Question mark Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 2007

I shall close this month with probably the best wine of all. Maybe it's the cold weather this month, or it's St'Valentine but the total wine posts this month count to 19! I will probably hold this record for a long time!

Question mark is the most famous wine by the Katarzyna estate. It has a deep, dark red colour and unique, rich and plentiful taste of peppers, tobacco and black chocolate. The finishing is long lasting and harmonious. The wine is a wonderful mixture of Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot, vintage 2007 from the famous Thracian region in Bulgaria. It is a bit expensive, but totally worth it (about 20 Euro in shops).

Question mark is the first wine by Katarzyna Estate. It started with the question how to launch it successfully and it turned so successful that the name stayed the same. I like the idea. A great wine and a great finishing for my wine script this wonderful February.

Katarzyna Estate Halla Merlot 2008

Katarzyna is one of my favourite Bulgarian cellars and thank God it has endless list of wines, varieties and vintages to taste. Halla is one of the higher ranked ones, a bit more expensive than Mezzek, Contemplations and Junior.

The wine has a deep taste and is a very good combination of dried fruits and, vanilla aromas and oak. The finishing is long and memorable. A good value for money and wonderful for the evening dinner or friendly lunch with red meets and soft cheese. I personally drunk it on the glass with a friend of mine, while studying for exams. Nevertheless, it was still good.

Todoroff Boutique Merlot 2008

Excellent wine. The look of the bottle, the refined taste and the great aroma send this one on the top places of my wine script. I loved the purple bottle neck and the art label. Actually, as I already wrote about Todoroff winery, it is one of the bulgarian cellars that combine wine & art very successfully.

Todoroff Boutique is a selection of young wines aged for four to twelve months. Young and fresh taste, very well balanced with a notable fruity aroma and dark ruby, even purple colour. The wine is intended to be served straight away. A dry red Merlot, vintage 2008, which we had for lunch with my colleagues from university.

+359 Cabernet & Syrah 2007

Well, I can say that the label of this bottle of Villa Lubimetz winery is more important to mention than the wine itself. I read about the label's latest design in a magazine some time before and I anticipated to taste it. I liked it, but it was a bit soar and not memorable. The aroma is bit strong and tastes of spirit.

Enough about the wine, let's say something about the label. As I already said, its more famous than the wine itself. The idea is to have a strong national appeal: +359 is the telephone code of Bulgaria and the font is the one used by the first Bulgarian Post in 1960s. However, it seems to me that the bright yellow covering on the bottle neck totally ruins the idea. More information about the label you can find on the world's number 1 package design website.

Uniqato Melnik 2008

This typical Bulgarian wine from the Damianitza winery is coming from the Melnik region (Early Melnik variety). Melnik is the most famous winery region in Bulgaria. It's a small, cute town among the mountains, where almost every house's basement is a winery and a guesthouse for wine tourists. Basically, in Melnik wine and wine tourism are the core sources of income for the local people. Many people go there and spend the evening tasting local wines in a typical Bulgarian "mehana". Then, when leaving, everybody buys one of those plastic bottles of home-made wine, which is simply amazing - a young, pure and very dry home-made wine from Melnik is priceless for everyone who've tasted it.

Besides my expectations to taste something similar to home-made Melnik wine and the exaggerated popularity of Uniqato Melnik, the wine was a disappointment for me. A bit tasteless and very edgy, it doesn't really comply with my image of Melnik wines. The label and the bottle itself were nothing special. I think it would have been nice to write something more about the town of Melnik or at least writing why it is so unique (uniqato?).

Zinfandel Redwood California 2007

This is the first American wine I picked from our local Bulgarian supermarket on quite reasonable price (about 7 Euro). Its amazing how the world is becoming so small. Only about 10 years ago it was impossible to find American, Chilean or Argentinian wine in a Bulgarian supermarket.

Second new for me is the variety - Zinfandel, which is very well known and popular in the US, as I have been told. This Californian Zinfandel is grown in Redwood Valley, California and is very close as taste to the Italian variety Primitivo. Actually, only just recently it was recognized as a separate variety (Source) . It is full and rich in flavour and I can feel a spicy note. Very well balanced and fine. I really loved it. We had it with some cheese and vegetable and it went very well. Will definitely taste another Zinfandel soon as well as some more American wines. I am curious what else can be grown in sunny California.

No Man's Land Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

This wine from the famous Damianitza region is very reasonable price and therefore very popular in Bulgarians restaurants. However, I haven't tasted it before and after trying it last weekend, it seems I haven't missed much. The wine was a little disappointment, but fortunately it didn't spoil the great evening we had.

The taste of the wine is very intense and a little heavy I have to say. Maybe the wine will go well with a red meat, but for me, as a vegetarian, it is a little too heavy. Neverthless, I liked the fruitiness taste in it.

