No man’s land, where wine meets history
A different Bulgaria – that is the impression from a visit to the no man’s land – the border area between Bulgaria and Greece near the Kapitan Petko Voivoda border checkpoint. The restricted area from the era of socialism doesn’t exists today, but you can find there one of the most prosperous wine cellars in Bulgaria. The vines spread on a territory of 36.5 ha. Some of the finest wine regions of Spain, France and Italy are situated on the same latitude. They say that the cellar is a real example of “Europe in action”. The owner is a Frenchman of Polish origin and the place is named after his daughter – Katarzyna. The main oenologist is Corsican and he relies on the support of two Bulgarian twin brothers and famous oenologists – Ivan and Svilen Kisiov.
The cellar is situated several hours away from Sofia and Istanbul. It is even closer to the sunny Greek seaside and is one of the main stops for those, who appreciate good wine and practice wine tourism. The vines are well maintained and the cellar, situated in the middle of the vineyard is “unique with its architecture”, Ivan Kisiov says and adds:
“The construction of the industrial unit itself is unique – he explains. – Its width is 22 m, with no columns in between. The wooden construction of the roof that sustains the whole building is also an original solution. The building has double walls, built up with bricks and also double isolation. Thus the temperature in the unit and around the barrels is constant and suitable for the wine through the whole year – some 14-15C.”
The temperature and humidity of the storage room are also natural and suitable for its aging. An interesting detail – the wine matures in French oak barrels:
“The best and most expensive wines ferment in 400 l oak barrels – the oenologist explains. – The wine matures here for at least 6-7 months. Expensive wine means expensive barrel. That is why we count on a lot of barrels.”
The barrels, just like the walls are painted in a picturesque manner. “We do admire art here” – oenologist Galina Niforu says and adds:
“A group of artists from the town of Veliko Tarnovo were inspired by this place and painted some 40-50 barrels that are situated all over the cellar. We try to create a bridge between art and wine, since the area is visited by many Bulgarian and foreign tourists.”
The region is also famous with its ancient history and traditions. Over 5,000-year old artefacts testify that the Thracians, Romans and Bulgarians used to make wine here. The sanctuary of Perperikon is situated an hour away from the cellar, but tourists may also visit the village of Mezek, only 10 km away from the cellar.
“One of the best preserved Thracian tombs can be seen in Mezek – Galina Niforu says. – There is a great Medieval fortress too that was used by both the ancient Greeks and Bulgarians.”
The village of Matochina is situated some 30 km away from the cellar. The epic battle between the Bulgarian Tsar Kaloyan and the crusaders of Baldwin I of Constantinople happened there in 1205.
Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:08 pm
