PELIN WINE
Traditional Wine of Osmar Village
Introduction
The culture of wine is a long tradition in Bulgaria: back in the Thracian Era, there were some wine-making activities, as well as a cult to the go Dionisos, the God of the winemaker. Roman brought the culture of white wine, while locals were drinking a thick wine they were coping it with water.
With the arrival and establishment of Christianity came the celebration of St. Tryphon, who was the patron of winemakers. During the Middle Ages and the ensuing centuries, Bulgarian wine was recognized and appreciated in most of Europe and flourish even more during the national renewal. After the country was freed from Ottoman rule, epidemics took a violent blow to the Bulgarian vineyards, but thanks to the help of French wine experts, most of the culture was changed and the tradition lived on. It was also during the period one could witness solid implantation of the French grape type in the wine landscape of Bulgaria.
The communist area was one of massive wine production for the country: back in the 1980s, Bulgaria was top 5 regarding wine export in the world. After a difficult period following the end of this era, leading to the closure of certain wine factory and a general decline in production, winemaking in Bulgaria is today in pretty good shape and make itself known abroad, thanks not in a small part to the Bulgarian communities who take a large toll in Bulgaria wine exports.
Pelin Wine
The region of Preslav, the North-East is known for being quite the wine producer, especially white wine. It also holds somewhat of history regarding wine production, as when Khan Krum decided in the Xth century to forbid wine production except for his own consumption, he settles a vineyard in a village in the vicinity of Preslav which nowadays bear his name.
Next to Preslav there is a town called Osmar which became a massive wine-producing region at the beginning of the XXth century, especially thanks to the return of Bulgarian from abroad (notably from the US) who invested in wine. Today, the town is still known for a very particular brand of wine: the Beline, which consist of 80% of the town's production. This wine is an herb wine, including 36 different kinds of herbs, is shipped all over Bulgaria and abroad in the local Bulgarian communities like in Spain or Germany.
