8-Hour Veliko Tarnovo Wine Tour

See the countryside of Bulgaria

Taste locally produced wines

Pour wines fresh from the barrel

Visit 2 wine bar of Veliko Tarnovo

Learn about the history of Bulgaria

Show all 7 photos

Highlights

Visit two local wineries of Veliko Tarnovo

Taste five local wines of the city

Learn the history of Bulgarian wine

Veliko Tarnovo

gastronomical, winetour, cultural

Private Tour

8 Hours

Easy

English

Description

Spend the entire day exploring two wineries in the City of Tsars and get a taste of local wines. Discover the local grape varieties, learn about the local history, and meet the people behind the revival of this winemaking region.

Itinerary

Veliko Tarnovo Wine Tour
- Get picked up by your Veliko Tarnovo driver/guide in a minivan and gather information about the region and Bulgarian wine while heading to your destination.
- You can see, feel, and taste the revival of Bulgaria's wine industry after over 40 years of collectivized winemaking during socialism.
- Go behind the scenes at two local wineries to follow the winemaking process from grapes to the bottle.
- You will taste five local wines, meaning that after you visit two wineries, you will try ten wines. Depending on what the wineries have in their cellars, you might taste white, rose, or red wines during this visit.
- Learn the history of Bulgarian wine and the re-emergence of native grape varieties and discover the hidden stories of the wineries.
- Meet the passionate locals reviving Bulgarian wine and trying to shape a new future.
- I hope you have an authentic Bulgarian lunch.

What's Included

Visits to two wineries including a tour of the winery and a tasting of 5 wines per winery (10 wines total)

Transportation in a minivan

Pick-up & drop-off from/to accommodation

English-speaking Veliko Tarnovo tour leader

VAT & local taxes

What's Excluded

Meals and beverages not mentioned in the tour description

Traditional lunch

Drinks not mentioned in the tour description

Travel and medical insurance

Tips and gratuities

Personal Expenses

Know Before You Go

Wineries: The wine region immediately surrounding Veliko Tarnovo is called the Danube Plain - a northern wine-growing region. The Danube region is the most underestimated, compared to the Thracian Valley region, and possesses strong winemaking traditions since even before coming to the Communist regime. There are new up and coming wineries in the Veliko Tarnovo region to visit, making your experience feel off the beaten path.

The wines you would taste could not be reached easily in the country you come from or it’s not most likely to do so, just because the wineries don’t have a big impact on the foreign market. You would have the chance to buy wine from the cellar at cellar prices, which you can enjoy when you go back home.

Grapes: Until the sixties of the last century, wines from the local grape varieties were made in Bulgaria, among which preserved to this day Mavrud, Guzma and Broad Melnik vine. Then, viticulture is zoned, the existing vineyards are changed, and the French varieties are massively planted - mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. In the years when the Italians and Americans overtook the French and took an indisputable place on the global wine map, "bright socialism" made Bulgaria a country with highly developed viticulture and winemaking, but it deprived Bulgarian wines and the entire nation of "a sense of origin" in front of the world. Although new Bulgarian varieties are being created at scientific institutes and experimental stations in Bulgaria, some of which have the potential for great wines; they remain outside the concepts of viticulture and winemaking.

During the transition years, viticulture almost completely collapsed and began to rebuild at the beginning of the new millennium. To be original, new wineries compete to plant exotic non-Bulgarian varieties - Malbec, Sangiovese, Columbia, Tempranillo, Kaladok, Dornfelder, Grenache, Petit Verdot and begin to search for their identity in them. Both new and old manufacturers rely mainly on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Vilonia. And indeed - wonderful wines are created, some of which are of a quality not even recognized by international brands, but all of them - without identity and sense of place. In their quest to make great wines, Bulgarian winemakers do not think that great wine is not made. No terroir and oenologist can create it. The oenologist can extract the potential of the grapes that the terroir has created and turned it into wine according to his own skills, sensations and criteria for good and bad. Greatness means something else. It is the realized desire of a group of people with authority and ability to turn created into a legend and thus give it worldwide recognition.

The new time is changing the attitude towards Bulgarian varieties. Winemakers emerge who understand what exactly the feeling is that the wine has its origin.

During your trip, you would explore - the northern Bulgarian region. The territory is characterized by a temperate continental climate with hot summers and a large number of sunny days. It covers the central and western parts of the Danube Plain, the southern bank of the Danube and its adjacent regions. Muscat, Ottonel, Gamza, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Aligoté, Pamid and others are common. It produces quality white dry wines, natural sparkling wines according to classical technology and quality red wines, which are characterized by a rich fruity aroma and fresh taste.

Meeting Point

Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

Cancellation Policy

For cancellations upto 2 days before the tour -

Refund of 80% of the tour price.

Price

Adult
1 to 4	/person
Child
1 to 4	/person
This is a private tour

Check Availability Hide

Starting from

/person

Adult

Child

Total

0.00

Can't Find the Perfect Tour? Tailor Your Dream Trip!

8-Hour Veliko Tarnovo Wine Tour

Highlights

Description

Itinerary

Veliko Tarnovo Wine Tour

What's Included

What's Excluded

Know Before You Go

Meeting Point

Cancellation Policy

Price

Check Availability Hide

Starting from

Can't Find the Perfect Tour? Tailor Your Dream Trip!

Create your own adventure!

Choose Currency

8-Hour Veliko Tarnovo Wine Tour

Highlights

Description

Itinerary

Veliko Tarnovo Wine Tour

What's Included

What's Excluded

Know Before You Go

Meeting Point

Cancellation Policy

Price

Check Availability Hide

Starting from

Can't Find the Perfect Tour? Tailor Your Dream Trip!

Create your own adventure!

Choose Currency Close modal

Cookie icon We use cookies!

Choose Currency