This fertile land’s vitivinicultural history goes back to pre-Christian centuries. The long occupation of Ottoman Turks slowed wine making and the development of the wine industry.

Bulgaria’s modern wine industry started approximately in 1890’s and three decades later consisted of thousands of small grape growers delivering to co-operatives, which were more interested in quantity than quality.

Since then, the development of the Bulgarian wine industry was linked to the soviet demand, and later Comecon (The soviet common market) economics and politics.

Vinprom (since 1930’s) was the only government agency in charge of importing and exporting wine.

Much of the private acreage was expropriated and combined to cerate huge tracts of land and vineyards with an objective to produce quantity at lowest cost possible.
In 1960’s, agricultural–industrial complexes were producing cereal, grapes, fertilizers pesticides, rice, fruits, and vegetables.

Regardless of this arrangement, new grape varieties like cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon banc, rkatsiteli, welschriesling, merlot were introduced to satisfy external demand. This was done mostly to increase exports and to take advantage of the recognition factor of these varieties in western markets.

The Soviet government helped install stainless steel tanks, bottling lines, refrigeration, filters in an attempt to encourage Bulgaria to produce sweet sparkling and sweet still wines for which there was huge demand in Russia.

Since 1989, the Bulgarian government has been trying to return vineyard parcels to their legitimate owner who could prove their claims. This is a long and convoluted process, which may take still several years.

Wineries were privatized, and some sold to western European corporations.

During Soviet times American capital, provided by Pepsico in exchange for marketing privileges Pepsi Cola in Bulgaira, facilitated the involvement of University of California at Davis experts to advise the industry. Pepsico was interested in marketing Bulgarian wines in the U S A, and for the plan to succeed quality and consistency were important. American experts advised wineries on these points.

Now Vinprom is disbanded, the Russian market a shadow of its former self, and the industry in great difficulty with inventories of sweet- and sweet sparkling wines which few western countries are willing to buy.

Regardless Bulgaria, a small country stretching from the Black Sea to Slovenia approximately 300 km. and from Varna to the Romanian border for 200 km, has the potential to produce fine wines, and over time, this will be achieved with expert help and western capital.

The country is now a member of the European union, and has launched wine laws more or less along the lines of appellation controlle of France and Denominazione di origine controllata of Italy.

The laws distinguish:
Basic light wines
High quality (mostly branded wines)
Special wines
Declared geographic region (DGO)

Controliran wine is the equivalent of France’s AOC. Reserve quality white wines must be barrel aged for a minimum of two years, and reds for three.

Grapes are grown throughout Bulgaria’s five regions.

Eastern region extends from the Black Sea coast from Burgas to the Romanian border and west to Khan Krum. The region has three sub-regions – Northern Seacoast, Southern Sea- coast and Inland.

Northern Plain Region extends south of the Danube River, which forms the border between Romania and Bulgaria. It has three sub-regions – East, Central and West. This region’s vineyards represent 30 per cent of all acreage and grow mostly red grapes.

Sub Balkan region around the city of Sliven is famous for its melnik variety.

A southern region is located north of Greece and has vast vineyards for red grapes.

Southwestern region shares borders with Slovakia.

For red wines gamza (kadarka in Hungary), mavrud, melnik, pamid, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, saperavi, and senzo (cinsault) are planted along with experimental varieties to determine which ones thrive and yield better wines.

For white wines dimiat, misket, rkatsiteli, feteaska, welschriesling, muscat-Ottonel, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, gewürztraminer, aligote and ugni blanc (trebbiano in Italy) are planted, Misket is a cross of riesling and dimiat.

Now there are more than 50 wineries; some owned by German and Italian interested.
The most famous ones are: Blue Ridge, Domaine Boyar, VINI, Telish, and Targovischte.

Bulgarian wines of Soviet times were deliberately low priced, and of mediocre quality, to capture market share in western markets.

People now expect Bulgarian wine to be less expensive at all times even if quality warrants a high price.

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