From Mavrud to Melnik

When Militza Zikatanova looks out over her vineyards at Villa Melnik, in Bulgaria's southernmost wine-growing region and talks about this being the warmest area in the country, that the weather is influenced by the Mediterranean, to the south, that the Greek border is only half an hour away, that Thessaloniki is just under two hours away, and that the native queen of the vineyards here bears the name Melnik, just like her winery, she speaks proudly and, with a demonstrative reference to innovative Napa, of “The Valley”. “The Valley” is the Struma Valley, a valley shaped by viticulture, enclosed by the Belasica mountain range to the south, Ograzhden to the west and Pirin, with its 2,914 meter-high Mount Vihren to the northeast, traversed by the river Struma and accessible by only two gorges. At around 3,600 hectares, it is Bulgaria’s smallest wine-growing region, but it is extraordinarily beautiful. 

Indigenous grapes

Melnik and Melnik 55:
The indigenous grape varieties Melnik and Melnik 55, which are widespread in the Struma Valley and together make up 46% of the vineyard area, produce wines that are currently in high demand among wine lovers: light, rather light-colored reds, with structuring tannins, delicate fruit and a taut acidity – Nebbiolo or Nerello Mascalese come to mind. There are a number of hybrids of this variety, such as Melnik 55 (with Valdigiué), Jubilee Melni (with Saperavi) and Ruen (with Cabernet Sauvignon).

Mavrud:
But the king of Bulgarian grape varieties is Mavrud, which is red too. The wines vinified from it are the masculine counterpart to Melnik: often full-bodied, powerful and abstract, accessible when young but with great potential for ageing. It is said to have been discovered in Asenovgrad, south of Plovdiv, in the Western Thrace wine-growing region. The grape variety thrives around the towns of Parvomay, Perushtitza, Pazardzhik, Panagyurishte and Nova Zagora.

Gamza:
The third variety in the red league is Gamza, which grows mainly in north-west Bulgaria. Again, the wines tend to be on the lighter side of the color spectrum, with a beautiful, fresh berry fruit and light structure. 

Red Misket:
While the regions in inland Bulgaria, which include the Struma Valley and Western Thrace, Eastern Thrace, Northwest Bulgaria, the Central Danube Valley, Sakar and the Eastern Rhodope mountains are dominated by red wines, the Black Sea region is home to mainly white wines, such as the delicate, aromatic Red Misket, which is similar in color to Pinot Gris and produces refreshing, light, often floral wines. At 11%, it is the most widely grown grape variety on the southern Black Sea coast.

Dimyat:
On the north coast, however, the Dimyat variety dominates the range of grape varieties, at 16%. This variety is versatile and shows similarities to Chardonnay, especially the cool-climate variants. It often has citrus and stone fruit aromas, a refreshing and exciting acidity, and can tolerate some ageing on the fine lees and also in wood. Dimyat is mainly found by the Black Sea – it is thought to have originated  from the Nile Delta and that from there the Greeks brought it to Thrace.