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Queen Marie Winery: A Maker of Royal Heritage Wine in Belchik

Petya Petrova, Pavlina Zhivkova
Queen Marie Winery: A Maker of Royal Heritage Wine in Belchik
Queen Marie Winery: A Maker of Royal Heritage Wine in Belchik
BTA Photo/Pavlina Zhivkova
Balchik, on the Black Sea,  
17.09.2025 18:18
 (BTA)
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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.

Royal Winery Queen Marie is located in the cellar of Queen Marie of Romania at the State Cultural Institute - Cultural Center 'The Palace' in Balchik. Their vineyards are spread both along the Northern Black Sea coast and in the Struma River valley around Melnik and Sandanski. They also have vineyards near Aytos, said Ralitsa Eneva, a representative of the winery, in an interview with BTA.

Royal Winery Queen Marie offers wines made from old Bulgarian grape varieties, as well as dessert, sweet, and fruit wines. They produce wines made from fig, raspberry, and melon. "We also offer a Royal wine, the recipe of which is said to have been found in Queen Marie’s diaries. It is made from three grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and blue plum. This is our bestseller. However, there is a growing trend of returning to native varieties. We grow and offer Bulgarian varieties like Rubin, Melnik-55, and Tamyanka, which is a somewhat forgotten variety but is now being revived. We also offer snow wine, which has turned out to be very interesting," added Ralitsa Eneva. She also explained that the winery is located in Queen Marie of Romania's cellar, and the tasting room is actually the old room where the queen received her guests.

According to Ralitsa Eneva, the busiest months for the winery are July and August, when it receives the most Romanian tourists. She also noted that since the Palace is visited by tourists year-round, there is strong interest in their wines throughout the year as well.

“Bulgarians prefer classic dry wines, whether white, red, or pink, but they should be dry, while foreigners tend to prefer sweeter wines,” noted Eneva, adding that this is why they offer dessert, sweet, and fruit wines.

Among the challenges in growing grapes, Eneva mentioned the climate conditions, drought, and finding labor. According to her, these factors also lead to rising prices, but the winery strives to keep them affordable.

“We do not participate in festivals; we offer our wines exclusively at 'The Palace' under the Royal Winery Queen Marie brand. This is the only place where people can find us. I think this is what makes us special,” said Ralitsa Eneva. She also explained that all tourists can taste the wines offered by the winery, and various tour operators organize wine tours.

Ralitsa Eneva said that she personally favors red dry wines from old vintages that are well-aged. Among her favorites are Syrah and Cabernet Franc. “My advice to people who are about to make homemade wine is to do it with love because if you put love into it, everything turns out well,” Eneva concluded.

/PP/

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By 01:28 on 30.09.2025 Today`s news

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