The Republic of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: България) in south-east Europe with the capital Sofia covers 110,994 km². It occupies most of the eastern Balkan Peninsula and borders Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south and the Black Sea to the east.
Bulgaria has a very old wine-growing tradition. Based on archaeological finds and traditional texts, the origins point to a beginning as early as 5,000 years ago. Thracian tribes to the north and south of the Balkan Mountains cultivated wild vines and practised a pronounced cult in honour of the god of wine, Dionysus. The Thracians are credited with cultivating the oldest Bulgarian grape varieties and their ancestors such as Mavrud, Pamid, Dimyat, Melnik (Shiroka Melnishka) and Gamza (Kadarka). At the time of the Roman Empire, wine from Thrace was a sought-after export to Greece, Sicily, Asia Minor (Anatolia, Turkey) and Egypt.
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Markus J. Eser
Weinakademiker und Herausgeber „Der Weinkalender“