As almost any popular Bulgarian wine, the label has a story behind it. No man's land does sound memorable and somehow mysterious. The story behind it is that No Man's Land is a 5 mile land in Southwest Bulgarian border that used to separate the worlds of Socialism and Capitalism. During the Cold war, it used to be a scary place for those who tried to escape abroad. Although the story sounds sleazy, knowing the situation inside out, during Socialism people in Bulgaria were living better than in the recent years during Capitalism. Not so many tried to escape back then and the scary stories about the horrific Socialism are a bit exaggerated.

Frankenseele Spätburgunder 2007

This is the last wine I bought during my trip to Germany. Not knowing the complicated German language I had to seek help by Google Translate to find out what is the variety. So, it turns out that Spatburgunder is the word for the variety and it means Pinot Noir. Frankenseele refers to the region (Franken) where the grape comes from.

To be honest, if I knew that before buying the wine, I wouldn't have because I am not a Pinot Noir lover. Nevertheless, the wine was surpassingly brilliant!

The Spatburgunder is the best red grape grown in Germany, like the Riesling is for the whites. It was brought to Germany from Burgundy in the 14th Century. The wine had a velvet, delicate taste, wonderful, strong aroma and light, ruby colour. I loved its delicate taste. It's definately the best buy I made in Germany.

Predela Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2008

This Italian wine is from the Abruzzo region in Italy which is a famous wine region for many red and white varieties. One of the most grown red grape variety is the Montepulciano, known for its brilliant dark ruby colour and dry, tannic taste.

The Abruzzo region is known for its mountain landscape and is not particularly wealthy. The local people are proud and stubborn. The Predela wine had a very distinctive taste of wild fruits and flowers, which I loved. Very light and easy to drink table wine. Great for a cosy evening with friends.

Contemplations Merlot & Malbec 2008

This is one of the best Bulgarian wines I have tasted recently from Katarzyna winery. It has a deep tannic taste and wonderful finishing. The colour is dark ruby and the aroma is intoxicating. A wonderful companion for the evening.

The bottle of Contemplations is very memorable, so it is worth saying something more here. I picked the wine from the shelves, because I thought it's interesting to read the story on the label. It also looked stylish and cool. Actually, every variety and vintage of the Contemplations series has a different story in rhyme or in prose on its label. The word contemplation means to provoke thinking, considering and expecting something, so the purpose of the story is provoke your thinking, so the wine becomes your companion for the evening. Interesting, but I wouldn't recommend to drink it on your own though. This originality has won a bronze medal for Katarzyna in the 2009 Label Design Awards in San Francisco. Congratulations for the great combination of quality wine and original bottle.

35° South Reserva Shiraz 2007

Although cold, snowy and dull, February is lovely, because it is the month of St.Valentine and Trifon Zarezan (The Bulgarian holiday of vine-growers and wine-makers). I think it is seen from the intensity of my wine posts this month that I am totally on a wine spree and very much in love too. So this wine from Chile is very special, because we drunk it on St.Valentine's Eve. It was splendid.

The wine itself has a very intense fruity aroma and dark violet colour. The taste is a bit edgy, but gentle and fresh. I could feel the dried cherries and strawberries in the taste. The wine has been left to get old for five months in French barrels, so the taste of oak can also be identified. The finishing is long lasting and memorable.

The grapes are 100% Shiraz variety from the Elqui Valley in Chile and have been hand-picked. The wine has won several medals in London and Paris.

Penfold Rawson's Retreat Shiraz Cabernet 2007

The wine we had for dinner last night was a wonderful Austrilian red vintage 2007 of variety Shiraz (Syrah) and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine's aroma is a wonderful floral and fruit bouquet. The colour is medium to light red. The taste is tannic and harmonious with a fruit flavour. Very well balanced. The wine is from wineries in South Australia such as Padthaway, Langhorne Creek, Riverland and McLaren Vale. I wish I knew those places. I have always wanted to visit this amazing country, although it is so far away from where I am based.

On Penfolds website I found some interesting info about the name of the wine. It is named after Christopher Rawson Penfold's original stone cottage built in the year 1845, which is still standing among the vines of Magill Estate in Adelaide, South Australia.

The wine is very light and easy-drinkable. It goes great with beef, lamb or pasta. The floral aroma of the wine relates to the exotic country it come from.

Santa Sarah Black C. Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 2005

We had this wine with a lovely dinner in a fish restaurant downtown Sofia last weekend. I have to say I was very pleased with the choice we made - the wine is amazing, It has a dark ruby colour and a memorbale finishing. The taste is of dried fruits, tabacoo and oak. The finishing is memorable, leaving a lasting tannic tatse in the mouth. It would go best with red meats and Bulgarian yellow cheese. Although, we had it with fish, it was still very nice and we spent a lovely evening.

