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The current national currency of Bulgaria is the lev. It is pegged to the euro. Bulgaria has a target date for joining the euro zone in 2012. The prices of Bulgarian wines are slowly rising but they are still quite low.

Bulgaria offers delicious, fruity reds at an excellent value for money. Bulgaria spends nothing more than pin money on entertaining wine writers, nor on any luxuries, except bottling lines (which are usually powered by humans).

No one seems to have ever met a Bulgarian winemaker. So maybe there are none. The wine in Bulgaria simply makes itself, without human intervention and, obviously, without expensive technology. Yet, are there any wineries? Having been unable to go and visit Bulgaria and find out, I can’t say for sure. The statistics say that the annual average production of wine in Bulgaria ranges around 220 million litres.

Bulgaria varietals

The more renowned export wines are produced from the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties: high quality, rich, and Bordeaux-like.
Local grapes include:
- Gamza red wine - the most widespread sort produces earthy, light bodied red wine good for simple fare. In Romania and Hugary it is known as Kadarka.
- Mavrud red wine - is a full bodied wine, spicy red that can age to more than 8 years
- Melnik red wine - grown in the southernmost part of the country makes hefty red wines that age very well.
- Pamid Red Wine - rustic and hardly unforgettable but still good enough “commercial” for daily drinking.

White Bulgarian wines are produced from renowned white varieties such as chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and riesling as well as from the local: misket, ottonel, and dimiat. White Bulgarian wines are not nearly as good as red Bulgarian wines but they are rapidly improving. Recently some very nice surprises were released by the Rouse winery.

The web has more information about Bulgarian wines. Here is a selection.

Every year, about 300 hectoliters of wine are produced in the world. (The hectoliter metric unit of capacity or volume used in dry measure and equal to 100 liters or 2.8378 bushels.) Of this total, Austria’s share accounts for less than one percent.

As a small wine-producing country, Austria strives to produce only high quality wines. In order to do this, four components are necessary: soil, climatic conditions, the right selection of vines and the person producing the wine.

THE SOIL

Soil leaves its imprint on wine. It helps determine the character and the quality. There are two main variations of soil: airy light-textured and heavy compacted textured.

A sandy, light soil, such as loess, becomes warm very quickly and - with proper irrigation - contributes to top-quality wine.

Heavy, clayey soils tend to hold water well, moisture is retained: a plentiful harvest is usually yielded, producing strong, full-bodied wines. The light and sandy soils (including primary rock) helps create lean, yet elegant and fruity wines.

Austrian vineyards have a wide variety of soils. Loess is predominant in the Weinviertel and in the Donautal. Around Kerms, Langenlois and in the Wachau, primary rock is most plentiful. Limestone strongly defines the Thermenregion. Types of soils found in Burgenland are varied, with everything from slate (in Leithagebirge), clay and marl to pure sand. Volcanic and brown soils (in the Kloch area) are distinctive for the Steiermark.

CLIMATE

The vine growth cycle, from budbreak in the spring until the leaves fall in autumn, last approximately 200 days, depending on the variety. Warm, sunny summers and long, mild fall days are typical for most of Austria’s wine regions. Yearly rainfall in the east averages 400 milliliters; in the Steiermark, it can climb to more than 800 ml.

Two main influences on climatic conditions in the regions are the Danube river, which reflects warmth and acts as a temperature regulator, and the vast Neusiedlersee lake, whose shores, in the late fall, are filled with ripened grapes that will make the incomparable Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines.

Altitude is also a key factor. Most Austrian vineyards are planted 200 metres above sea level. However, in Niederosterreich, vineyards are cultivated at a height of up to 400m. The Steiermark boasts the highest wine villages, with Kitzeck and St. Andra in the Sausal area, where grapes are grown between 540-560m above sea level.

The wine growing regions are all found in terperate climate zones - at a latitude of approximately 47-48 degrees north. This is comparable to the province of Burgundy in France.

THE VINES

Austria has a plethora of varieties, each in harmony with their soil and climate conditions. Of significance are approximately 20 white and 10 red varieties. Austria’s vineyards comprise 77% white varieties; 23% are red - an increase in recent years. The most noble variety is riesling. The variety currently in fashion in the USA is grüner veltliner.

THE WINEMAKERS

The winemakers, or, as they are sometimes called in Austria, the wine hewer, decides which types of grapes they will grow. A crucial criterion for achieving a high quality harvest is the low yield.

There are methods that can help attain this result, such as little fertilisation and thinning both after blossoming and before picking. For Qualitatswein, Austria’s wine law has set a maximum of 9,000 kg per hectare.

When it comes to processing the packed grapes, only one thing matters- good care, This means light application of pressure during pressing, and a concentrated influence on the whole vinification process.

Here is an extensive series on wine-growing in Austria.

The present article complements a post on reading labels of Portugal wines.

The Portuguese are a sea-faring nation - and accordingly, some of their most famous wines have been moulded by the tastes and demands of their export markets. That is the case with both Madeira and port, two of the greatest fortified wines in the world. Portugal’s table wines, though, have, until quite recently, been far more inward-looking.

