued to drink wine, but trade came to a standstill. It was not until the 18th century that production increased and exports started to pick up again. Most barrels went to Russia and Poland. The quality also increased. Several French scientists wrote enthusiastic stories about their Bulgarian wine experiences during this period.

After Bulgarian Independence

When Bulgaria became an independent state in 1878, wine growing was in good order. But a few years later, the grape phylloxera destroyed almost all European vineyards. Bulgaria was not spared either. With the help of the French wine expert Pierre Viala, the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture took the initiative for reconstruction. Viala was charmed by the indigenous Bulgarian grapes. He ensured that they were grafted onto American roots – just like in France. He advised planting the Mavrud, Miskat and Pamid grapes mainly in the South. In his eyes, the Gamza and Misket were better suited to the North. This division is still clearly recognisable in the Bulgarian vineyards today.

At the beginning of the 20th century, with Austrian and French help, several cooperatives were founded. The scale increased and gradually some French grapes were planted, such as Riesling, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The future of Bulgarian wine looked bright.

Bulgarian wine in the 20th century

With the communist rule, the prosperous development of Bulgarian wine came to an abrupt end. Quantity became more important than quality. Nevertheless, Bulgaria was almost the only country in the Eastern Bloc that still exported a reasonable amount of acceptable wines to the West in the 1960s and 1970s. This was mainly due to the help of the University of California. American scientists advised to plant mainly French grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The Bulgarian climate was ideal for making full, fruity red wines. During that period, Cabernet Sauvignon became the most widely planted grape in the country.

Bulgarian wine after the fall of the wall

Immediately after the fall of the wall, the Bulgarian cellars and vineyards were privatized. This initially led to a short revival that did not go unnoticed by the Dutch supermarkets. Bulgarian wines were popular because of their very good price-quality ratio.

The new Bulgarian wine companies could not avoid having to modernize considerably. A law was introduced that stipulated that at least 70% of the profit had to be invested in modernizing the vineyards and in modern cellar equipment. This has clearly benefited the quality.

Today, more than 80 fairly large wine companies manage the almost 100,000 hectares of vineyards. They mainly produce red wines. The largest part is exported. Russia has traditionally been an important sales market. Exports to Western Europe are growing, with the United Kingdom as the main buyer. The most important grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon (14%), Rkatsiteli (14%), Merlot (12%), Pimid (11%), Red Misket (8%), Dimyat (6.5%), Muskat Ottonel (6%), Chardonnay (2.7%), Gamza (1.6%), Riesling (1.3%), Melnik (1%), Sauvignon Blanc and Traminer (1%).