site.btaJolly Vintners in Vratsa Region Expands Idea of Wine through Tourism

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 Jolly Vintners winery combines wine-making with wine tourism in the northwestern village of Lyuti Brod, Mezdra Municipality. “We create our wines with a wish for joy and celebration,” said co-owner Dimitar Dimitrov. 

The project of Dimitrov and his partner Ivana Tsakova began in 2014 with a family plot near the village of Veslets, Vratsa Municipality, where they planted mostly French grape varieties. The place is historically significant: on May 31, 1876, Bulgarian national hero Hristo Botev and his detachment had their last rest, food and wine there, thanks to Tsakova’s grandfather Tsako. Dimitrov explained that perhaps inspired by Botev’s admiration for the French Revolution, they planted Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvedre. Still, their idea has always been to use foreign varieties as an accent, combining them with Bulgarian ones.

Their first production was released in 2019, after which they began experimenting with blending wines from other growers. Dimitrov said that they visit the cellars, select wines from existing vessels and create blends that bring together varieties rarely combined elsewhere, which makes their production distinctive. They do not approach winemaking as a contest for the best varietal but as an opportunity to create enjoyable drinks. For example, they blend Cabernet Sauvignon with Gamza, Pinot Noir with Gamza, and Sauvignon Blanc with Chardonnay and Gruner Veltliner. The partners themselves determine the proportions, select the base wines and handle bottling.

Dimitrov noted that wine, a drink with a 5,000-year history, brings joy in both difficult and happy moments and enlivens everyday life. Their labels, too, are designed to be cheerful.

The winery produces around 5,000 bottles a year of White Danube, Rosalinda, Hedgehogs, Wild Cherry, Mulberries, Easy by Dimitar, and Easy by Ivana. The wines are available in several outlets in Sofia and other large cities, but the project mainly relies on wine tourism, which they have been developing for the past three years. After welcoming about 150 friends who praised the location as ideal for wine and good company, they decided to expand this aspect of their activity.

According to Dimitrov, their wine tourism differs from the classic winery visit. It combines walks in nature, stories about local history, tastings of food and wines from the area. The surroundings offer eco-trails, routes such as Cherepish-Lyuti Brod, shorter hikes to the ruins of an ancient church, the Ritlite rock formations and Rashov Dol, where Botev’s revolutionaries perished. Visitors learn about figures such as Baba Iliytsa, Tsar Shishman and the Triballi, with the wines serving as a complement to the region’s nature, history and culture. Everything served at the table is produced within 30 km of the site, from meats from Chiren and cheeses from Vratsa to pastries from Zverino and seasonal delicacies.

Visitors can choose between a lavish picnic on the banks of the Iskar River, a romantic tasting above the Ritlite under the vines, watching the sunset over the gorge with a glass of wine, or a refreshing finish to a mountain hike to Prosechen Kamak. All experiences are accompanied by convivial conversations about wine.

Dimitrov and Tsakova are also organizers of the annual Vratsa Misket Festival, which gathers colleagues from across Northwestern Bulgaria. It is held on August 15 on the banks of the Iskar River, beneath the Ritlite rock formations. They are also members of the Danube Wines Association.