Grape Harvest Begins in Sandanski, Vinegrowers Expect a Good Harvest

At the end of August and the beginning of September, the grape harvest of early wine varieties is set to begin in the villages of Katuntsi and Vranja, municipality of Sandanski.

Local vine-growers expect this year’s yield to be better than last year, with higher quality grapes. However, some warn that viticulture in the region is in decline due to labour shortages and a lack of markets.

According to Valeri Popov from Katuntsi, tobacco growing and viticulture used to provide the main livelihood for villages in the area. “Tobacco has long since disappeared, and viticulture is slowly fading too,” he said.

Vine growers in the region expect the harvest to be better than last year and the grapes to be of better quality. However, according to some of them, viticulture in the region is dying out due to lack of labour and markets.

“This used to keep younger people here, but now there’s nothing left. People are leaving en masse, especially the young. There’s nothing to make a living from here,” Popov explained.

He has drastically reduced the size of his vineyards because of the lack of workers.
“I used to look after 50 decares. Now I only manage three,” he added.

In the nearby village of Vranja, Stanislav Galabov and his brother cultivate over 100 decares of vineyards and have set up a small winery. But he too admits that finding workers is increasingly difficult.
“There are no young people left; the older ones are already over 80,” Galabov said.

Despite the challenges, he expects grape prices this year to be slightly higher than last season.

The harvest in the region begins with early white wine varieties. By mid-September, growers will start picking Merlot and Cabernet, while in early October harvesting will turn to the most widespread local variety – Shiroka Melnishka.