Midalidare Estate

Midalidare Grand Vintage Syrah 2013 - gold medal    12 March

Midalidare Estate joined at this year's exhibition WEINmesse Berlin 2015. We are happy to share with you that Midalidare Grand Vintage Syrah 2013 won a gold medal in the competition with over 12 000 wines.

Midalidare Estate is located in the Thracian Valley - the most suitable region for grape growing in Bulgaria. The estate is huddling among the southern slopes of Sredna Gora Mountain in the village of Mogilovo (to the North-East of Chirpan).The region has thousands of years of wine traditions; the wines produced here were taken to Piraeus and Enos by caravans as early as in the Antiquity.At the heart of the project is Evgeniy Yussupov, a Russian businessman who lives in Kazahstan and whose love for history, nature and good wine urge him to invest in the village of Mogilovo and to turn this piece of land in a real oasis. Those who love Tuscany will be pleasantly surprised by the pastoral spirit of this godly place being its Bulgarian equivalent - more primitive but not less charming..

Climate

The climate is moderate continental. The average hours of sunlight are more than 2800 per year and sunny days are more than 100 per year. Hot summer with warm nights is typical for the region and for the village of Mogilovo. Winters are mild, sometimes with heavy snowfalls which irrigate naturally the vineyards.;

Varieties

160 hectares of premium quality white varieties have been planted; they are as follows: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Viognier and reds: Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot and Mourvedre. The sole purpose for planting them is to experiment with each variety, to observe its development through the years, so that we can produce wines of exceptional quality.

Growing

The most important thing for a wine estate is to have a proper vineyard. That is why the winery has been constructed exactly in the Pri Stariya Oreh area. The southern slanting slope of the Chirpan uplands, the air sirculation, the limestone which was found in-depth, as well as the soil's good drainage guarantee the perfect quality of Midalidare's grapes.

Harvest

When the grapes reach optimum ripeness it is time for the vintage to start in the early morning hours. This is the way to preserve as much as possible the savour of each variety. Grapes are gathered manually in small crates in order to avoid smashing or hurting. The winery's closeness is a great advantage, as the gathered grapes are immediately cooled in a refrigerator for 24 hours, after which they are sorted very carefully grape by grape, separated from the clusters and transported by gravity in a stainless still tank, remaining in low temperature. They are carefully pressed and then they go for fermentation.

Fermentation

White wine fermentation

After the grapes enter the 2000-litre fermentation tanks, a very slow fermentation goes at a very low temperature and with the addition of French yeast. The wine is stored over lees for four months. During the first two months the lees are uplifted every day (the so called batonnage) and after that - twice a week. The juice clears using a non-organic clarifier. Cold stabilization is not applied. Then it is time for sterile filtration.

Red Wine Fermentation

After the wine enters the 3500-litre fermentation tanks which have especially been designed by the two enologists, the temperature is decreased by the special cooling jackets and the grapes are infused for several days. Fermentation starts with the addition of the French yeast and it continues for 6-8 days; after that the wine remains with the skins for 10-15 days, which helps for achieving maximum extraction of colour and flavour. The process is called maceration. After maceration wine is tapped from the fermentation tanks and goes for aging in new French barrels..

Fermentation in barrel

Midalidare's Chardonnays, as well as high-class red wines ferment in 400-litre French oak barrels which gives extra elegance and fine taste.

Аging

For wine aging we only use 225-litre French barrels which are regularly filled up and observed for qualitative changes in the wine thanks to its contact with oak wood. We experiment with various types of French oak from different regions and with different level of tasting. High class wines only age in new barrels, while with some of the red wines the main objective is grater fruit and sort flavour; therefore some of the lots do not age in barrels.The enologists decide when the wine shall be taken out of the barrels. That is the most magical and crowning moment for an enologist - the blending, which requires mastership and experience accumulated through the years. That is how Midalidare's wines are born.

Midalidare Estate is only a two-hour drive from Sofia, one-hour drive from Plovdiv and half-an-hour drive from Stara Zagora; that creates the perfect precondition for wine tourism, and those who look for new cultural and gourmet feelings will be highly impressed by the original beauty of the scenery close to the winery and the region's opportunities.

Refueling with positive emotions, observation of regional artifacts, walks and bike tours - all of this accompanied by a glass of excellent wine!

One of the best spa and wellness centers in Bulgaria - Starozagorski mineralni bani and Pavel Banya - are located close to the estate.

Those who love Tuscany will be pleasantly surprised by the pastoral spirit of this godly place, being its Bulgarian equivalent - more primitive but not less charming.

The difference is maybe that the artifacts found around the ruins of Karassura and the fortress of Kaleto keep unique historical evidence dating back to as early as the Neolith (IVMIL BC) until the late Middle Ages. In the late Antiquity (the beginning of IV cent. AD) a roadside station at the road fork to the big military road to Augusta Trayana, known from written sources as Karassura, turned into the greatest fortress between Philipopolis and Beroe (presently Stara Zagora).

In Chirpan lovers of Yavorov's poetry can see his home which is turned into a museum. Another popular man from Chirpan, the artist Nikola Manev, who has been living in Paris for more than 40 years, has left a stamp in his home town.

In April 2000 Nikola Manev bought an old house from the period of the Bulgarian national revival, reconstructed it and devised it to the town. It shares a common yard with the museum house of Peyo Yavorov. Together with the house Nikola Manev gave 40 of his paintings from different periods of his artistic path.