For Bulgaria, wine has always been and will always be of special importance. Today, as in the past, it is not only and simply a source of livelihood, a solace in everyday life and a joy on festive occasions, but it is also part of Bulgaria’s positive image as a civilised European country. Like the great European writers and artists of the Renaissance who contemplated the image of Bacchus, many leading figures in Bulgaria’s nineteenth-century National revival concerned themselves with some vinous issues too. The progress of the Bulgarian nation has always been reflected in the quality of its wine, and this is unlikely to change. Standards in the development of winemaking and viniculture have always been a measure of the well being of society.
The main purpose of this book is to introduce traditional Bulgarian winemaking and its most recent trends even though we are clearly aware of the risks of such an undertaking: the processes under way in the industry in the past few years have been particularly dynamic and this intense development is still continuing.
