Monday 25 January 2010

Junior Merlot and Tempranillo 2008


As the name states, the following wine from the Katarzyna estate is young, vintage 2008. It seems that in Bansko Katarzyna wines are very popular, because they offer them in every restaurant there.

The wine from the Merlot and Temprabillo varieties is
very light and fruity taste, very well balanced and harmonuis. I did loved it. It goes very well with almost any food and shoud be served a little bit chilled. We had it with a white cheese, honey and walnuts appetiser, which was such a great and tasty combination that it made the taste of the wine even better and lasting.

The second picture is an amazing dish we had in the Bansko restaurant with the wine. It is white Bulgarian cheese, honey and walnuts. The salty&sweet taste was a great combination and was really breathtaking.





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Mezzek White Soil Mavrud 2008

Although I am not a fan of Mavrud wine, it is actually the most appropriate one for a dinner in a typical Bulgarian restaurant. We had this wine in one of my favourite places in Bansko ski resort - the Motikata restaurant. The food in those restaurants is so amazing that a heavy and tipsy wine like this actually goes quite well.

The mavrud is from the famous Karazyna estate and more precisely from the White Soil Vineyard which is situated in the Turkish and Greek borders of Bulgaria. There is a whole range of varieties from this vineyard and hopefully one by one I shall try them all.

In the taste I could feel a heavy scent of fruits and tabacoo. The colour was dark red, ruby and rch. Not a bad choice of wine for the evening in a cold, cold winter (was -25 degrees out there, I am not joking :).
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Tuesday 19 January 2010

Remole Toscana 2008

The wine we had last night was Italian Sangiovese (85%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) from the famous and lovely Toscana region. A splendid table wine, which charmed me with wonderfull taste of cherries and strawberries and a very strong nose of fruits and aromatic herbs. A young wine, which goes well with every food and is very drinkable. A very good choice and my strong recommendation!

Typically for everything Italian, the bottle is very stylish. Actually, this was the reason to pick it up from the shelves. The other reason was Toscana - this wonderful piece of paradise in Italy is the home of beauty and harmony. The wine did not disappoint me either and we had a wondeful evening!
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Thursday 14 January 2010

Targovishte Chardonnay 2008

Targovishte Chardonnay is a very popular low class wine in Bulgaria. It is sold in every supermarket and in every restaurant on the glass. The reason behind it is the price (about 3 Euro per bottle) and the fresh and fruity taste, which is quite likable to most people.

As for me, I find the taste a bit edgy and sour. The smell is not too bad, because it is fresh and flowery. The wine is from the Black Sea region in Bulgaria and this smell somehow fits it perfectly.


As with most of the white wines, it should be drunk well cold in order to taste good. It is OK for summer vacation with friends on the beach bar.


The wine has won silver medal at the prestigious competition " Chardonnay du Monde " France 2008.

Tcherga Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Rubin 2005


This wine is one the most popular in Bulgaria for the last few years. Costing only about 7 Euro, it is considered a good buy. I also have to say the bottle is very catchy and gives the impression of an expensive wine - it is tall and slimmer and there is a wax covering on the opening. For those who are curious, Tcherga "is a typical Bulgarian craft-made rug" made of different colours. The idea of the name is to show how the different tastes and aromas of the wine are mixing, just like the colourful rug is made up of magnificent colours. I do appreciate wines with a meaningful name and some history behind it.


As to the taste - it is quite nice actually. It does combine very successfully the taste of fresh fruits, honey and vanilla. The colour is dark ruby and the smell of fruits and oak is relaxing and is enough to prepare you for a lovely evening.


Definitely a recommendation for those who come visiting Bulgaria - a typical blend from the Thracian region with a wonderful finishing.

Saturday 9 January 2010

Lacrima Lui Ovidiu 1999

This wine was given to me by our Romanian partner. We tried it striaght in the office and strangly - within drinking only a glass, we were all a bit drunk! Yes, the alcohol is 15%, but it is actually the extreme sweetness of the wine that made us drunk so fast. We even argued if it is a white wine or a liqueur, but our Romanian client confirmed that it is a high class wine in Romania from the Murfatlar region in the country, vintage 1999. The number 5 on the bottle indicates that it has aged in oak barrels for 5 years. There is also a 12 year bottle.

As I already noted, the wine has a very dominant sweet taste and golden yellow colour. The aroma is very rich and represents a wide mixture of dried and fresh fruits. The taste is fruity and there is a strong presense of the oak taste.

Overall, I definately fell in love with this unique blend. Romania is a not a famous wine country and maybe this fact adds to its charm and uniqeness. A curious fact is that Romanians drink much more white wine than red. I wonder why!
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Tuesday 5 January 2010

Chateau Windy Hills Merlot Reserve 2004

The wine I had today is dry red reserve, vintage 2004. It is not a secret anymore, that I am a red wine lover.

This wine from the Thracian region in Bulgaria has been left to get old for 18 nonths in the bottle and was 6 years old when opening the bottle. It does have a different colour from the younger wines I have tasted recently - dark red and rubby with a little orange spice. The taste is a wonderful mixture of dried fruits, sugar and vanilla. Although this sounds sweet, the wine is actually quite bitter - a strong and intence taste leaving quite a memorable finishing.

I was curious to find out from the winery website that the cellar is situated in the middle of its 500 acres of vineyard. The winery building (in a typical Bulgarian style) itseff is equiped with the most modern technology for wine manufacturing, a romantic restaurant and a four star hotel. It is situated on a hill near the town of Sliven, which is famous for its very strong wind (this is actually where the name comes from). Next to the building there is a small wind generator acting as an eco energy source for this lovely piece of paradise for a St.Valantine celebration.

Suprisingly, reading further in Google for this woderful place, I actually found out it is for sale for the price of EUR 6,600,500! What a pity! More info here.


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Sunday 3 January 2010

Rocca dei Forti Vino Spumante Brut



This nice Italian sparkling wine from the Abruzzo region in Italy is very suitable for a small celebration and is a good value for a money (about 8 Euro). It does add to the festive mood with its very light sparkles and beautiful light ruby colour.

The wine has a very delicate and fine taste with а sweet spice. Best served at 12° C I think it goes best with any starter or ors d'oeuvre.

My first impression from the wine and the bottle itself is a of a delicate and very light table wine, which looks stylish and festive.

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Astica Merlot & Malbec 2007

Astica Merlot and Malbec is from the Menodza region in Argentina, vintage 2007. I have to confess it is one of the few wines from this region I have tasted, although this one was a little dissapointment.

I was curious to find out some data for the Malbec variety, which is typical for Argentina. According to Julia Kostadinova, a writer at Bachus magazine (www.bacchus.bg), Melbec is an emblematic variety, grown up in every part of Argentina. The top wines of this variety are splendid, dense and fruity, with aromas from blackcurrant, blueberries and blue plums, mixed with the aroma of chocolate and spicies.

The Astika wine had a nice aroma, but the taste was rather edgy and tannic with a very small glimse of chocolate flavour. Maybe this is due to the combination of the Malbec with Merlot, but for my dissapointment the taste was not at all dense and splendid, but rather exotic and tasteless. Maybe it is just me, as I am used to other varieties and regions, but actually I do think a single variety wine would be better and I will try another Malbec soon.



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