site.btaKaliakra Winery Shifts towards White Grape Varieties

BTA will present dozens of Bulgarian wineries in the New BG WINE Leads the Way series ahead of the 9th UN Global Conference on Wine Tourism, which will be hosted in Plovdiv. The forum is organized by the Ministry of Tourism in partnership with the UN World Tourism Organization.

Kaliakra Winery shifted its focus to producing white grape varieties, technologist Ani Kostova told BTA on Tuesday. The winery also maintains vineyards with red varieties as the market seeks grapes for white, red and rosé, while the region’s climate is better suited to fresher whites and rosés and to more fruit-driven reds, she added.

The area where the vineyards now stand had long been planted with vines. “Yields are good, but rain before and during harvest does not help; it rather hinders,” Kostova said.

“Heavy rainfall affects ripeness and the sanitary condition of the grapes, as diseases begin after treatments have finished. Plant protection in the vineyard is over by then and the vines should be ripening and accumulating sugars; when there is rainfall, it affects the sugar levels,” Kostova said. She explained that vines have deep root systems, Dobrudzha soils are rich, and the vineyards are equipped with drip irrigation.

“We will work with the Varna Misket variety this year, and wine from it is expected in up to two years,” Kostova said. “There is a trend of returning to old Bulgarian grape varieties and we decided to try exactly Varna Misket. We are from the region, and both the variety and the wine are in demand,” Kostova added.

The winery implemented an innovative approach by acquiring a specialized sprayer capable of treating four rows simultaneously, enhancing plant protection and resulting in improved grape quality and vineyard hygiene.

“We have the most difficulty finding workers. Everything we do requires manual outdoor labour. We have workers from Uzbekistan and from Sliven, especially now during harvest. It is getting harder to find people for field work,” Kostova said.

She added that another issue is the lack of State support amid a wave of Romanian imports at very low prices that undercut the grape market. “The subsidy for vineyards is approximately BGN 40 per decare, which is insufficient given our high production costs. I cannot assess the quality of imported Romanian grapes, but if they are offered at very low prices, it is likely that they benefit from substantial state support,” Kostova said.

The winery takes part in wine exhibitions.

“Every year we participate in VarnaWINEkend at the Archaeological Museum, and this year we will debut in Dobrich at Food and Wine from October 3 to 5. The wines are well received, primarily due to their limited availability and high quality. In Varna, all stock sold out, including the bottles used for tastings,” Kostova said, adding that the winery primarily produces standard dry wines and does not produce sweet or sparkling wines.

“A larger, new tasting room in Tuscan style will be built here, which can also host events. The idea is that visitors will have somewhere to stroll, try a glass of quality wine, look at the vineyards and varieties, and make their choice,” Kostova concluded.

Kaliakra Winery produces limited series of high-quality wines as well as table wines. The vineyards were developed with Agroles EOOD. The company secures quality grapes from 370 decares of its own vineyards established in 2013 and has produced wine since 2016. The shop and vineyards are located in the Shabla Vineyards area, 2 km from Kaliakra.

The estate cultivates Muscat Ottonel, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Syrah, with recent additions of Varna Misket. Ani Kostova is the winemaker. A small tasting room is available for sampling and retail purchases, with the option to tour the vineyard. A larger venue for events is also planned.