The Old Thracian Wines
Historically Bulgarian wine can be traced back to ancient Thrace and the Greek god of wine "Dionysus".
Bulgarian territory was one of the regions where many of the wine traditions were founded during the period of the Hellenistic world. The cultured wine is said to have been grown first in Central Asia. The earliest traces of its origin within what is now Bulgaria go back 3,000 years.
Homer's Iliad describes the honey sweet black wine, which the ships of the Achaeans brought daily from the Thracian city of Ismarus to their camp outside Troy.
As well as the historians, the scientists also believe that the Bulgarian wine cultures of today Pamid, Dimyat, Misket, Gamza, Mavrud and the broad-lived vine of Melnik date back to these Thracian times.
During these ancient times the Greek historian Xenophont describes a feast organised by the Thracian king Sevt (424- 410 BC), in which wine was served in animal horns as a ritual practise.
Archaeological digs have resulted in the finding of numerous votive plates, decorated vessels and coins depicting scenes of wine drinking in the live of the Thracians. Probably the best-known pieces are of Bulgarian gold and silver, which depict ritual wine drinking situations with the god Dionysus. It is also worth noting that "Plynius the Old" stated that the first European vine grower was a Thracian named Evmolp.
The vine growing of the Balkans continued with the arrival of the Romans within the peninsula. Historians claim the eastern Black Sea Coast region was where white wine started to evolve.
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