Bulgarian Wine Route Day Trip

Bulgaria has been making wine for at least 6,000 years — the Thracians, who once occupied the lands between the Danube and the Aegean, are believed to have introduced viticulture to much of southeastern Europe — and the country today produces some of the most distinctive native-grape reds in the Balkans. This day route departs from Plovdiv and covers three working wineries in the Thracian Lowland, the historic heartland of Bulgarian viticulture. The first stop is a boutique cellar in the Brestovitsa wine region focused on the indigenous Mavrud grape, a deep-coloured red that produces wines with high tannin and considerable ageing potential. The winemaker walks the group through the vineyards, the fermentation cellar, and a tasting of three different Mavrud bottlings from successive vintages. The second visit is to a larger estate working with international varieties — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah — alongside the local Rubin grape, a 1944 Bulgarian crossing. Lunch is served at the estate restaurant overlooking the vineyards: typical mezedes, slow-cooked lamb, and tarator cucumber soup. The afternoon ends at a small family operation focused on natural wines, where the host pours from amphorae and explains the renewed interest in pre-industrial methods. Designated drivers are provided; tasters are encouraged to spit at the first two stops and savour at the third. The tour runs year-round, but the September harvest is when the cellars are at their most active.