We taste emotion.
At the foot of the Rhodopes, on the road of Emperors, among the gunpowder from the April uprising, the aroma of vineyards, vineyards, vineyards…
At the very end of the Ustina village, almost next to Perushtitsa, there’s a winery. We’re going there absolutely on purpose. The Yustina wine is not a mass product, it’s being sold in selected places and sadly (for us), a big part of it goes for export.
We’re imagining an hour – two – and then back. That’s why we’re not in a hurry, we’ve got the whole day ahead of us. A mistake. A minimum of six hours are needed, that’s what we learned and that’s what we share.
26 km from Plovdiv, at the end of the Ustina village, tucked away and cozy, vineyards and Rhodopes’ hills, woken up by Spring woods. The silence and the greenery. For which a great contribution are
The Vines
Almost 500 acres now. Beauty. Go up the hill and stay there, watch the vineyards. There is time to drink their wine later. The grapes are harvested by hand, the bunches of grapes are sorted first, then the grapes themselves.
The cellar
A walk as if in a lab. The Yustina Winery also works as a laboratory model for tests and experiments in real production conditions of new techniques and technologies in winemaking. The hosts present the processes - cold maceration, fermentation in small volumes for excellent control, various fermentation techniques, depending on the different varieties of grapes from their own vineyards... Sauvignon Blanc, Semiyon, Chardonnay, Aligote, Gevurtztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Mavrud, and Rubin.
Going from hall to hall. Well, the barrels - Bulgarian oak (their wine is somehow more smokey) and French barrels in which the wine is ‘chilling’.
The wine
That's why we're here. Tasting 5 types of wine - 2 whited, a rosé, and 2 reds. We had no strength for the sparkling ones. The hosts take out white and yellowe cheese and sausages from local produce. We sit down in the tasting bar. Here everybody knows it. And we open our senses. However, one piece of advice: don’t count on a wine tasting under 2 hours. Think what you like J. Be careful what you wish for - alert to after-taste - soft vanilla and nuts, chocolate, or black cherry. If you have any strength left, after the quiet wines, go on to the sparkling ones. We strongly recommend leaving the tasting for last, after the walk to
The Farm
From Peru to South Africa. Curious funny alpacas, South African white-eyed goat boer (feeding them all year round with fresh grass that you can see growing), deer, roe, peacocks ... will let the rest surprise you. Space, natural environment, agricultural machinery, diligently ordered. Lake fishing - if you are fishermen, take the rods.
What’s around
2-3 more hours for: The red church from VI AD, the remains of the walls of the Thracian fortress of Hissarluka and the Byzantine fortress Yustina of Emperor Justinian, from where the name of the village of Ustina comes, the eco-path (1,5 km) to the Ustnica waterfall and the chapel "St. George ".
A reminder, once again - leave the tasting for the end. Otherwise, you can skip the walks. Because when you come to the winery, built as if for its own soul, you realize that it has been built from the soul to the soul. It’s built on an old tobacco warehouse. In a great place. With nature and history.
In vino veritas.