WINE TOUR

This tour is based in beautiful Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second city, centre of the fertile Thracian Plain. These are the ancient lands of the God of Wine Dionysus and the legendary heroes Orpheus and Spartacus. Vine growing and wine making have for centuries been a traditional craft and are inseparably intertwined in the life-style of the Bulgarians. Our tour takes place during the busiest time of year, the vintage or harvest. We shall visit ancient monuments under UNESCO protection, modern wineries and home cellars in villages, some of which can bid for a Guinness world record for the largest number of wine cellars per head of the population!

During the last fifteen years the Bulgarian wine industry has made enormous strides away from the familiar 1990s state monopoly produced mass market wines. Huge investments have been poured into young vineyards and new technology. A shift has taken place away from supermarket driven exports to the presentation of prized wines in local restaurants and their own estate wine-cellars. Come on our tour at the most exciting time in the vine-growers’ year and be among the first to witness the sea-change taking place in Bulgaria’s wine-making.