Climate

The influence of the sea has been limited to moderating the climate of the vineyards on the Atlantic coast, so that the western stretch of the river Douro produces light, acidic Vinho Verdes. The climate here is cool and wet; only further upriver does it become hot and dry enough to grow grapes for port. Most of the northern two-thirds of the country gets sufficient rain for the vine’s needs; the most southerly third is hotter and drier, and only sparsely planted with vines.

Port is shipped from the city of Oporto (at the mouth of the river Douro) to the rest of the world. The boats, barcos rabelos in Portuguese, were traditionally used for shipping the wine down from the vineyards further up the river. Now they have been replaced by road tankers.

The Douro Valley

Far up the valley of the Douro, where port wine is grown and made, the river has carved a path for itself through schist and granite. Terraces have to be cut into the schistous rock (the granite may not be planted with vines) for the vine to gain a foothold; it is a region of poor soil and extreme temperatures where the mountains of the Serra de Marão keep off the rain for weeks at a time in the summer. The finest vineyards are east of Pinhão where the quintas are shoulder-to-shoulder along the hillsides. Further upstream the hills flatten out and increasing labour costs are causing many companies to plant vines here because of the ease of mechanization; downriver the wines are generally of lower quality and are used to make cheaper ports.

Madeira

According to legend, when the Portuguese first landed on this island off the coast of Africa in 1420, they set fire to the dense woodland that covered the entire island. The fire continued to burn for many years, and at the end of it the already rich volcanic soil was even more fertile, enriched with ash. Nowadays it is hard to miss the fecundity of Madeira’s soil. Flowers are everywhere, and bananas compete with vines for land. Rich though the soil is, only the slopes around the coast are planted with vines. The centre is too mountainous and is usually cloud-covered. Indeed, there is no flat land at all on Madeira: the mountains drop straight into the sea and the vines have to be planted on terraces. Humidity, and the problems of rot that go with it, are a constant problem.

Grape Varieties

There are many indigenous Portuguese grapes. Red varieties include the Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and others used in making port and Douro table wines - Baga in Bairrada, and Periquita, Trincadeira and Aragonês (Tinta Roriz) in the south. Tinta Negra Mole still accounts for about half of the plantings on Madeira.

Of the white varieties, Arinto is grown almost everywhere, while Alvarinho is important in Vinho Verde. Fernão Pires contributes character to the southern wines. Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malvasia, along with Terrantez, make the classic styles of Madeira.

Here are articles on other quality websites about: Portugal wines.

Classification System

Vinho regional (country wine), started in 1992, is the lowest quality level for a Portuguese wine (above vinho de mesa, the basic table wine).

Next up, the IPR (indicação de proveniência regulamentada) wines are those waiting in the queue to be given DOC (denominação de origem controlada) status, the highest of all.

There are now 19 DOC regions - including Madeira, Bairrada, Dão and Douro. Port has its own separate DOC. The term Garrafeira is sometimes still used to indicate a producer’s best wine. It can be used on the label of any quality wine with half a degree more alcohol than the minimum. In addition, reds require at least two years in tank or barrel and another one in bottle; the rare whites need six months each in barrel (or tank) and bottle. Reservas just need the extra half a degree alcohol but the term is increasingly used for premium bottlings.

Often Used Terms On Portugal Wine Labels

Adega - Originally a wine cellar or cave often used now to simply indicate a wine producer
Branco - A white wine.
Bruto - Dry sparkling wine.
Casta - Grape variety.
Casta predominante - Predominant grape variety.
Colheita - The year of vintage.
Engarrafado por - Bottled by.
Engarrafado na Origem or na Quinta - Estate bottled wine.
Engarrafado na Regiao - Bottled in the region of origin but not from any particular property or vineyard.
Carrafa - A wine bottle - meia-garrafa: a half-bottle.
Carrafao - A 5-liter jug of basic quality table wine.
Garrafeira Literally a wine cellar. But this is also a legal term indicating, for a red wine, lengthy aging in bulk (two years) and bottle (one year). White wines must be aged six months in bulk and six months in bottle before release. A garrafeira is a producer’s top wine. Its quality depends on the producer’s standards.
Quinta - A vineyard with a dwelling and vinification facilities. Roughly equivalent to the French term “chateau.”
Produzido por - Produced by.
Reserva - A reserve wine which has met certain legal requirements. The terms especial and partrcular added to this term have no legal definition; they are just embellishments.
Seco - Dry most often seen on white wine labels.
Meio-Seco - Half-dry - usually indicates an off-dry or slightly sweet Vinho Verde or sparkling wine.
Tinto - Red Wine.
Vinho - Wine.
Vinha - Vinevard.
Vinho Espumante - sparkling wine made by one of several natural methods, usually the classic methode champenoise.
Vinho Espumoso - Artificially carbonated sparkling wine.

Please come back in a month for an article on Portugal wine regions and varieties. You will see a notice in your feed reader if you subscribe to the RSS feed.