www.cheersonline.com
15
January/February 2015 •
The Balkan country's wines
offer intriguing varietals and
incredible values
By Melissa Dowling
F
rance and Italy have held the European wine
spotlight for ages, along with Germany,
Spain and Portugal. But several countries in
the eastern part of the continent now aim
to become major players on the world wine stage,
including Bulgaria.
What do Bulgarians know about wine? The country
has been producing wine for at least 7,000 years—the
ancient Thracians who inhabited the land are believed
to have been the fi rst to make wine.
In fact, the Asenovgrad Museum of History in
southern Bulgaria has what may be the oldest glass
bottle used for wine, along with numerous artifacts
related to winemaking unearthed from the region.
Bulgaria's wine culture survived 500 years under
Ottoman rule until 1878, and then 45 years of
Communism (1944 to 1989), during which state-owned
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Vinprom Peshtara owns more than 1,500 hectares of
vineyards in south Bulgaria. Center, celebrating Trifon
Zarezan, the national winemaking holiday in February.
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January/February 2015 •
