site.btaVidinska Gamza Winery: Bulgarian Wine Served at Michelin-Starred Restaurant in Germany

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.

Vidinska Gamza winery is developing the local grape varieties Gamza and Pamid, as well as Rkatsiteli and Muscat Ottonel, which have long been grown in the Vidin region. The winery’s co-owner Petko Mikov recalled that the beginning was set in 2005 with the purchase and cultivation of old vineyards. 

“At that time, people could not manage the vineyards and sell the grapes. We decided to invest in old vineyards without any idea of creating a winery. In the very first year, however, it turned out the vineyards were fertile. We carried out all the necessary agricultural activities, but there was really no place to sell the grapes,” Mikov said. “We were in a deadlock, so we decided to buy containers, registered the Vidinska Gamza trademark, and officially started wine production.”

The winery’s vineyards are mainly located in the areas of the villages of Negovanovtsi and Florentin, while the winery itself is in Novo Selo. “We have a small building, essentially a working facility. We are now building tasting halls for tourists visiting the winery. Due to the growing interest in wine tourism, tastings on site are already a priority for us,” Mikov pointed out.

In the early years of the business, wine was not popular as a product, but the local varieties were gradually established. “Gamza and Pamid, as well as Rkatsiteli and Muscat Ottonel, were somewhat forgotten varieties,” Mikov said. “With the old vineyards we cultivate, we managed to revive them and believe they are the future.”

According to him, wine tourism has gained momentum after the pandemic, when online trade was at its peak. “After the lockdowns and isolation, people felt the need to travel again. Interest in local varieties is very strong, not only in our region but everywhere in Bulgaria. People want to rediscover the taste of the past and the traditions of our ancestors,” he commented.

Wine competitions and festivals are becoming increasingly popular, Mikov said. “We try to participate and present our wines. At the Balkan Gamza Festival, our 2022 Gamza won a double gold medal and the grand trophy for a local Bulgarian variety. We produce the so-called orange wine, an old method of keeping the wine in contact with the skins. It has a richer flavour, is aged in oak barrels, and is more intriguing in taste. Our 2021 Rkatsiteli also won a double gold medal and a trophy for a local Bulgarian variety. We are proud that our Gamza and Pamid wines are offered in two Michelin-starred restaurants in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a real achievement for Bulgarian wine to be sold in elite restaurants in Europe,” Mikov said.

He also argued that the sector has been neglected by the state. “All wineries face difficulties finding workers. Pruning, bud removal, trimming, tying, and grape picking are all manual operations. Machine harvesting is gaining ground, but the quality of the wine is different. Perhaps the mistake was made years ago by some official at the Agriculture Ministry who classified grapes only as raw material for wine. For dessert grapes, for example, producers receive considerable state support, unlike wine varieties. The result is that we hire and train workers in pruning vineyards, but shortly afterwards they leave for Italy, France, or Spain, where pay is much better. A review of state policy in the sector is necessary,” Mikov explained.