Harvesting: the Festive Season of Fine Bulgarian Wine

If February 14th is the holiday of love and hope, currently we are in one of the other most beautiful periods of the year - the grape harvest. It is most loved here, in the lands of the Thracians who worshiped Dionysus because they knew there was nothing more eternal than the regenerating cycles of nature and wine. The most direct way to feel nature's power is to taste the grapes. A taste that reminds you both of the sweetness of life and the fine wine it will become in the future. Also, for the strength that we draw from traditions.

Speaking of traditions - in the summer we ended up at the Folk Costume Festival in Zheravna; a lavish, colourful and patriotic experience. There we met many keepers of the traditions, аnd we said ‘cheers’ to the visitors, sipping on the pleasant "Bolgare" wines - made in with the Bulgarian spirit. How is it made and why is it one of the most preferred in our country?

"The work is hard, but also very interesting", shared the chief oenologists Rosen and Kapka Georgievi. They have a lot to say about the complex and exciting process of making quality wines. The grapes are carefully selected and sorted on a line, where they are manually cleaned of leaves and defective bunches. Then it is "crushed" in a special "vibrating grape harvester", where the grapes are separated from the bunches. There is also second hand sifting, and then the seeds go into fermentation vessels. Extraction of colouring matter, tannins and aromas is applied there. What is the desired ideal goal? To achieve the so-called "well-structured wine", that is, the taste is distinct, with a pronounced varietal and with aging potential, say the top oenologists.

But if this is the urgent work that accompanies the harvest and the days immediately after it, the wine needs another, smooth and long process: aging. And we do not make any compromise with our wines". The main barrels used for the aging are made of French oak. Wood can enrich the wine with the aroma of vanilla, baked bread, sweet and black pepper, chocolate... From it comes the feeling of "spice", which gives the taste nobility and depth.

The barrels are periodically roasted to renew and prolong their life. A barrel can be roasted more or less depending on the desire of the oenologist. If it is more roasted, it will also give a smokier tone to the wine. If it is less roasted, the taste will be more direct", tells us the cooper Dinko, who has been working in our cellar in Korten for more than two decades.

"All the specialists who work at Domaine Boyar are dedicated to the mission of creating quality wines in all price categories, striving to offer the best price for the corresponding quality wine. Each of our wine brands offers a different taste experience to the wine lovers, because we work with a very wide range of varieties and create interesting blends between them. At "Bolgare" wines, we follow our native traditions of making good wine and rely on local Bulgarian varieties, striving to offer people the closest to the taste of a Bulgarian wine", says Elina Spasova , Marketing Director of Domaine Boyar.

And all these efforts are made, in order to achieve harmony in a single moment. That moment when one sips from the glass of "Bolgare", during one of the last sunsets of the warm days, when the sun is reflected in the sunset in the red colour. It poured strength and flavor into the fine grape, as the winemakers worked on it with great dedication, knowledge, and professionalism. And, of course, with a personal touch.