Since it aligned with the EU in 2005, it has had two PGIs that split the country into the northern region of the Danubian Plain, and in the south, the Thracian Lowlands (shown on this World Atlas of Wine map). The only public data on varieties grown dates back to 2013, based on more than 60,000 ha of vineyards, and while it shows Merlot followed by Cabernet Sauvignon as most planted, this isn’t much use today as nearly half that area has fallen out of production.Īnother area of concern for Bulgaria is its wine laws. At the same time, the number of registered producers has increased from 268 in 2018 to 282 in 2019. Forecasts for 2019 suggest that wine production was down to 908,000 hl from 126,800 tonnes, so a further decrease. In 2018, the official harvest of wine grapes from the vineyards was 182,569 tonnes, of which wineries processed 151,938 tonnes (giving 1.04 million hl/27.5 million gal) and the rest going to home-made wines. This is split between 18,055 ha of red wine varieties and 11,327 ha of white wine varieties, though the harvest is close to 50:50 due to the higher yields of white wine vines. More importantly, the area of vineyards actually harvested for wine production has fallen to just 29,382 ha (72,605 acres). The Ministry of Agriculture’s 2019 Agrarian Report gives a total vineyard area of 64,400 ha (159,135 acres) in 2018 (a decrease from 101,434 ha in 2009). Every time I visit there are new producers popping up and more wines to taste. Not everything is rosy by any means, but the best are well worth seeking out.Įven if reliable statistics can be hard to come by, it’s still worth looking at a few numbers to give context. I’ve been following the wine industry there for close to 30 years. I kind of grew up in wine alongside Bulgaria. That is why I, and some passionate Bulgarian friends, set up the Modern Wines of Bulgaria tasting in London in 20 (and we hope to again in 2021) to bring some of those new-generation producers to the attention of the UK trade. Few people outside its borders have any idea of how different this modern era of Bulgarian wine is – indeed it is actually quite hard to track down straight Bulgarian Cabernet Sauvignon unless you’re looking at bottom-shelf supermarket wines. What takes me back time after time is Bulgaria’s wines, and today the wine scene is an incredibly dynamic place (at least it was until coronavirus did its worst).
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