Excellent Grape Harvest in Southwestern Bulgaria, Prices of Wine Expected to Rise

Producers in Southwestern Bulgaria report an excellent grape harvest. Despite the fertile year, the industry anticipates an increase in both grape and wine prices.

Stoimen Gorov cultivates various grape varieties on over 100 decares of land in the Kocerinovo area. Despite the challenging weather this summer, he says he has never had a better harvest.

Stoimen Gorov, winemaker: “We managed to irrigate and provide everything the vineyard needed… What we are currently seeing in the market, now that grape sales have started, is that prices are about 10% higher than last year. I attribute this first to the difficult season, with high heat and large temperature swings, and also to inflation itself.”

Producers also warn of ongoing difficulties with irrigating agricultural land, a problem that deepens each year. To protect their crops, they often find solutions themselves.

Krum Bogdanski, winemaker: “We have no irrigation here; we rely on what falls from above, whatever God provides. There used to be irrigation twenty years ago, but everything has been neglected. There is an irrigation system in place, but there is no water…”

Stoimen Gorov, winemaker: “We have a fully developed irrigation system and reservoirs, which help us compensate for the high temperatures in July and August. About 80% of these are our own investments.”

The sector is also facing a shortage of labour. Due to low wages, experienced workers prefer to work in vineyards in Western European countries such as France, Spain, and Italy.