Why Bulgarian Wines?
Ancient Thracian wine culture, native grapes you've never tried, and a quality revival still flying under the radar.
Mavrud, the Thracian Red
Bulgaria's signature grape: dark, brooding, built for the table. Our 91-point Telescope Mavrud proved exactly what this country can do.
Three Thousand Vintages Deep
Winemaking here goes back to the 12th century BC. Native grapes — Pamid, Gamza, Melnik — share 150,000 hectares with Merlot and Cabernet, and the post-Soviet revival keeps getting better.
A Wine Journey Through Bulgaria
Five official regions; two the EU protects. Here is the shape of the country.
Thracian Lowland
The south — Mavrud country, and the source of the structured reds Bulgaria is being rediscovered for. One of two EU-protected PGIs.
Danubian Plain
Nearly all of northern Bulgaria, along the river: Pamid and Kadarka beside international reds — the everyday engine of Bulgarian wine.
Black Sea, Rose Valley & Struma
The east coast, the valley south of the Balkans, and the southwest river valley — smaller zones with their own micro-climates and local specialties like Melnik.
Bulgarian Wine, Answered
What wine is Bulgaria known for?
Reds. Mavrud and Melnik are the native stars, Pamid is the most planted local grape, and Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon lead the international plantings across 150,000 hectares.
What is Mavrud?
Bulgaria's signature red: dark, structured and built for the table, grown mainly in the Thracian Lowland. Our 91-point Telescope Mavrud showed how seriously it can punch above its price.
Is Bulgarian wine good?
The Thracians were praised for their wine before the Greeks, and after the post-communist slump, Bulgaria rebuilt itself into a niche source of fine wine at very competitive prices. The best bottles overdeliver.
What are Bulgaria's wine regions?
Five were drawn up in 1960 — Danubian Plain, Black Sea, Rose Valley, Thracian Lowland and Struma Valley — and the EU recognizes two protected regions that cover most of them: the Danubian Plain and the Thracian Lowland.
Does Big Hammer Wines carry Bulgarian wine?
We've stocked the Telescope Mavrud and Telescope Red Blend — small allocations that sold through. When the next Bulgarian bottling clears our 90+ bar, it lands here. Special orders welcome.