This will not be a story about the cellar, the barrels, and the wine. This will be more of a story about the place. The place that is particularly dear and special to me. Something very personal.
Ivaylovgrad
Once upon a time, when this area was one of the busiest places in terms of trade and crafts, the city was called Ortaköy, or the city of friends. Part of the Adrianople Vilayet, inhabited mainly by Greeks and Bulgarians, this is where the three nations inhabiting Thrace—the Bulgarian, Greek, and Turkish—came together.
Whenever I set off for Ivaylovgrad, I am aware that I am going to a different Bulgaria, where the usual sight in people’s yards is almond and fig trees, pomegranates, hinaap (which the locals mistakenly call furma), lemons, etc. The climate is quite similar to that of the Mediterranean, and it is at its best when the “white wind” blows – the warm, humid wind from the White Sea. Since ancient times, the locals have grown vines, tobacco, peanuts, sesame, almonds, and once upon a time, the most profitable business was silkworm breeding. My family’s house, for example, is over 120 years old and was built entirely according to the technology used for growing and harvesting silk. In ancient times, talc was mined here – this rare mineral was almost as expensive as gold. And speaking of gold, along with other generous gifts from nature, it is said that somewhere between Momchilgrad and Ivaylovgrad, in the karst labyrinths of the Eastern Rhodopes, lies a gold vein. There is much evidence to support this, but in my opinion, the gold in this land cannot be mined with a sieve in the river…
Among the picturesque hills covered with vineyards, there are almond and cherry groves, here and there flocks of sheep and goats graze, and the silence is so piercing that you can hear your own thoughts. One thought, however, bothers me quite a bit: I come here at least once a year, but I have never actually entered a cellar other than the one in my home. Yes, I know—it’s a shame. I find the coordinates of Yamantievi and on a cold morning I head for the winery. I vaguely remember that somewhere there was a border guard unit at the time when the State Border had further condemned this paradise to forced isolation. And so it has been for over 50 years. The Slaveevo-Kiprinos border checkpoint has only been open since September 2010, and there is already significant traffic in both directions. In fact, people lately prefer to go through Greece if they are going to the city, rather than to the dam. But let’s get back to the topic.
Ivana Yamantieva is already waiting for me at the café, and while we are chatting, Julian, her husband and partner in this wine adventure, arrives. If you don’t know Julian Yamantieva, you should be prepared for an extremely interesting and lively conversation partner. Even before Ivana has had a chance to ask me how we should start the tasting, we are already discussing the archaeological excavations in the village of Huhla – one of the places believed to be the sanctuary of Dionysus, sought after for millennia, as well as the Thracian tomb in Svirachi. Julian’s theory, supported by facts that are valid for him in this case, is that we are dealing with a civilization much older than the Thracian one. Here I am, getting carried away again, but that’s because antiquity, like wine in Ivaylovgrad, surrounds you on all sides, and that’s what makes it unique. Terroir, what can you do?
We begin the tasting with unfiltered Viognier and Muscat. Both wines have very delicate, floral noses. The Muscat displays discreet varietal character and a pleasant, fine structure with soft acids, while the Viognier coats the mouth with its velvety, “thicker” body. In my opinion, both will be charming wines.
The Yamantievs have planted 70 hectares in Ivaylovgrad and the surrounding area with traditional varieties such as Viognier, Chardonnay, Traminer, Muscat, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Alicante Bouschet. However, I don’t understand where the Ruby fits into the picture. Everyone wants Ivaylovgrad ruby because of its limestone base, which is an important condition for the complex qualities of this variety.
“Rubin is a very good variety,” the Yamantiev family tells me, “but it has a lot of tannins.” “We believe that Syrah has much greater potential. It is better accepted on the foreign market, and for us it is stronger. So far, we have found that Rubin does not do so well if it is pure, because here it burns slightly, accumulates a lot of sugars, but loses acidity.”
This brings me to another question that has been on my mind for a long time, but somehow I haven’t asked them directly until now: how did they even think of planting Burgundy Pinot Noir in the warm Mediterranean climate? Where is Burgundy—cool, rainy, and breezy—and where is Thrace—warm, mild, with a Mediterranean influence and “white winds”?
” The whole game is in the altitude, not so much in the climate zone,” Julian Yamantiev tells me. “Our vineyard is 360 meters above sea level and in a very windy place. You just have to see it. We consulted with many people, but every foreigner who comes here can’t believe their eyes. Let’s not forget something else that is very important for the Ivaylovgrad terroir – the fossils. This area used to be the bottom of the sea, and the beautiful white limestone rocks clearly show the imprints of mussel shells. And if that’s not interesting…” Ivana Yamantieva adds that for her, their wine has a southern character and is far from the Burgundy style, but it bears the mark of this unique land.
Стигаме и до мерлото, което е с особен статут в Ивайловград. Моите спомени са, че във всяко лозе имаше мерло – най-голямата гордост на винарите.
“Yes, it is believed here that every good wine is made with this variety, but the truth is that the Merlot vines are very old or have been mixed with all kinds of other varieties,” says the family. “The resulting ‘bouquet’ in a vineyard is far from the varietal French Merlot you probably know. But the new plantings are completely different. We are now talking about Merlot as described in the textbooks. Merlot is an important variety for our winery, and we believe that people like it. They drink it with pleasure, which means they like it,” say the two owners.
Ivana Yamantieva has already prepared the other two wines for tasting – Syrah and Alicante Bouschet from the last harvest of 2010.
Syrah 2010 is varietal and intense on the nose, with lots of violets, blackberries, and an emphasis on meat. With fine tannins, freshness, and medium body, it will be one of the elegant Syrah wines. Alicante Bouchet 2010 was still closed on the nose, but gradually revealed impressive aromas of crushed ripe black fruits and lots of meat. Its freshness and well-ripened tannins placed it among my favorites from the wines expected next year. I also tasted several exceptional, very concentrated Cabernets and Merlas from different barrels from the 2009 vintage, the likely reserves. Judging by the tannins, however, they need another year if our friends decide to leave them in the barrels.
“I know you’ll tell people about Ivana and me and our wine,” Julian Yamantiev tells me as he sees me off. “And that’s great. But what’s more important to me is that you say that none of this would have happened without the people who work for us. They are truly
