Domaine Boyar: A Bulgarian Winery with Fans from All Around the World

Evgeni Haramliysky, CEO of Domaine Boyar, spoke about the challenges, competition, and future plans of the company at a recent interview for Forbes Bulgaria. You can read it below in English and find it in Bulgarian here.

Since the beginning of the year, Domaine Boyar has won several prestigious international awards. What are they and how did you decide to apply in these particular categories?

Every year we participate in the biggest and most prestigious international competitions together with many other Bulgarian wineries where we win dozens of gold and silver medals with our wines. This year we are particularly proud to receive the MUNDUS VINI award for "Best producer from Bulgaria" for the second time in a row. Last year, it was awarded to a Bulgarian winery for the first time, but to receive it again - for us, this is an exceptional recognition and guarantees the high quality of our wines.

MUNDUS VINI is undoubtedly one of the world's largest and most prestigious competitions, which annually evaluates samples from the best producers worldwide of all types and styles of wine. The competition takes place annually in Neustadt, Germany, and precedes Europe's largest beverage exhibition, ProWein (in Dusseldorf).

This is a recognition given by the elite of the world's wine experts at one of the most important competitions for the wine world, and its value is exceptional. For us, it is a great reward for the persistent, purposeful and very precise work of our entire team over the years. Every year, our wines win not only gold and silver medals at major competitions but also special awards in the categories "Best red wine from Bulgaria" and "Best white wine from Bulgaria".

What helps you stand out from the competition?

We just strive to produce wine in the best possible way. How do we achieve it? By not making any compromises regarding the quality of the wine we produce. It is not by chance that our slogan is "Good at making wine". This award is a recognition of the work of all Domaine Boyar employees. But the greatest credit goes to our oenologists who are among the best in Bulgaria and have complete freedom to create and use their skills in the best way.

How does Domaine Boyar's long history help you?

Experience is priceless. We know well the habits and tastes of consumers in the Bulgarian market. We know well the wishes of our customers abroad. We know how to achieve and maintain consistently high wine quality. Domaine Boyar is the only one among Bulgarian wineries that can guarantee its customers abroad constant quality in large volumes. We can differentiate our products well in the different price categories. We enjoy the trust of our customers both in Bulgaria and in 24 countries from four continents to which we export our wines.

What are the new trends you notice in the international wine market?

Consumers are still drinking Sauvignon Blanc, although there is already certain fatigue and retreat from this fashion. Despite everything, this variety is still the leader in sales of white wines. Exotic local varieties are being sought, which opens doors for Bulgarian Mavrud. The concept of a European blend, which is a blend of wines from several European countries, is becoming increasingly popular. For several years, there has been an increasing interest in rosé, whose sales are growing at a rapid pace every year. Now all countries in Europe produce "Province style" rosé.

What are your most prefered wines for last year?

Domaine Boyar offers over 250 items from 34 own brands of Bulgarian wines. Undisputed leaders in our sales on the Bulgarian market are wines from our most awarded QUANTUM series. Customers abroad prefer our wines from the DOMAINE BOYAR series. FRUTINO is the other brand with which we achieve incredible success both in Bulgaria and abroad. For three years, the BOLGARE series has enjoyed the trust of consumers who love Bulgarian traditions. BOUTIQUE COLLECTION is the series for sophisticated connoisseurs, and SOLITAIRE is a legendary brand in the highest class of wines in Bulgaria. Let's not forget the production of our boutique cellar Korten, which produces two series of wines and one brandy of extremely high quality. In two years, Korten Reserva brandy has become a legend and is among the most sought-after alcoholic beverages in Bulgaria.

How do the Bulgarians stand out from your foreign customers?

In the last six seven years, consumers and connoisseurs of wine in Bulgaria have significantly increased their wine culture and become much more understanding in terms of quality. In this way, they began to look for wines with a good quality/price ratio, and by this criteria, they are very close to the habits of consumers in developed markets such as Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands, etc. However, among Bulgarian connoisseurs, there are still people who are ready to pay a high price for a wine of questionable quality just because it is from a small producer or winery that cannot always offer the necessary quality and finesse. They rely more on experimental techniques and blends to stand out and position themselves.

What are the advantages of producing wine from Bulgaria?

There is not an advantage, only hardship. Bulgarian wine producers have not had a price competitive advantage on international markets for a long time. Bulgarian wine has a hard time fighting the competition of other large producing countries, which at the country level invest heavily in advertising. The sector of viticulture and winemaking is not sufficiently supported by the country, on the contrary, it is left out.

In short, producing wine in Bulgaria is a real adventure and it makes us feel like heroes. However, Bulgaria is a country with excellent climatic conditions for the production of mainly red wines. In Southeastern Bulgaria, the region of Harmanli - Svilengrad is one of the best in Europe for the production of the Merlot variety. Climate conditions are very similar to those of Bordeaux. We also produce very good Chardonnay, as well as many other white varieties, depending on the specifics of the micro district.

What can we expect from Domaine Boyar in the second half of 2022?

Domaine Boyard is the undisputed leader in people's minds as a producer of quality wines you can trust. It is no coincidence that in the last few editions of the competition for Superbrands Bulgaria, consumers chose Domaine Boyar as the SUPERBRAND of wine in Bulgaria.

But the Bulgarian market is already small for our ambitions. Domaine Boyard is taking an increasingly serious place in Europe as a large and reliable wine producer.

We also became the official distributor of the highest class de-alcoholized wines CARL JUNG, taking into account the increasingly obvious trend towards the consumption of low-alcohol and even non-alcohol drinks, which is growing strongly in Europe. Also, in our portfolio, we have accepted another small boutique Bulgarian cellar - Rupel Winery Bulgaria, that we also have interesting future projects.

In conclusion, I can say that our portfolio currently offers connoisseurs and our customers a full range of all types and styles of wine, including top-class white, rosés, and red wines from around the world.