site.btaFamily-owned Berenice Winery to Launch Limited Series Wines and Expand Facilities

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.

A limited series blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Misket will be among the new products that family-owned Berenice Winery will present in 2025. "We are also preparing something exclusive, a limited series to be revealed at a later stage, as for now we want to keep it secret. We can hint, however, that for this jewel we will use selected rows from our small Mavrud vineyard. We will not stray from our style and recognizable signature, which define our wines as clean, fruity, and with minimal technological intervention," the owners said.

"For the family and Berenice Winery, 2025 is a particularly special year as it marks their 'first five.' This inspired the idea to create I primi cinque, which is 100% Mavrud, vintage 2024, aged in old French barriques, with a series of up to 400 bottles, telling their story and offering a completely new reading while also expressing the terroir of the microregion in Parvenets village,” the owners explained.

The family will also invest in storage vessels and fermenters. A shop is in the final stage of construction right next to the production facility and is expected to be completed within two months. Above it, several guest rooms will be built for overnight stays. A larger project is also planned, which will include an underground cellar and a tasting area.

The winery has about 1.5 hectares of its own Merlot vineyards, and rents land for Mavrud. "For us, 2025 has been very fruitful, we managed to harvest good and healthy grapes from our two vineyards near Parvenets. We strongly believe we will create beautiful, fruity and elegant wines from this harvest, which has been the mission of our winery since its establishment," the owners noted.

In 2025, about 10 tonnes of Merlot grapes were harvested, five of which were sold, and about four tonnes of Mavrud are expected. The winery plans to produce around 2.5 tonnes of Merlot wine and two tonnes of Mavrud, co-owner Ivan Nedelchev said.

"As a relatively young winery, we participate in various competitions and events to promote wine culture and introduce the public to local Bulgarian varieties. We received a Gold Medal from Vinaria 2023 for Berenice Merlot 2022 and a Silver Dionysus from the Young Wine Parade for Berenice Merlot 2024," co-owner Veselina Nedelcheva said.

"This summer we hosted two events at our winery dedicated to Bulgarian wine, vineyards and the regional specifics of Western Thrace. The first was an exclusive preview in the Heart of Berenice, and the second, a celebration of our first five years, harvest, and a special masterclass Paintings of Thrace, which featured wines from the Plovdiv Wine Routes association," the owners said.

The Nedelchev family inherited the business from another family-owned company where they gained 25 years of experience in the wine industry. In 2021, when the first Berenice wine was produced, experienced technologist Zdravko Trendafilov joined the team. The family personally hosts tastings at their elegant wine salon in Plovdiv city center, offering three tasting packages.