Yes that's right. Bacchus, the ancient god of wine wasn't Greek as we are all taught but, in fact, was Thracian. He was said to live in the Rodop Mountains which are part of modern day Bulgaria. Forget Greece: the original wine deity was Bulgarian! So can we say that Bulgarian wine is actually divine? Based on what I've tasted over the past couple of days, yes!
There is a long history of winemaking here on the Thracian planes. According to archeological studies, the territory that Bulgaria now occupies may have been one of the first winemaking regions in the world, and is certainly the first to have decreed a geographical "denomination" in 2 AD. This is hardly surprising given the climate and soils are naturally suited to wine production, as well as the central role of Black Sea towns on the ancient trading route: Nessebar, Sozopol, Varna.
Not only is there an ancient winemaking tradition here on the Thracian planes but there is a long history linking Laithwaite's and this region. Tony Laithwaite was the first person to export wine from Bulgaria in the late 1970s when the country's wine industry was controlled by the state monopoly Vinipex. By the early 1980s Bulgaria was exporting 1.2 million bottles of wine outside the Soviet Union, half a million of which were consumed by our Laithwaite's customers. Bulgarian Cabernet was big!
But following the disbanding of the USSR, Bulgaria suffered from a downturn in industry, lack of investment, and a constant egress of population. In fact, Bulgaria is one of the poorest coutries in Eastern Europe. The wine industry also stagnated as producers struggled to access the tools they needed to make high quality wine, and so could no longer find a route to market or could only sell their cheapest, high volume wines to supermarket chains. But recently, some growers have risen from the post-communist difficulties to develop modern wineries with cutting-edge technology while looking after the fantastic vineyards that have always flourished in this part of the world.
This story of renewal can also be linked to Laithwaite's. Back in the 70s and 80s a young Margo Todorov worked for the state monopoly. As Tony explains, Margo was one of the few people who could speak English in the government-run export board for Bulgarian wine. He was exposed to the more modern wine styles from all around the world that were in our range at that time, and the methods by which those wines were made. He took all this knowledge back to Bulgaria to help develop the wine industry there. Since the 90s he has invested his time and money in building the most successful independent commercial winery in democratic Bulgaria. Now he is keen to return to his routes and see his wine sold by the company that put Bulgaria on the map.
Margo's winery is Domaine Boyar, and they have made a special Cabernet based on the wine that was so well-loved by Laithwaite's customers 30 years ago. This is a rich, bold Cabernet, full of juicy red fruits with just a touch of oak to add structure and complexity.
The wine is named after the treaty which gave Bulgaria its independence from Turkey after five centuries of rule, and so it is a name very dear to our Bulgarian friends. This special Cuvée Cabernet will relaunch Bulgaria into the Laithwaite's range, and continue the exciting developments of our Eastern European portfolio. We were there first in the final decade of the Soviet Union, and now we can be there as Bulgaria focuses on developing a quality wine industry opening up its well-kept secrets to an eager drinking public!
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