site.btaVia Vinera Karabunar Estate: Blending Craftsmanship and Modern Technology

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.

Via Vinera Karabunar Estate combines a craft approach with modern winemaking technologies, said Vladi Zhelev, one of the winery’s owners, in an interview with BTA.

The winery began its journey in 2007 in the Sharovitsa area near the village of Karabunar, close to Pazardzhik – a region where vineyards and wine have been part of local life since time immemorial. In 2017, the winery introduced its new name, Via Vinera, under which Karabunar’s quality wines began to be marketed in Bulgaria and internationally. The rebranding reflected the owners’ desire to continue the region’s traditions with a modern touch and to establish their own identity. In the future, the winery will be represented by its eponymous Via Vinera series, along with its existing lines: Bulgarian Heritage, Contour, and Castellum.

Originally a distillery, the facility was expanded after being acquired in 2011. In 2016, a second expansion increased the winery’s capacity to 1,000 tonnes of grapes. The winery maintains two vineyards – one in the Thracian Plain (Karabunar) and one in the Danubian Plain (Kilifarevo). The Kilifarevo vineyard, near Veliko Tarnovo, spans 22 hectares and is planted mainly with white grape varieties, including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, among others. The Karabunar vineyards, which host the production facility, cultivate additional varieties, including local grapes Red Misket, Rubin, Mavrud, and international varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

Zhelev noted that over the past four years, harvests have been declining due to climate changes. In 2025, frost and heavy rainfall have reduced the harvest to 80% compared to 2024, which itself had an unusually low yield.

Approximately 70% of the winery’s sales are for the domestic market, with the remainder exported. According to Zhelev, Bulgarians are increasingly paying attention to local wines, although imported wines continue to attract interest. Unfortunately, he added, the market does not sufficiently promote Bulgarian wine, as imports continue and many restaurants primarily serve foreign wines instead of local ones.

The eponymous Via Vinera series focuses on international grape varieties aged in oak. These are artisanal wines that are approachable, appealing in both style and price. Despite their relatively short time on the market, Via Vinera wines have been recognized at prestigious international competitions.

Thanks to the combination of skilled craftsmanship and modern technologies, the Misket and Dimyat wines in the Bulgarian Heritage series have consistently received recognition for their quality at leading international contests. The 2014 vintage earned special recommendations at the Asian edition of the Decanter Asia Wine Awards in 2015. The 2015 Misket vintage won a bronze medal at the same competition in 2016. The 2016 vintage captured a gold medal at Bulgaria’s leading international competition, Vinaria 2017, and received the Best White Wine from a Local Bulgarian Variety award from the Union of Oenologists.

Continuing its commitment to promoting “the Bulgarian signature”, Via Vinera expanded the Bulgarian Heritage range with red wines from traditional local varieties Mavrud and Rubin, featuring the brand’s distinctive character. At the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in May 2017, Bulgarian Heritage Mavrud 2015 earned a gold medal.