site.btaNoya Winery Focuses on White Wines from Tamyanka and Vratsa Muscat 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.

Marin Kovachev, one of the owners of Noya Winery in the village of Oreshak near Troyan, said that this year they are focusing heavily on white wines from the Tamyanka and Vratsa Muscat varieties, and on one or two very good rose varieties.

"Bulgarians, especially those accustomed to more traditional flavors, prefer red wines. Rose wine also has its enthusiasts, while in the summer we mostly sell white wines," he added.

Noya Winery was licenced in 2019 and takes its name from the oldest known name for the Osam River, dating back to Thracian times, which springs very close to the winery. It has a capacity of about 90,000 litres, placing it on the border between a small and medium-sized winery, Kovachev explained.

The equipment used in the winery is extremely modern and high-tech, with all vessels featuring built-in cooling systems, he noted. "The vessels we use represent the cutting edge of technology in our field and allow us to produce truly high-quality wines."

The winery does not own its own vineyards; it buys grapes from producers all over the country, most often from villages around Pleven, Harmanli, Sandanski, and the Black Sea region. "We choose to work with vine-growers who are passionate and cultivate more interesting and higher-quality grape varieties. We verify a wide range of varieties, with over 22 types of white, rose, and red wines," Kovachev emphasized.

"If someone wants to make good red wine at home, it’s possible, with a lot of care and effort. But that’s not the case with white wines and roses. The technological processes required to make good, aromatic rose wine are nearly impossible to achieve in home conditions," added Kovachev.

According to him, among the winery’s major points of pride this year are the awards from two forums – Vinaria in Plovdiv and Wine Fest in Burgas.

“For yet another year, we were the winery with the most medals. We received gold medals there for our white wine from Tamyanka and for our rose from Marselan,” the owner noted.

At the forum in Burgas, the winery again won a series of awards, including a gold medal for a rose made from Cabernet Franc, he added.

“What makes our roses special - what sets us apart from everyone else and is the reason we’ve won all these prestigious awards,  is the high performance across all characteristics used to evaluate premium wines,” noted Kovachev.For rose wines, those characteristics include a pleasant aroma, freshness, and a long-lasting flavor. “Our Marselan rose wine fulfills all of these in a very special way, with beautiful notes of red fruits and citrus,” Kovachev added.

The owner of Noya Winery also noted that producers are currently in the midst of the grape harvest and processing campaign.

“Unlike the situation with the harvest of other fruits, this year there are enough grapes. However, prices are about 40% higher compared to last year,” Kovachev pointed out.

Since the last harvest, the trend has been to focus on more interesting grape varieties, he said. Based on his impressions from recent wine events, many wineries are starting to produce white wines from Tamiyanka and Vratsa Muscat - varieties that Noya has already been using for three or four years.

The winery has also participated in exhibitions in Germany and Slovenia, but according to Kovachev, visitors there did not show strong interest in Bulgarian wines.
“Support from the state for promotion would be very helpful for small and medium-sized wineries,” he stated.

This week, the Bulgarian Plum Festival is taking place in Troyan, and the winery will be participating with its own booth, where it expects to attract considerable attention from visitors.

Noya Winery will also take part in the Young Wine Parade in Plovdiv, Kovachev added.