This week we are talking about Bulgaria a country in Southeast Europe.
Wine Recommendations – Big thank you to Grapes & Barley Imports for providing the wines for this episode. All but one of these wines are from the Thracian Valley.
Bulgariana Rose 2017 – priced around $13.
- This rose wine is made with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes
- Aromas of strawberries, raspberries, watermelon and minerality
- Its dry with medium acidity with flavors similar to aromas – lots of berry flavors
- Light in aromas and flavors but everything I want in a rose – fruity, crisp, really refreshing
Rough Day Chardonnay 2016 – priced around $9.
- This is an unoaked style of Chardonnay
- Aromas of tropical fruits like melon and apricots as well as some lemon aromas
- It’s dry with a light to medium body, medium plus acidity with flavors similar to aromas – mostly tropical fruits
- This wine is a light crisp unoaked chardonnay that perfect for summer
Bulgariana Pinot Noir 2014 – priced $15.
- The grapes for this wine come from a subregion of the Danube Plain in North-east Bulgaria
- Aromas of cherry flavored cigars, salmai, and coffee
- Its dry with medium body, medium plus acidity, light tannins with flavors of cherries, tobacco, coffee and dirt
- This pinot is a more fuller body style and less fruit than Pinots from other places. Not your delicate Pinot Noir like Burgundy or Willamette Valley – this Pinot has some teeth
Bulgariana Gamza 2016 – priced around $12.
- Made from the Gamza grape – which is a dark skinned variety used to make red wine found in Central Europe and the Balkan area. It’s also known as Kadarka
- Aromas of dusty earth, spice with a hint of black cherries and black plum
- It’s dry with medium acidity and tannins, full body and flavors similar to aromas – dark fruits, spices and dusty earth
- Very deep full wine that is not very fruity but a great texture to the wine with smooth tannins
Rough Day Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 – priced around $10.
- Aromas of black cherries, blueberries, dusty earth and spice
- This wine is dry with medium acidity and tannins, full body and flavors of earth and dark fruits
- This wine is all about the fruit – its very juicy, really approachable wine with smooth, satin like tannins
Winemaker’s Selection Un Double Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah 2012
- This is a part of Walmart’s private label program
- 50% of each Cab Sav and Syrah
- Aromas of dark fruits like black cherries and black plum as well as pepper
- It’s a dry, full bodied wine with medium acidity and tannins with flavors similar to aromas – dark fruits and spice
- This wine is very juicy, ripe, lush wine that is big and bold
- We pair this wine with an aged cheese and it really shined with some fatty food
Sources
- Wine Folly
- Bulgian Wine
- Wikipedia
- Book: The World Atlas of Wine