While much of the wine produced in Bulgaria is made from commonly known international varietals and wineries generally grow and produce many different varietals (not focusing on a few varietals-but instead experimenting with many) there are some very interesting wines being made from Bulgarian grapes as well.
The interesting thing about the Bulgarian grapes being used most predominantly currently is that some of them are grapes that have existed for thousands of years and others have been created more recently in a lab. Here are a list of the most common (not an exhaustive list) Bulgarian grapes being used in Bulgarian wine production currently:
Red Grapes
Broad-Leaved Melnik (or Shiroka Melnik in Bulgarian)
Has been cultivated since ancient times in Southwest Bulgaria’s Struma River Valley .
Though later ripening than the more newly developed Melnik 55, the Shiroka Melnik has a more red fruit forward (with some baking spices or tobacco) and medium body with less strong tannins and tar notes than Melnik 55. Out of the two I found the Shiroka to be more elegant and a tad lighter bodied.
Mavrud
Indigenous small berried, late ripening red variety first cultivated thousands of years ago. It makes a slightly lighter bodied but very aromatic red wine but can be either inky and strong (if put in strong oak or a large % new oak) or subtle and easy to drink (if left un-oaked or put in only neutral oak and held back a few years). I tried quite a few Mavrud wines in the Melnik and South Sakar regions, but my favorite were the softer, less oaked and longer aged (in bottle or tank) versions I found at Malkata Zvezda and Bratanov wineries in South Sakar.
Melnik 55
A hybrid of the local Shiroka Melnik and a mix of French varieties (Durif, Jurançon, Valdiguié and Cabernet Sauvignon) this grape was created in 1963 with the objective of having an earlier ripening Melnik grape. When oaked (with some new oak) this grape can make quite an inky, heavy wine. If you are a Rioja or Ribera del Duero drinker-this might be the Bulgarian grape for you.
Rubin
Rubin is a successful crossing of Nebbiolo and Syrah. It was created in Bulgaria in 1944. A full bodied, deep colored, intense varietal. You don’t see very many 100% Rubin wines but I tasted a very good cab franc/merlot/rubin blend (called the South Sakar Hills blend) at Bratanov winery.
White Grapes
Dimyat
Thought the exact origins of this grape are not known it is grown almost exclusively in Bulgaria and has been around for a very long time. Recent DNA studies have shown it to be a cross with Gouais Blanc. It is grown primarily near the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria and produces dry aromatic white wines which are said to have distinct vanilla nuances.
Misket
Actually a pink grape, this ancient variety is grown in most of the wine regions in Bulgaria that produce dry white wines.
Sandanski Misket
Less perfumey than Tamianka but definitely remniscent of muscat this ‘Bulgarian muscat’ (dubbed so by most Bulgarian wine industry folks I spoke to) is a hybrid of Shiroka Melnika and pollens from Tamianka and Cabernet Sauvignon created by eonologists in 1979.
This misket is able to maintain relatively high acidity even when sugars rise which is important in the hot wine growing regions in Bulgaria (for example Melnik and Sakar). The result (when care is take in the winemaking process) can be lovely lean, crisp, clean white wines with subtle and pleasant muscat aromatics that don’t overpower. A great example of this is at Orbelia winery.
Why the name Sandanski? Yane Sandanski was a Bulgarian revolutionist and ‘hero of the people’. You will see his name around a lot in Bulgaria!
Tamianka
This isn’t actually a Bulgarian grape but I’m listing it here because when you find this grape (actually Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains) in Bulgaria they treat it like it is a Bulgarian grape (including he-hem the name) and it certainly takes on a very unique character when grown in Bulgarian terroir.
Incredibly aromatic (a bit too perfumey for my taste in most cases) with a lot of floral and kiwi or tangerine notes on the nose this grape can be heady and overwhelming when made on it’s own in a hot climate. I was impressed though, by an excellent Chardonnay Tamianka blend I tasted at Bratanov Winery in South Sakar. The Chardonnay toned down the overt aromas a bit and added some nice acidity and just enough weight.
I love wine and I had no idea Bulgaria had their own wines too! Since I’m more of a white wine person, I’d probably go for a Dimyat with the distinct vanilla nuances. Sounds like my taste!
