Dimitar Nikolov’s Six Little Known Bulgarian Rose Wine Gems
Top 6 Little Known Bulgarian Rose Wine Hidden Gems
Bulgarian rose´ wine. Not always good, but these little known gems are a revelation and a testament to the focus on quality I’m seeing in the Bulgarian wine industry. Dimitar (“Mitko’) Nikolov, wine buyer, Decanter magazine judge and his wife, Donka (from apollowine.com) joins me on the terrace as we taste our way through the very best six rose´ wines to sip this summer.
Podcast episode 42 is below. Cool down and chill with rose´wine — perfect in this Bansko summer heat and be sure to subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud etc for the weekly guest show for all things Bulgaria.
If I’m sounding a little “off” my excuse is that we recorded this episode directly after tasting the five best Bulgarian white wines. There was no spittoon (of course) — hey ho!
Bansko Beat music festival is about to start and event pictures will be here soon.
The top 6 Bulgarian rose´ wine bottles to be seen with this summer
The order or wines are as per picture (not as per the show) — check out the top 5 white Bulgarian wines.
Rose tasting under way
1. Salty Hills 2014 by Black sea Gold – 15.49 leva
The new Salty Hills rose is an elegant wine from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Cabernet Franc. With a very pale pink colour this wine integrates aromas of wild strawberry, ripe cherry and jinger. The juiciness of the caramelised citrus brings the balance and leads it to an extremely long and gentle finish. Gold medal on Rose Expo 2015 in Kazanlak, Bulgaria
2. BLUSH from Merlo 2014 by Marvins – 9.92 leva
Rossidi Rose, and Salty Hills
A full flavoured but very delicate, and unexpected, rose´made from Merlot. A fresh and fruity wine. Good acidity. An absolute bargain.
3. Jamias Vu 2014 by Minkov Brothers – 15.99 leva
A blend of Grenache, Caladoc, Cinsault. Very delicate, fine peach color. Elegant nose with classic nuances of Provance rose – herbs, dry flowers, white cherries jam. Rounded and complex body with juicy fruits and delicate florish finale.
4. Alexandra Estate Rose 2014 – 15.90 leva
Alexandra Rose is a classic Provence blend – Grenache and Mourverde.
Dimitar Nikolov says… “Very pale pink with gray tint, very typical for Provence. Beautiful, gentle red berry, tropical fruit aromatics. On the palate it has delicate body, pure taste, lovely delicate fruit with perfect acidity and fruit driven. I love this one! Get this as soon as you can.”
5. Sarva Rose 2014 by Dragomir – 16.70leva
The first ever SARVA rose – a blend of two indigenous Bulgarian grape varieties: Mavrud and Rubin Delicate. A pale color with onion nuances. Etherial, gentle and complexity in just one glass of SARVA Rose.
6. Rossidi Rose 2014 – 19.20 leva
Award winning rose´from Rossidi.
This is wonderful blend of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Rubin Rosé.
First impression when you see the color of this pink wine is “Hmm, traditional, may be a bit too dark?!” I describe it as strawberry compote. On the nose, however, it is alluring combination of raspberries, cherries, layers of cream and white peach. When you take a sip one can underestimate it in the begining, but like classic Pinot Noir (dominated) wine, this full flavoured rosé that blossoms on the mid palate revealing ripe cherries, dry apricot, just a touch of saline, pink grapefruit and pomegranate.
The body is medium plus, alcohol content fully corresponds to the flavor intensity. The finish is medium long with loads of charm. A must try wine from Bulgaria.
Where to buy
These rose´wines are not as widely distributed as some of the larger brands that you find in supermarkets and small retailers. However, all these wines, and a huge selection of other wines from Bulgaria and around the world, are offered at low prices by apollowine.com
Apollowine.com offer free delivery for 6 bottles or more to anywhere in Bulgaria (including Bansko) and delivery is available for anywhere in the EU.
Festival time
Bansko event calendar, click here. Be sure to get up the mountain, take a picnic and a bottle of rose´ wine.
If you enjoyed this article and podcast, then subscribe to my newsletter. Never ever any spam and your email address will never be shared or sold. Your privacy is assured. An occasional email will include Bansko news and views.
