site.btaVilla Melnik: A Living Library of Melnik Grapes

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.

Villa Melnik Winery offers the most extensive selection of Melnik grape varieties, said Militza Zikatanova, one of the owners of the winery, located in the village of Harsovo near Melnik.

Construction of the winery began in 2011, and it officially opened in 2013. The first vintage to be vinified and bottled at the new facility was from 2013. The entire project was partially funded through the SAPARD programme.

The winery incorporated two revolutionary ideas at the time. The first is a vertical layout of the production process, which makes it energy-efficient and extremely gentle on the grapes and wine. The second is that wine tourism was included in the architectural design from the start – visitors can follow every step of the production process, leaving nothing hidden.

The Zikatanova family, native to the region, cultivates 30 hectares of vineyards.

“We were born in this region. Villa Melnik has the largest collection of local Melnik varieties. We grow Shiroka Melnik, the ancient Zenith variety, as well as all its ‘offspring’ created during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. We grow Melnik 55, Melnik 1300 Jubilee, Ruen, Melishki Rubin, and Melnik 82. We also grow Mavrud, and we are the only ones in the Struma Valley with a commercial plantation of Mavrud. It truly performs exceptionally here. Among the white varieties, we cultivate Sandanski Misket and Keratsuda. Additionally, we grow classic international varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sangiovese, and among the whites – Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, and others,” Zikatanova explained.

The winery has been open to visitors every day for more than ten years and is one of the pioneers of wine tourism in the region. It was designed so that tourists can follow the production process logically, view each stage in chronological order, and taste the wines.

This year, Villa Melnik is organizing a new event – an autumn festival for all the wineries in the region. Scheduled activities include gourmet dinners and a mini marathon through the vineyards. In 2020, the winery received an international award equivalent to a Michelin star. It was ranked 39th among the top 50 wine destinations worldwide. Zikatanova noted that this is not an award for which wineries can apply; selected wineries are visited discreetly, and judging and voting are conducted in secret. The jury for the top 50 wine destinations consists of around 500 wine experts from across the globe. Other winners include some of the most famous wineries from California (US), France, and Italy.