Let me say it outright, I hadn’t heard about Bulgarian wines let alone their grapes. Interesting post. Makes me realise that it is not just France, Germany and Italy that have great wines.
Ok, you got with those white wines list. I love that more than red. Dimyat does sound like my kind of wine while Misket sounds a bit like the dessert wines. It is a little sweeter? My guess is that pink grapes make it so. Thanks for this list for I will now look out for them
When I was studying for WSET exams these are the names that gave me the most trouble trying to remember how to spell them let alone what their flavour profile was. They were not on the radar then so even tasting them was problematical. Your post explains the differences so well it would have made my life a whole lot easier!
Ooh! That’s a lovely list for wine lovers! Didn’t know much about Bulgarian wine. Interesting fact that Sandanski Misket is named after a Bulgarian Hero. I personally love a good dry white wine. Would love to try the Dimyat, can’t resist vanilla in any form.
Wow Amazing varieties of wine. All the names sound so exotic.
Misket sounds good and I like pink. 🙂
Wow, Love your blog, wine is one of my favorite subjects, hehe. Great insight on each type of wine. I personally love Melnik 55, a mix of French varieties bit expensive I found.
yes I can imagine finding these wines is not easy if you aren’t in Bulgaria or a very nearby country!
Hola Ami,
Well the Misket isn’t sweet unless the winemaker chooses for it to be so. The color of a grape doesn’t affect its sweetness. If the winemaker chooses to let the grape ripen until the sugars are higher it will be sweeter. If they don’t-it won’t.
Drier wines are definitely more popular now-at least in the Western wine markets but certainly in Central and Eastern Europe you still find more off-dry (slightly sweet) white and Rose wines because these markets still like these sweeter wines and most people (that didn’t work in the wine industry) I asked in Bulgaria all said they liked to drink semi-sweet white wines so this was very different for me, coming from California Bay Area & the U.S wine industry where we have been obsessed with drier and drier wines over the past 15 years.
The Mavrud sounds simply lovely and I’m dying for some red wine now. I also love the sound of the tangerine and kiwi flavors in Tamianka. Delish!
I’ve only started really enjoying wine over the last few years, so I feel like I have a lot to learn. There are so many varieties! I hadn’t really heard of Bulgarian wines, so this break down is much appreciated.
Ooohh.. This is such an interesting post! Thank you for this introduction to Bulgarian grapes wine. Bulgaria have indeed a lot of wines to offer. I’m not really a wine drinker but I’d love a glass or two occasionally. I usually go for the red win when I drink but I think I’d love to try the Sandanski Misket. So cool to know where the name came from!
thank you Marvi! I do love discovering the undiscovered….:)
I’d love to visit Bulgaria, hadn’t thought about it for a wine-themed holiday but can see that would work really well. I’d like to visit a range of vineyards to find the wines made from each of these grapes.
I don’t drink at all, but the art of wine making and tasting is very intriguing to me. And of course, I find that driving through a countryside filled with vineyards is one of the most rewarding experiences. This post on Bulgarian grapes and wines is an eye-opener.
I’m definitely a white wine drinker over or red for sure. Thanks for sharing this amazing list.
I love sampling new wines, but was totally unaware of Bulgarian grapes. Really loved learning through this post and can’t wait to start tasting those amazing and complex flavours!
I love wine but Bulgarian wine was unheard of before this post. I had no idea it was a thing, far less something with so much depth and breadth. Thanks for sharing! Very interesting post 🙂
Great photos! I had no idea Bulgarian wine was so complex. Thanks for the interesting post~
Hi Brooke,
We are a mother/daughter team importing Bulgarian wine into California. We are expanding our social media presence and would like permission to use some of your blogs on our site. http://www.kristovafamilypartners.com. We will give you credit when we quote your blog.
Hi Helen,
Yes, you may use some quotes (and please do mention my blog and name). However, please do not copy and paste any whole blog posts and use them as Google penalizes duplicate content and that will hurt both my site and your site as Google does not like to see duplicate content. Please feel free to email me at: adifferentkindoftravel@gmail.com as well
Cheers!
Brooke