site.btaVrachanska Temenuga: 130-year-old Winery Launches New Full-bodied Red Series Skaklya

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.

Vrachanska Temenuga winery is located near Vratsa, on the road to Oryahovo, with a capacity to process 100 tonnes of grapes per year. The vineyards are about three kilometres away. “Our story began with my father-in-law, who inherited vineyards with Vratsa Misket. We decided to preserve this valuable grape and make it the foundation of our production,” said technologist and enologist Iglika Kostadinova.

The Vrachanska Temenuga brand is over 130 years old and the Kostadinov family patented it and have been cultivating vineyards and producing wine and rakia from the Vratsa Misket grape variety for more than two decades.

From 2010 to 2018 the family tended the vines with the help of Iglika’s father-in-law. At first, the wine was produced under contract bottling and only in one style, with the first vintage dating from 2010. In 2018, Kostadinova specialized in winemaking technology, making production easier to control and develop. Building their own winery in 2021, the family could expand and experiment with spirits.

Currently, the winery produces various wines - Vrachanska Temenuga white and black edition, sparkling wine, semi-sweet Temenuga, and two types of rakia from Vratsa Misket. Other products include red wines Mara Vrachanka, Bubble Temenuga, Vrattsata and No Name. A new red wine Skaklya made from Cabernet Franc and a dessert wine that has been ageing for three years are being prepared.

The new Skaklya red wine was produced in 2022 from Cabernet Franc, maturing alternately in oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. Another dessert wine is also ageing and will be ready in two years.

“The most objective assessment comes from people, when they like our wine and rakia and choose them. That is our greatest reward,” said Iglika Kostadinova. The family regularly participates in wine fairs and events in Bulgaria, with their elder daughter Greta actively involved.

Greta, 21, is studying food and beverage production and management in Italy, learning agronomy, food technology, wine, meat, cheese, and chocolate. “Wine is my passion. I travel constantly between Italy and Bulgaria. In summer, I spend three months in Sozopol, where I handle distribution,” she said. For the first time in 2025, her father entrusted her with tending the vines using techniques she studies at university.

“You can’t make good wine from bad grapes,” Greta said. The Vratsa Misket variety was brought years ago and cultivated in the region not by chance. It is aromatic, from the Muscat family. “Here the soil retains water, and for this grape variety that is positive. There is a significant difference between Miskets. According to Greta, the terroir is very important. “Our grapes here are different from the same variety grown, for example, 40 km from Vratsa,” she said. In the family vineyards, there are nine-year-old plants and also ones that are forty years old. “The vine is a plant with a non-stop growing root system. How you cultivate the vine, how you prune it, is also very important. My mother invested a lot of energy and trained people who have been tending the vines for more than ten years,” added Greta Kostadinova.

“Hygiene in a winery is very important in order to produce quality wine,” her mother added. “We work with four or five women who have been with us for years. They travel 80 kilometres every day to come and return from work, but they are exceptional, and thanks to them we feel secure. They find grape pickers for the campaign, and whenever needed, I can always rely on them,” said Iglika Kostadinova.

Vrachanska Temenuga winery has worked over the years with international varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, but at the moment they are using mainly Bulgarian grape varieties. According to Greta Kostadinova, the winery is designed for their needs. They have all the conditions for producing quality wine - enough tanks, a cold room where the grapes are prepared before processing to the right temperature, a bottling and packaging machine, a laboratory, a special vinificator, a blending vessel.

“The work in the winery is year-round,” added the winery’s technologist. “Once the grape harvest campaign ends, you start storing the production, processing, stabilising, blending, forming, so it matures and becomes the final product. You need labels, bottles. We have an idea and work with attention to every detail. On our labels, Manyashki Peak, which can be seen from the vineyards, is illustrated. On the Skaklya wine the well-known waterfall near Vratsa is depicted,” added Iglika Kostadinova.

“My father has a unique certificate from an international wine and liqueur competition held in Brussels in 1895, awarded to the famous producer of prestigious branded wines Stefan Kraskiyov from Vratsa. Back then, he received an honorary diploma and a Grand Prix, and there were many representatives of European royal and imperial courts who wanted to buy in advance for years ahead from the fine wine,” said Greta Kostadinova. She added that Vrachanska Temenuga also has a gold medal from an exhibition in Paris in 1887. She noted that the family has traditions and an attitude towards viticulture and winemaking, and the respect for the Vrachanska Temenuga variety is enormous. “We realize that we are participating in the revival of an old variety, over 130 years old, and we invest exceptional professionalism and attention to detail,” added Greta Kostadinova. In the winery, the symbol of violets (temenuga) is distinctive, from the paintings on the walls to the porcelain vessels engraved with violets.

“Greta is a young, dynamic, modern person and contributes a lot to the work of the winery. She has an exceptional sense, is a good taster, learns a lot, and constantly trains her senses. We are very proud of her. I can’t wait for her to graduate and return so we can give her the opportunity to develop in the winery,” said Iglika Kostadinova.

The family offers tastings at the winery, accompanied by local foods like sheep cheese, tomatoes from the garden, Vratsa lyutika. In the future, the construction of guest bungalows and a large events hall is planned.

The younger daughter, Violet, also shows interest in agronomy and the future of the family business.

Vrachanska Temenuga is a member of the Danube Winemakers association, which unites over 20 producers from the Western and Central Danube plain.