A. Yotova + S. Pirev from Bononia Estate in conversation with Capital

Bononia Estate is located in northwestern Bulgaria between the villages of Gomotartsi and Koshava in the district of Vidin. Its vineyards extend directly on the banks of the Danube currently over an area of just over 150 hectares. Aglika Yotova, member of the owning family, presented the winery in the Bulgarian edition of Capital magazine some time ago. In addition, the production manager of Bononia Estate, Stefan Pirev, had his say there.

For Aglika Yotova, the management of the Bononia Estate is a matter of the heart - and the revival of an old tradition. This is also expressed in the fact that the family business, Bononia, bears the name of the ancient Roman fortress that stood nearby on the banks of the Danube and from which the present-day town of Widin emerged. In fact, behind the winery itself is a story as exciting as it is idiosyncratic. Yotova calls it a "journey through the centuries" as well as "the heritage and union of traditions from 3 centuries".

It all began in the 19th century, when a Hungarian named Victor Olinger founded one of the first breweries in Bulgaria here. Soon, however, he thought better of it and converted the business into a winery. The success lasted for quite a while: "Some 40 to 50 years ago, Vidin was still one of the leading wine regions in Bulgaria," explains production manager Stefan Pirev. Aglika Yotova becomes somewhat sad, however, when she reports that the region lost touch with the country's overall development in the decades that followed and even fell into oblivion. In 2010, however, the Yotov family discovered the area and was fascinated by the unique terroir and, of course, the beautiful landscapes near the Danube. So they decided to revive viticulture in the region. From the very beginning, it was important to the Yotovs to unite all steps of the production of their wines under the roof of their winery, from the vine to the bottling. The great advantage of this approach is that it allows the elaboration of distinctive wine types.

A central role in the production of high-quality Bulgarian white and rosé wines, as well as light, fragrant red wines, rich in essential oils, is played by Stefan Pirev. He is one of Bulgaria's leading oenologists, with a career spanning more than 30 years. As production manager, he uses all his skills to develop the full potential of the terroir for the wines of Bononia Estate. As a result, they are, in his words, "elegant, fresh, rich in volume and strong in character." For Aglika Yotova, what also counts is that Bononia wines appeal to people for whom authenticity is important and who are looking for an alternative to mass-produced wines. Bononia Estate's wine cellar should therefore be among the best in Eastern Europe - also in order to restore the international reputation of Bulgarian wines.

However, Bononia Estate with its 4 product lines Gomotartsi, Istar, Ooh La La and Reserva is currently still mainly represented on domestic markets. Yotova mentions the grocery chains Metro, CBA and HIT, which are widespread in Bulgaria, as well as specialized wine stores such as Casa Vino and Vino Orenda. In addition, Bononia Estate wines are available in many restaurants in Sofia as well as in Bulgarian vacation resorts such as the winter sports resort of Bansko, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains. Numerous other sales outlets are constantly being added.

But also the plans for an international appearance of Bononia Estate are well advanced as well as already implemented in parts. "We regularly participate in numerous, international exhibitions and competitions. Among them are events in Houston, USA, in London, England, in Dortmund, Germany, but also in Guangzhou, China," lists Aglika Yotova. She also reports about the popularity as well as the increasing international interest in Bulgarian wine. This even applies to outstanding wine nations such as Spain. Aglika Yotova did her doctorate there a few years ago. The subject of her dissertation was wine and Bononia Estate. For this reason, she brought some samples to the tasting and could enjoy much praise.

The winery also benefits from the increasing popularity of the autochthonous red grape variety Gamza, which is mainly cultivated in the Bulgarian Danube plain, and which has spread beyond the country's borders. It is one of the main focuses of Bononia Estate. Already, Gamza can be found in the Yotov family's vineyards on more than 45 hectares. "However, demand is so great that we can't take all the orders," notes Yotova, adding, "So we'll be expanding the acreage significantly soon."