The wine is produced in Santa Sara winery on the Black Sea, but the grapes are transported from the Thracian region. In the winery's website the producers say that making this wine was like realzing a dream. They also say that its their best selling wine and I can see why. All the feedbacks I read for it were all positive. It is a very good choice for the evening or a special occasion. A recommendation.

Franken Müller-Thurgau 2008

This wine, which I bought from Wurzburg as well is of the Muller-Thurgau variety. As I already explained, the round bottle signifies that it is from the Franken region in Germany. It is a variety of white grapes that was created by Hermann Muller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882. It is the Germany second most planted variety, but its planting is declining.

The wine is dry and reminds me of the Muscat vareity. The taste is medium sweet and smooth. Although this variety is quite outdated and abondened in Germnay I loved it and would definately buy some more when in Germany.

Wein Galerie Rotling 2008

The Rotling variety is a mixture of white and red grapes or their mash prior to fermentation. Although the colour is similar to rosé, it is actually quite different from it.

The wine is half dry and is coming from the Franken region in Germany. The bottle has an unusual round shape which dates back to the 16th century. It is called the Bocksbeutel and may be used only for the Franken wines.

And finally, maybe I should say something for the wine itself! To be honest I didn't like it much. It is not white, but not red either. The taste is too sweet and the finishing was actually absent. Maybe I should give it a try with a more expensive representative of the Rotling.

Riesling Classic 2008

Finally, it's white wine in my list and it's German! And more suprisingly, despite the price of 2,5o Euro from the supermarket the wine is simply gorgeous! The price is no suprise though, for where I bought it from - Würzburg. This wonderful city, where I happened to be this week because of work engagements, turned out to be one of the most famous wine cities in Germany The city is

surrounded by vineyards on the hills and in the city center you can stop by and taste a local wine (ususally offered in small circlular bottles) in one of the those cute wine shops or restaurant. The most glorious monument in the city is the Marienberg castle, which is situated on a hill and surrounded by vineyards. On the top of the hill, we visited a very well kept museum of art & history of the region. It is definately worth going there as a tourist and spend more time. More info can be found on Wikipedia, of course.

The most popular white variety in the region is the Riesling. It is a new vatiety, highly aromatic especially of apple and peach. I felt exactly this taste in my mouth after drinking a glass. Reading in Google, however, I found that the Riesling, also know as "the other white wine" (I really don't knoiw why!?) varies from sweet to half dry (Halbtrocken) and very dry (Trocken). Very drinkable and very pleasant taste.

Riscal Tempranillo 2006

Last weekend we had a small bottle of the Spanish Riscal in a Japanese restaurant (in the accompanying picture you can see the wonderful desert we had from green tea biscuits).

The wine itself had a dark colour and very deep, harmonious taste. Tempranillo variety is smooth and tannic. I also loved the finishing and it went very well with our Japanese dinner.The wine is from the Castilla y Leon region in Spain and costs about 15 Euro. I have to say it is a very good value for money for the quality and definitely goes into my favourites.

Todoroff Gallery Merlot 2007

Todoroff is the first boutique cellar in Bulgaria and used to be my favourite for many years. Unfortunately, in the recent yeas I think the taste has changed a little and the cellar's leading position has been taken by others. Nevertheless, the Merlot listed here remains among my favourites and Todorff cellar is a respected and well know brand in the industry. They also have a splendid spa hotel near the town of Plovdiv (Bulgaria), which charmed me with exceptional art collection, style and great service when visiting last year.

The wine's colour is dark ruby red. I particularly liked the strong aroma and balanced taste of spice, dry fruits and a tinge of oak. The wine leaves a memorable finishing in the mouth. All Todoroff Gallery wines have been left to get old for about three years in "Barrique" type of oak barrels, so that's where the oak taste comes from. There is also another selection of young wines called Todoroff Boutique. More information about this top Bulgarian winery you can find on their website.

We had the wine with a light dinner in a typical and famous restaurant in Sofia: "Pod lipite". The dinner was pleasant and the wine made the food even more delicious. A recommendation.

Dulong Grand Vin de Bordeaux 2006

This French wine is great smooth red, pretty dry and with a soft floral hint. I liked its soft taste and wonderful fruity touches. I have given this bottle as a present to my sister and I only tasted a small glass, but I have to say I was charmed.

The Dulong winery is a family business which run for 5 generations. It is from the famous Bordeaux region in France, whcih produces the following varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbek. The colourful combination of all these varieties makes the wines from this region very deep and tasteful. As the winemakers there say, each Bordeaux wine has its own personality. More information on Bordeaux wines you can find here.

The Bordeaux wines with Merlot go very well with spicy Asian or Oriental cuisine, because the smoothness of the wines balances the fire of the spice.

A recommendation for a lovely dinner.