Winery

Downtown Urban Winery is located in the heart of Sliven, in one of the oldest city districts – Klutzohor, which has preserved its authentic architecture. In the past the cellar premises has functioned as a carpentry workshop for several decades.

Preserving the spirit of craftsmanship, all operations in the cellar are performed with minimal technological influence – from picking grapes to bottling wine. This style of production is also decisive for the winery’s micro capacity of 11,000 bottles per year.

The cellar operations begin with the reception of the hand-picked grapes in 10 kg crates. After cooling it in a refrigerator, sorting follows, separating each bunch that does not meet our quality requirements. This is followed by separating the berries from the bunches and transporting them to the grape juice extraction press for white and rosé wines, or to the fermentation vessels for red wines.

The freshly pressed grape juice goes through alcoholic fermentation, which is carried out at a controlled temperature in order to smooth the process and preserve the aromas. After the fermentation, the white and rosé wines are separated from the lees obtained and age for several months, depending on the variety, in order to achieve balance and stability. Before giving time to rest, the red wines first go through a malo-lactic fermentation.

Some of the red wines age in French oak barrels. We use barrels from cooperages in France. The trees are at least 200 years old and have a fine grain structure, which offers the opportunity for a longer period of wine maturation and a slow and smooth extraction process. Aging in premium quality barrels allows us to make ultra premium red wines.

After a certain time of maturation, the wines are properly blended and bottled. Depending on the wine, before being placed on the market, the bottles are stored for a period of several weeks to several months in order to balance the structure and aromas.