Katarzyna Estate produces the highest quality organic Bulgarian wines, with over 300 awards under their belts. The estate is located in the most southern part of Bulgaria, a region with the longest duration of sunshine (over 3000 hours per year) in Bulgaria. The region is extremely favourable for growing vines and is on the same latitude as some of the most famous wine regions in Europe.
The area is known for its ancient history and traditions. Sources more than 5000 years old proves that the Thracians and Romans who lived in those lands were engaged in Viticulture and Oenology.
Team
The main oenologists of the cellar are Svilen and Ivan Kisyovy. The two brothers began to work at Katarzyna Estate as soon as they finished their professional education. They are the creators of some of the most emblematic and award-winning Bulgarian wines.
“The aim of our team is to use the traditional wine-making techniques to reveal the uniqueness of the vineyard and its terroir. To create wines that are homogeneous, well-balanced and express and emphasize the character of the region.”
Vineyards
Katarzyna Estate owns 750 hectare of vineyards situated at the so called White soil area (sandy,sandy-clay and clay-limestone soils). All vines were planted between 2004 and 2007 after a careful study of the soil and the climatic specificities of the individual plots. The ratio between red and white varieties is 70 to 30. The planting density is from 413 to 550 vines per ha.
The different areas in the vineyards gives Katarzyna the opportunity for a large number of different batches of wines, which are used to shape the final products.The altitude varies from 187 to 210 meters. The climate is temperate continental with warm summers, mild winters and no spring frosts. The average annual rainfall is 586 mm.
The white grapes varieties are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Pinot Gris, Traminer, Viognier, and Muscat. The red varieties are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Mavrud, Rubin, Carménère and Grenache.
Since 2012, part of the vineyards have been grown organically. The vineyard area is 85 ha. The varietal composition consists of: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Carménère. The first vintage of wine produced from organically grown grapes was in 2015 year.
In organic production the intervention is minimized, using natural wine yeast, rather than the usual human-selected highly-efficient strains. The involvement of technologists in the fermentation process is also limited, which in its turn emphasizes more the unique profile of each harvest.
Cellar
Katazryna's cellar is located at the foot of the Eastern Rhodopa Mountain, just 2 km away from the border with Greece. The area is hilly, very picturesque and still charmingly wild. The cellar is the largest-capacity Bulgarian wine cellar using the method of microvinification.
