Quest Bulgaria Property and Lifestyle Magazine

As March nears a close our thoughts in Bulgaria start turning toward the lovely green Spring and the eventual heat of Summer. During the barbecue season, there is nothing better than a nice salad to go with your kufteta! This is my own ‘Bulgarian’ version of Russian Salad - just leave out the ham for a delicious vegetarian version! This also makes a nice year round salad without kufteta.

Boutique wines are the latest buzz word on the Bulgarian wine scene and the country is not lacking in contenders thanks to the likes of boutique vintner, Todoroff who maintain that their craft of “Wine and Art” is a key contribution to promoting Bulgarian culture and spirit. Certainly in terms f wine production this house is one to watch; it has a string of awards under its belt and a selection of brands that can hold their won at any tasting.

Bulgaria can be proud of its fine wine and longstanding viticultural traditions. There are so many wineries across the country, many of the larger ones are owned by multinationals however, there are still many small family run wineries producing limited volumes of excellent quality wine, which never make it onto the supermarket shelves. One such winery is Chateau Polychronoff located in the small seaside town of Byala renowned for its viticulture and in particular the Dimyat grape. Byala’s Polychronoff winery is a great way to spend a summer’s day particularly if you are visiting nearby Obzor or Sunny Beach. You can while away many hours eating homemade bread and cheese, whilst you sample all of the eight Polychronoff wines. 

Pinot noir wines have received fabulous ratings from wine connoisseurs all over the world; Vanity Fair’s wine reviewer Joel Fleischman maintains it is "the most romantic of wines, with so voluptuous a perfume, so sweet an edge, and so powerful a punch that, like falling in love, they make the blood run hot and the soul wax embarrassingly poetic," whilst Master Sommelier Madeline Triffon describes it as "sex in a glass" and to OenoStyle’s Peter Richardsson it is his  "seductive yet fickle mistress!" For this reason we decided to take a look at one of Bulgaria’s most popular pinot wines, boutique vintner Eduardo Miroglio’s  Rose de Noir.

Further to our recent article about Mussel farming in Bulgaria (Click to Read...) we thought we would bring you this classic French recipe which not only makes the most of this fabulous fresh seafood, but also the organic fresh herbs available here in Bulgaria.

Home-made breads are very traditional for the Christmas Eve celebrations in Bulgaria, often a silver coin will be hidden inside and the person who finds it will have good luck in the coming year.

Windy Hills lies on the main Sofia to Bourgas highway close to the town of Sliven and is renowned for its cultivation of high quality red grapes. Not many wineries can boast four star accommodations on-site. In front of the modern winery in the centre of the vineyard there is an impressive hotel full of traditional architecture and style. The hotel offers 11 comfortable double rooms, where guests can relax after a day’s wine tasting and sightseeing.