We are presenting you Jivko Enchev, sommelier, consultant and sales manager in a small wine project in the Struma Valley. Part of the so-called "New wave" sommeliers in Bulgaria. Winner of the title "Sommelier of the Year 2017".

Founder and member of the “Bulgarian Association of Wine Professionals”. Works for the "Bulgarian wine" cause, invests a lot of energy and passion in its popularization and informed consumption!

CHARACTERISTICS OF MAVRUD

Versatile, varietal and terroir, Mavrud gives us a wide field of expression in pairing with food. Most importantly, we always have a choice and it seems that combining it with food is far easier than cultivating it.

We will look from different angles to decipher this Bulgarian variety while giving professional guidance to wine lovers on serving Mavrud wine with appropriate food.

What are the important aspects of Mavrud?

We wish success to all winemakers who have embarked on working with this exceptional variety, and to all gourmet lovers we suggest to try the wines from Mavrud, following our basic recommendations for food pairing.

We like sparkling wine and believe in its potential. As it is good to know, there is no suitable time for sparkling, it’s always a good time. We hope that the sparkling wines from Mavrud will become more and more. But still when?

Of course, in the beginning as an aperitif. If paired with food, we recommend the sparkling representatives with fresh salads, soft cheeses with fresh fruit and light airy and creamy desserts.

From the experience with the  grape variety representatives in those ranges, they are a great pleasure to combine with a wide range of dishes.

For example, salads with sheep or buffalo cheese with high fat content, the presence of nuts and fruits such as apricots, nectarines and pomegranates.

River fish, prepared baked or tempura fried.  

In this group we will try to unify the wines from Mavrud, but we must not ignore the Mavrud’s clone type, the way of vinification and the aging of the wine.

Clone type 1 Mavrud variety, which ripens relatively earlier, we would combine with Bulgarian Balkan yellow cheese from cow or sheep's milk matured over 60 days. Add red small fruits or mountain herbs to emphasize Mavrud’s varietal characteristics.

Other typical Bulgarian dishes suitable for pairing: Rhodope mountain potato savory pie (Patatnik), Porridge (polenta) with wild mushrooms and smoked bacon (Kachamak), varieties of casserole from different regions of the country (Gyuvech).

Our clone type 2 Mavrud variety associations, which are more extractive and deep (especially after aging in barrels), we will direct again to the Bulgarian traditional cuisine. Here are some examples: Meat stew, Heavily seasoned with traditional herbs fried meat (Kavarma), Bansko Beef stew (Banski Chomlek), Wine stew (Wine Kebab), roasted red meats such as beef, lamb and game.

It is good to stick to the Slow Food movement and rely on local products and foods. So the pleasure and emotional memories are guaranteed.

Contemporary Bulgarian cuisine can serve us more and more original dishes allowing us to train our experimental wine spirit.

Cheers!  

We are presenting you Asen Tsekov, creator and main driving force of Vino Orenda, the first specialized store only for Bulgarian wine in Sofia. He is convinced that many quality wines are made in Bulgaria with modern visions by enthusiastic winemakers who want to show a new face to the Bulgarian wine production. Through Vino Orenda he strives to present as many interesting Bulgarian wines as possible in one place.

Founder and co-organizer of the Sofia‘s Borough “Tour de Zarezan”.

Member of the Bulgarian Association of Wine Professionals.

I don't know how many complex food combinations, but what I like to emphasize is local wines and varieties with local (and meat) dishes.

Yes, and I often recommend with pie, cheese and spinach and wholemeal homemade crusts.

If it is a young, newer crop, unripe Mavrud: pie with goat cheese, pasta with tomato-based sauces, grilled vegetables, soft, yellow cheeses /yellow cheese with dried blueberries/.

If it is more elegant Mavrud (Clone 1), not so extractive, but aged in barrels like Elijah of the Monastery, Mavrud Georgiev Milkov, Mavrud Sarva of Dragomir, Mavrud Wine Bridges, Bendida: mature cheeses (goat, sheep), yellow cheese, dried sausages (beef sausage, babek), moussaka, meat stews with prunes, lamb, meat and sauerkraut casserole (Kapama).

For more complex and dense, extracted, aged in barrels (Vinitsa, Rumelia reserve, Neragora reserve, Elenovo EM): very mature (min. 9 months) cheese from sheep milk or mixed milk, air-dried venison leg, aromatic dishes, heavily seasoned fried meat with traditional herbs (Kavarma), ribs, meat barbecue, beef, game, grilled game.  

We would be happy to learn about your favorite Mavrud and food pairings.

Write us at info@mаvrudday.com.