Melnik, southwestern Bulgaria, is a region famed for the excellent quality wine produced there. Winston Churchill, a longtime fan of this wine, for years on end used to order from this robust, deep-flavoured ‘southern’ wine, produced from a unique local brand of vine. The fame of Melnik wine, and of Bulgarian wines as a whole, is a long-lasting one. Wine is yet another attraction for foreign tourists, who come here drawn by Bulgaria’s diverse nature and lovely sea and mountain resorts. The combination of the two is what has become popular as ‘wine tourism’. It has been especially successful in Southwest Bulgaria.

“The valley of the Struma River, with its warm and dry climate, is among the seven major vine-growing and wine-producing regions in this country. Some 900 hectares of vine plantations are grown here. The Vinprom wine cellar, near the town of Melnik, has been developing the attractive ‘wine tourism’ for some four years now. As the cellar opened to receive visitors, the interest in Bulgarian wines has been ever on the increase”, wine-guide Tsvetelina Shutova explains.

“Tours take place mostly in the wine cellar itself, but we also offer tours of the vine-yards. Our guides provide detailed information about the other landmarks in the region, including the authentic town of Melnik, and the surrounding pyramids that rank among the most remarkable natural phenomena in Bulgaria. In the Damyanitsa cellars tourists can try traditional Melnik cuisine and a fine selection of Melnik wines. The tour follows the wine’s path from the grapes stored, through the different manufacture processes to the wine’s bottling. Guests learn a lot about our region, the specificity of its vine brands, etc. Damyanitsa produces mainly high-quality dry red wine. The tour’s highlight is the wine-tasting in the cellar, where wine matures in oak barrels. Wine-tasting is a genuine art. We offer that pleasure to our guests, we tell them about the oak the barrels have been made of, and about its role in the process of maturing.”

A walk in the Damyanitsa wine cellar is about one hour long. The greatest number of visitors come from UK, Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries. A walk in Melnik and its vicinity is an unforgettable experience. Melnik is a unique blend of beautiful nature, genuine medieval and 19th century National Revival architecture, history, culture and exquisite wine. One can feel the somewhat Mediterranean atmosphere in this small town near the Greek border, which makes it an even more desirable destination. Tourists can visit the Kordopoulova House, featuring the deepest dug-in cellar in Bulgaria, where one can taste different local wines and dishes. Rozhen monastery, the Rupite site and the No man’s land border vine-yards are all nearby - all of them a must on the tourists’ agenda.

Written by: Lina Ivanova
English version: Antonia Apostolova
Source: Radio Bulgaria