site.btaLower Yields, Higher Prices for Bulgaria’s New Grape Harvest, Says Winemaker

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 2025 grape harvest in Bulgaria is producing lower yields but commanding higher prices, according to Snejana Mutafchiyska, chief technologist and production manager at Rox's Winery. Speaking to the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), Mutafchiyska, also a member of the Sliven Regional Wine-Tasting Commission and an internationally recognized wine judge and a sommelier with years of experience, said the reduced grape yield is largely due to frost damage earlier in the year.

“We had extremely low temperatures in April, which were devastating for the vineyards. In such conditions, yields can drop by 40 to 50%, which will also result in significantly lower wine production,” she added.

Despite the lower quantity, Mutafchiyska said that the quality of the grapes that did survive is high, and the wine made from them is expected to meet the usual standards. “Grape prices are higher than last year, and for some varieties, especially whites, the price has nearly doubled,” the oenologist added.

Rox’s Winery is currently experimenting with a new white wine, made from a new grape variety, with plans to bring it to market in the near future. The exact production method is still being fine-tuned.

In October, the winery’s new tasting room will reopen to visitors, offering wine tastings and curated culinary experiences. “We recently started hosting tourists and organizing tastings with guest chefs. The goal is to pair fine cuisine with our wines. We publish the menu and all event details on our website in advance. There’s a lot of interest, and we’re seeing growing enthusiasm for wine tourism in Bulgaria,” Mutafchiyska said.

One of the winery’s standout products, the SM Syrah & Marselan blend, was recently awarded a gold medal at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards and is set to be featured in a specialized UK wine catalogue.

The winery is set to participate in the Avgustiada Wine and Cultural Heritage Fest where its products have also won gold medals twice.

Rox's Winery is located in the picturesque village of Vinarovo, between Stara Zagora and Chirpan, at the foot of the Sredna Gora mountain range, Central Bulgaria. It was established in 2014, and since 2019 it has been owned by two families, Snejana and Atanas Mutafchiyski and Delyana and Dako Nikolovi. Snejana and Atanas Mutafchiyski are oenologists and well-known names in the Bulgarian wine industry.

Between 50 and 60 tonnes of grapes are processed with the possibility of increasing production to 100 tonnes. The cellar has modern technological equipment, stone rooms with oak barrels for wine aging. Rox's Winery does not have its own vineyards but works with several of the best grape producers in the region and throughout Southern Bulgaria.

Three wine brands have been developed: Regb, Dandelion and SM. SM is the winery's top wine. The blend between Syrah and Marselan bears the initials of its author Snejana Mutafchiyska.