TOURIST PROGRAM
4. Melinik and wine tasting
15 July 2010
Melnik is a town in Blagoevgrad Province, southwestern Bulgaria, in the southwestern Pirin Mountains, about 440 m above sea level. The town is an architectural reserve and 96 of its buildings are cultural monuments. With a population of 385, it is the smallest town in Bulgaria, retaining its city status today for historical reasons.
The Ottoman conquest of the Balkans in the 14th-15th century resulted in a long period of decline, but Melnik was once again a thriving city in the 17th and 18th century, the time of the Bulgarian National Revival, due to the tobacco and wine production, with wine being exported abroad, mainly to England and Austria. In that time Melnik was also a centre of craftsmanship, particularly church decoration and woodcarving. Many Bulgarian schools and churches were built in Melnik in that period.
The classic image of Bulgarian wine has always been represented by the old Melnik wine produced by the local variety – “Wide Melnik Vine”. Venetian, Spanish and French rulers were considered privileged if they had this wine on their table. The fermentation of the grapes starts when they are touched by sunlight. That is the reason why in the past the wine growers picked up the vintage early in the morning before dawn or during the night in September. The pickers were sleeping in the vineyards during the day and at night the streets the were full of horses, mules and donkeys transporting grapes to the numerous wineries, where due to the constant low temperature the sacrament of maturation and aging happens.
You will have the opportunity not only to hear detailed information about all varieties available in the Melnik vineyards from a professional sommelier, but also to taste a great selection of traditional Bulgarian wines that carry the spirit of the ancient Thracians in every drop.