Vineyards
TERROIR
The vineyard is located near the village of Nikolaevo, Sliven municipality. The area is a part of the wine-growing region called the Thracian valley in southern Bulgaria. The terroir offers perfect conditions for growing high quality grape vines. The vineyard has a total area of 20 ha, planted in two stages.
The first stage was in the spring of 2016 – 16 ha with white varieties – Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Tamyanka and red varieties – Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese with a specially selected culture for rosé wine production. The second stage – 2020 with an area of 4 ha – planted white varieties – Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and red varieties Merlot and Grenache. For optimal use of the area, the vines have a row spacing of 2.20 m and a vine spacing of 0.91 m. The planting material is imported from Italy and has a rootstock of 110 R. Cultivated white varieties predominate – 55% over red varieties – 45%.
SOIL
The vineyard is grown on hilly terrain with a north-south row of planting. This orientation provides maximum heating of the vines, which is a prerequisite for achieving physiological maturity. Good water drainage and constant wind protect the vineyards from disease.
The soils are clay-loam and are divided into two types – the first type has sandy characteristics, where the red varieties are planted, the second type is predominantly clay, where white varieties are planted. The supporting structure of the vineyards is built in a way that guarantees quality, professional agro-technical treatments – machine digging in the row, contour pruning, inter-row cultivation, quality and efficient irrigation.
DRIP IRRIGATION
The normal vine growth depends to a large extent on the presence of a hydro melioration system. The drip irrigation system is fully compliant with the row location of the vines and the slope of the terrain. The proper irrigation of the grapes and maintaining adequate moisture levels guarantees controlled vegetative growth and a favorable regime for maintaining high quality with optimal vineyard yields.