BESSA VALLEY Winery- A tourist and oenophile destination which should not be missed.

The year 2021 was a very prolific one for us in terms of travel in the world of wineEven though the pandemic has largely limited our travel to our chosen destinations, every time we set out and managed to reach them, we encountered special wineries with dedicated people, true makers of branded wines.

And how behind each wine there is a story, today our tory is called Bessa Valley.

Bessa Valley is a region with a long wine-growing tradition in Bulgaria. Bordered to the south by the Rhodope Mountains and to the north by hills of 230 m above sea level, the valley represents a favorable environment for vineyards.Furthermore, the influence of the Maritza River, which flows just a few kilometers away, is beneficial.Located in the village of Ognianovo, The Bessa Valley Winery is 16 km southeast of the city of Pazardjik and 33 km west of the city of Plovdiv.

Studying the history of wine production in Bulgaria and sensing the area's special wine-growing potential, in 2000, two powerful German businessmens, Count Stephan von Neipperg (pink shirt) and Dr. Karl-Heinz Hauptmann, decided to invest in the area.

The Neipperg family has been growing vines and making wines for 800 years and owns six wineries in the famous Bordeaux region.Dr Hauptmann is the main shareholder of Bessa Valley Winery. He is also one of the shareholders of Romanian wine producer Alira, which owns an 80 ha estate at Aliman in Constanta County.

Marc Dworkin is the oenologist of Bessa Valley Winery and arrived in Bulgaria in 1999, contributing to the renewal of Bulgarian wines.

The Bessa Valley project began in 2001 by purchasing lands from approximately 800 people in the area of ​​the village of Ognianovo (Pazardzhik region).

The first Bessa Valley production was in 2001 and included classic blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

The Bessa Valley winery covers an area of ​​250 ha, of which 140 ha have been replanted with vine cuttings from clones brought from France.

Actually, the main goal of the two investors was to create quintessentially French wines, on a Bulgarian terroir, of course at production prices much lower than those in France.

Roughly 80% of the wine production is for export. The largest markets for Bessa Valley wine are the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, the USA and Russia, and more recently – China, Japan and Hong Kong.

We started our visit to the winery accompanied by Bojina Anghelova-Winemaker, who, in an English language to our liking, managed at once to capture our interest through the detailed presentations of the winery.The main cellar forms an arch dug into the hill. Next to it is the Rotunda, a place where fermentation takes place.A Pergola connects the cellar and the administrative building. The walls of the buildings are clad in limestone, in which various sea inhabitants have left their traces.

Part of the cellar is carved into the rock, what has a great which importance for the preservation and maturation of wine in oak barrels. The rock allows for the maintenance of a constant temperature and humidity.

Now, the winery's annual production is approximately 650 tons of grapes. From this, approximately 720,000 bottles of wine are produced. The grapes are hand-picked by trained personnel and sorted twice during the harvest.

The winery has an area of ​​3555 square meters and a capacity of 2500 barrels.

The Bessa Valley Winery uses only French oak barrels - barriques. Each one costs around 570 euros and is only used three times.

After the third use, the barrels no longer influence the aging of the wine.

The varieties grown are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier.

The largest share of the vineyard area is occupied by Merlot as the flagship of the winery.

After one hour winery tour, we finally arrived at the wine tasting, which took place right in the barrel room.

Here, the sommelier Victoria Dimitrova presented us with the 5 wines chosen from the Enira Premium package, which cost 25 euros/person.

The following wines were tasted:ENIRA White 2019 (coupage of Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier), ENIRA ROSE Grand Cuvee 2019 (coupage of Syrah and Petit Verdot), ENIRA Merlot 2017, Domaine BESSA VALLEY ENIRA 2016 (coupage of Merlot, Syrah and Petit Verdot) and Domaine ENIRA Reserva 2016 (coupage of Merlot, Syrah and Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon).

This last wine – Domaine ENIRA Reserva is the winery's premium brand, aging on the lees for 16 months, 35% in new barrels and 65% in one-year-old barrels

I can tell you that our taste buds rejoiced!... premium quality wines, in which Domaine ENIRA Reserva 2016 received our vote for star of the tasting.

The wine has a deep garnet color. A lot of aromas dominated by plums, black cherries, blueberries, violets, nuts, chocolate that are found at the beginning.The taste is dense, round and harmonious. The wine has a full and velvety body and shows a unique balance due to the ripeness of the fruit and the impact of the oak. The aftertaste is complex and very long. A delight for the senses!We parted with regret of Bessa Valley Winery, especially since the entire visit (scheduled in advance) was just for us. We spent two wonderful hours in a winery in Bulgaria and I tell you with honestity, after tasting the wines we felt like we were in a winery in Bordeaux...The secret to the success of the business called Bessa Valley Winery lies in the finacial investment, but especially in the European spirit of the two investors, foreign "landlords" who created it. The ENIRA name must become a landmark for any wine enthusiast in Romania.