Bars & craft beer · 20 of the best in Sofia
Bulgarian wine: Mavrud, Melnik and the Thracian Valley
The back story
About Bulgarian wine: Mavrud, Melnik and the Thracian Valley
Wine has been made in Bulgaria since the Thracians, who worshipped Dionysus. Today a new generation of wineries is reviving native grapes such as Mavrud and Shiroka Melnishka, and Sofia’s wine bars are the best place to discover them.
Native grapes
Look for Mavrud, a dark, tannic red from the Thracian Valley around Plovdiv; Shiroka Melnishka, the spicy red of Melnik in the south-west; Gamza from the north; and Dimyat and Misket among the whites.
Regions
The Thracian Valley and the Struma Valley, around Melnik, are the most famous regions, with many wineries open to visitors.
The Thracians were drinking wine here long before the Romans.
Our advice: ask a wine bar for a Mavrud and a Melnik side by side, buy a bottle at a wine shop, and if you go to Melnik, taste in the cellars cut into the sandstone.
Why it's on our list
- Thracian roots
- Native grapes
- Regions
- Where to taste
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Bulgarian wine: Mavrud, Melnik and the Thracian Valley before you go.