site.btaLevent Winery: Commitment to Natural Products Despite Challenging Year

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.

The Levent Winery in Ruse keeps investing in improvements and remains committed to producing wines with only natural ingredients, despite a difficult year marked by high grape prices and weather challenges, BTA learned from technologist Rumen Iliev. He has been on the winery's team for a decade and its manager for seven years.

Founded in 2005 by brothers Plamen and Atanas Bobokov together with oenologist Tsanko Stanchev, the winery is housed in the historic Levent Tabya fortress, built in the early 19th century to defend the city. The authentic architecture has been preserved, creating a unique setting for wine-making.

Levent focuses mainly on high-quality white wines and rosés but also produces reds. Its portfolio includes Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Traminer, Vratsa Misket, Grenache and Sangiovese rosés, and reds such as Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and the popular K2 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

The winery relies on both self-financed investments and EU programmes to modernize operations. Although it does not own vineyards, Levent sources grapes from long-term partners around Varna, as well as from Sliven and other parts of Southern Bulgaria, said Iliev. This year, spring frosts and hail destroyed part or all of the harvest, forcing the winery to seek new suppliers and reduce grape intake to avoid building up excess stock.

The 2025 harvest saw the largest intake of aromatic varieties such as Traminer, Vratsa Misket, Grenache Rosé, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.

Levent regularly invests in modern technology to improve production while preserving natural processes. Over the past decade, it has added new tanks, pumps that limit oxygen exposure during bottling, and Italian presses designed for gentler extraction. The next step will be laboratory equipment for automated measurements to reduce reliance on scarce skilled staff.

Iliev noted that this year the winery once again invested in improving the working environment and overall image, stressing that despite their strong background in chemistry, the team produces a fully natural product from grapes, using only organic inputs such as yeast derivatives and tannins.

Levent takes part in wine fairs such as DiVino Taste in Sofia and Winephoria in Ruse. Its awards include a gold medal for Chardonnay Grand Selection 2016 at Chardonnay du Monde in France, and most recently, a gold for Sauvignon Blanc 2024 at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles – Burgas 2025.

"Lately we participate less often, since we already have won the recognition we aimed for," Iliev noted. "Still, we are considering Vinaria in Plovdiv in early 2026. We want to see how this year's wines develop first - we don't just show up - we show up to win."