Bratanov Winery Merlot & Syrah Quel Mariage

Bratanov Winery is a small family-run project – the result of the hard work and devotion of a father and his sons, who have set out the honorable mission to restore the ancestral tradition. The foundations were set in 2006 with planting the 24 ha of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Rubin, Chardonnay and Tamianka.

The vineyards are situated on the sunny hills of South Sakar, nearby the village of Shishmanovo, Harmanli. This mystic mountain in South-Eastern Bulgaria is one of the best terroirs in Europe for growing red wine grapes. The Aegean Sea winds, penetrating through the Maritsa River Valley, provide for a transitional Mediterranean climate, with long hot summer and mild winter, usually no groundfrost. The region has one of the highest values of sunshine for Bulgaria. The soil types are mostly sandy-clay and maroon, slightly stony, with good permeability and structure.

Bratanov family follows the philosophy that the wines should reflect the spirit of their creators and the sunny terroir of South Sakar by applying minimal technological intervention and putting great attention to the quality of the grapes. Bratanov Winery is a founding member of the Bulgarian Association of Independent Winegrowers.

Merlot, Syrah

Thracian Lowlands is a wine region in the south of Bulgaria. It one of two PGI designations for Bulgarian wine recognized for export into the EU. The other is Danubian Plains.

The zone is very large, and so general comments regarding wine styles and growing conditions are very hard to make. In the west, on the Macedonian border, it includes the outlying region region of the Struma Valley. In the east it encompasses the southern half of the Black Sea region. Between the two sits the cental Thracian Lowlands.

East Thracia where Bratanov is siuated, is regarded as the fruit and vegetable center of the country. There are also many vineyards on the fertile soils in areas such as Stara Zagora, Nova Zagora and Korten.

60% Merlot, 40% Syrah.

Wild fermented using only indigenous yeast from the vineyard naturally existing on the skins of the grapes.

The Merlot is aged in stainless steel tanks only and the Syrah around 3 years in used Bulgarian, Hungarian and French oak barrels of different sizes (225l, 400l and 500l).

QUEL MARIAGE! Translated from French – what marriage, what a coupage, what a harmony! This is a daring “rule breaking” coupage of the most typical Bordeaux (Merlot) and Rhone Valley (Syrah) varieties which is recognized as one of the best expressions of wine from South Sakar mountain’s terroir for the last decade.

Intense notes of ripe plums, cherries and spices on the notes. Juicy and elegant body with notes of dark fruits, leather, liquorice, matured and very well integrated tannins with abundance of cassis and tobacco on the finish.

Drink with steak, game pie, lamb, BBQ, matured cheeses.

Nolan - Before we moved into our new shop, we were approached by a Bulgarian importer. Whilst we were genuinly impressed with every wine Georgi brought us to try, this is the one that made us desperate to work with him. It is actually THAT good. Unfortunately, the old shop had no space so we had to be patient and wait until we were in our beautiful new shop. Now we have moved, we are struggling to keep up with demand for our expanding Bulgarian selection, (I keep sneaking another bottle on the shelves with every order, don't tell the boss).
This Quel Mairage is a geniune show stopper. Most of the customers who have bought a bottle have come back and bought more. I think this fact speaks for itself really. Though this is not a cheap bottle of wine by any stretch of the imagination, it tastes so much more expensive than it actually is!
Please don't buy this by the case, I might want another bottle on a whim.