Decanter 2019 World Wine Awards - a historic year for Bulgaria

Bordeaux from France, Chianti from Italy or Retsina from Greece - Europe's most famous wines have been delighting experts and connoisseurs for decades. But the traditional wine regions are getting competition! Bulgaria is on its way to becoming a true wine nation and was able to pick up a good number of prizes at the Decanter 2019 World Wine Awards. What exciting innovations are there in winegrowing in Bulgaria and which Bulgarian wines should you definitely try? Find out!

The renowned British wine magazine "Decanter" has been presenting its coveted Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for 16 years. For the awards, wine connoisseurs around the globe are consulted, who subject the wines to a thorough examination. Each year, around 15,000 wines from all over the world are submitted for judging. The annual Decanter World Wine Awards have a very special status in the world of wine and culinary arts. There are two reasons for this. First, the members of the jury are given significantly more time for their evaluation than at similar award ceremonies. For an entire week, the jury tests and evaluates the submitted bottles at the same location. In the process, they are in constant communication with each other. On the other hand, the awards themselves do not see themselves as a pure competition. For example, every wine that receives 95 points or more is awarded gold. There is no limit to how often gold - or any of the other awards - is given each year. That's to keep politics out of the awards. Each wine is judged on its own merits, without comparing it too closely to competitors. This makes the Awards a reliable quality designation.

For the interested customer, this means that the list of winners is guaranteed to contain only outstanding wines. For the next wine gift or the next bottle for a very special occasion, you as a hobby connoisseur can thus make a purchase decision from an excellent pre-selection. On this year's list of winners are finally also deservedly numerous Bulgarian wines.

A whole 41 Bulgarian wines made it onto the medal list of the Decanter 2019 World Wine Awards this year - a record! In total, only about 60 wines were submitted from Bulgaria, which only makes the high rate of winning bottles even more impressive. Three wine varieties were able to take home a gold medal:

Single Melnik 55 from Orbelus, 2016 vintage.
Special Reserva from Villa Yustina, vintage 2015
Cabernet Sauvignon by Minkov Brothers, 2017 vintage.

All three scored 95 out of 100 points each. No less convincing were those wines from Bulgaria, which from now on may boast Decanter Silver. The Heritage Pinot Noir from the Edoardo Miroglio winery, which only missed gold by a single point, deserves special mention. A whole seven wines made it to a silver position with very good 93 or 92 points. These seven wines are:

Reserva by Katarzyna, 2012 vintage.
Mavrud from Katarzyna, vintage 2017
Cabernet Franc-Syrah by Vera Terra, vintage 2016.
Prima from Orbelus, vintage 2015
Via Aristotelis Merlot by Orbelia, vintage 2016
Cuvee by Minkov Brothers, vintage 2017
Cabernet Franc by Zelanos, vintage 2016.

This is followed by 10 other silver wines and a whole 20 wines that managed to get the bronze award. The most represented in the list is the Minkov Brothers winery with no less than six excellent wines, including one gold wine with 95 points. The company was founded in 1875 by three brothers. Even then they were able to win an international wine award. Today, next to the wine cellar, there is also a museum where you can look over the shoulders of the winemakers.

The list of Decanter 2019 World Wine Awards shows one thing above all: wines from Bulgaria are as diverse as the country itself! The success is mainly due to the investments of the last decade. Agricultural program of the EU made it possible to plant about 5000 hectares of land with new vines. This was urgently needed, as many vines had previously been plagued by old age. Bulgarian winegrowers seized the opportunity and revived their business with renewed passion. A positive development, after all, the winegrowing tradition of Bulgaria is one of the oldest in Europe. Archaeological findings show that wine was already cultivated here 5000 years ago. However, the Ottoman occupation with its ban on alcohol destroyed much of the old knowledge. In the years of socialism after the Second World War, wine was produced in large masses under state control, mainly for export.

Today, the situation has changed completely. Bulgaria focuses on quality over quantity and many wineries are firmly in the hands of families. Bulgarian wines come mainly from five regions. In almost the entire country, the climate and soil conditions can be compared to Tuscany - and thus made for wine growing! In the south of Bulgaria, on the border with Turkey, mainly red wines are grown and produced. In the east, towards the Black Sea, white vines such as Sauvignon Blanc , Riesling and Gewürztraminer thrive. With almost 10,000 hectares under cultivation each, the most popular grape varieties in Bulgaria are Pamid and Merlot. They are also on the list of Decanter 2019 World Wine Awards winners from Bulgaria several times.

You want to bring back memories of your last vacation on Sunny Beach or city trip in Sofia and you are planning a Bulgarian evening? With some traditional recipes and a good Bulgarian wine, your success as a host is guaranteed. The national dish Kavarma is a stew similar to goulash with meat from lamb or pork, peppers, tomatoes and some other vegetables. A little red wine is also added to the sauce. No less hearty is bob-chorba, the Bulgarian bean soup. All these hearty and aromatic dishes go well with full-bodied red wines. So it is no wonder that 70% of all vines cultivated in Bulgaria are red wine varieties. What the Bulgarian winemakers themselves like to drink is of the highest quality.

Fans of good white wine drink it in the Bulgarian cuisine to the starter salad, the Schopska salad. Traditionally, this is served with Rakia fruit brandy, but wine is also the perfect accompaniment to a plate full of tomatoes, cucumbers, spring onions and, of course, high-quality Bulgarian sheep's cheese. Round off the enjoyable evening with a sweet, velvety wine like Katarzyna's Mavrud, which won the silver award at the Decanter 2019 World Wine Awards.

This year's result of the Decanter World Wine Awards gives a positive outlook for the coming year. Experts agree: The wine world expects more and more, better and better wines from Bulgaria, which no longer have to hide from the international competition. A good result in the most renowned wine test in the world serves as motivation to invest even more in viticulture. Foreign investors and aid projects have also contributed to this success. Winegrowers from all over Europe took advantage of the country's accession to the EU to acquire fallow winegrowing land. Care was taken to always include Bulgarian farmers in the process and to pass on knowledge and experience about modern viticulture to them.

International attention is paid especially to the region of Thrace in the south of the country. The Mediterranean conditions prevailing here are ideal for the full-bodied red wines that are so popular. Experts in the wine industry appreciate the drive of the Bulgarian people and admire especially the young people who want to make a name for themselves in wine. With the first-class ratings in wine magazines & Co also comes the commercial success. Next time you are standing in front of the wine rack in the supermarket, reach for a bottle from Bulgaria. You will definitely not regret it!