A National Revival
The Ottoman Empire ruled Bulgaria between the 15th and 19th centuries. This proved to be a disastrous period for wine making. However wine consumption within this period survived due to the fact that it was considered to be a very important aspect of the Christian traditions within the empire.
The emergence of a more affluent Christian population within the mid 18th century slowly helped revive wine drinking traditions. This also created a demand for higher quality wines. Export markets began to develop. This was mainly of red wine, which was mostly to be found within the Black Sea region.
The French diplomat Charles de Payssonnel of the 60’s and 70’s of the mid 18th century stated – ‘Bulgaria produces quite a large quantity of red wine, but of poor quality. About 5000-6000 carts get loaded and exported to Russia and Poland each year’
Probably the first recorded positive opinions of expression on Bulgarian wine making came from another French source. Doctor Paul Lukas during his visit to Stanimaka (Assenovgrad). Dr Lukas was genuinely impressed by ‘the local wine’, as well as the size of the casks and vats used by the Bulgarian wineries. He also commented that the size of the production plants and indicated that supply was intended for the larger future markets.
Encouraging remarks continued to flow from high profile people, putting Bulgaria very much on the international map of wine producing countries.
The French doctor and archaeologist P.Siege who travelled across Bulgaria in 1829 commented specifically on the wines of the regions of Sliven and Anhialo, which he compared to the quality of the French ‘Grave’ wine.
Comparisons such as this, of Bulgarian wines to French varieties could only be perceived as a compliment especially if they were coming from influential French people themselves.
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