/tags/wine/ Recent content in Wine on English Bulgaria Hugo -- gohugo.io Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Wed, 02 Nov 2016 17:58:18 +0000 /2016/11/if-you-give-a-bulgarian-man-some-grapes/ Wed, 02 Nov 2016 17:58:18 +0000 /2016/11/if-you-give-a-bulgarian-man-some-grapes/ <p>If you give a Bulgarian man some grapes, he&rsquo;ll want to make wine. After he drinks the wine, he&rsquo;ll want to use the pressed and fermented remains of the grapes to make a traditional brandy called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakia">rakia</a>. This is easily the most famous <em>cliché</em> about Bulgaria, but in my experience it&rsquo;s not that far from the truth.</p> <figure> <img sizes="(min-width: 35em) 1200px, 100vw" srcset=' /2016/11/if-you-give-a-bulgarian-man-some-grapes/IMG_20160715_205458_huc0fe8f268d85f25e9814a66008688f7a_2019027_480x0_resize_q75_box.jpg 480w, /2016/11/if-you-give-a-bulgarian-man-some-grapes/IMG_20160715_205458_huc0fe8f268d85f25e9814a66008688f7a_2019027_800x0_resize_q75_box.jpg 800w, /2016/11/if-you-give-a-bulgarian-man-some-grapes/IMG_20160715_205458_huc0fe8f268d85f25e9814a66008688f7a_2019027_1200x0_resize_q75_box.jpg 1200w, /2016/11/if-you-give-a-bulgarian-man-some-grapes/IMG_20160715_205458_huc0fe8f268d85f25e9814a66008688f7a_2019027_1500x0_resize_q75_box.jpg 1500w, ' src="/2016/11/if-you-give-a-bulgarian-man-some-grapes/IMG_20160715_205458_huc0fe8f268d85f25e9814a66008688f7a_2019027_800x0_resize_q75_box.jpg" alt="Pitting plums to add to the grape pomace"/> <figcaption> <p>Pitting plums to add to the grape pomace</p> </figcaption> </figure> /2016/05/katarzyna-estate-and-the-legend-of-thracian-wine/ Sun, 22 May 2016 17:29:25 +0000 /2016/05/katarzyna-estate-and-the-legend-of-thracian-wine/ <figure> <img sizes="(min-width: 35em) 1200px, 100vw" srcset=' /2016/05/katarzyna-estate-and-the-legend-of-thracian-wine/IMG_20160518_100129_hubfa4272ec88c420741f95b956fb834ca_2053475_480x0_resize_q75_box.jpg 480w, /2016/05/katarzyna-estate-and-the-legend-of-thracian-wine/IMG_20160518_100129_hubfa4272ec88c420741f95b956fb834ca_2053475_800x0_resize_q75_box.jpg 800w, /2016/05/katarzyna-estate-and-the-legend-of-thracian-wine/IMG_20160518_100129_hubfa4272ec88c420741f95b956fb834ca_2053475_1200x0_resize_q75_box.jpg 1200w, /2016/05/katarzyna-estate-and-the-legend-of-thracian-wine/IMG_20160518_100129_hubfa4272ec88c420741f95b956fb834ca_2053475_1500x0_resize_q75_box.jpg 1500w, ' src="/2016/05/katarzyna-estate-and-the-legend-of-thracian-wine/IMG_20160518_100129_hubfa4272ec88c420741f95b956fb834ca_2053475_800x0_resize_q75_box.jpg" /> </figure> <p>Much of modern-day Bulgaria and Northern Greece was inhabited by loosely organized <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrace">Thracian</a> tribes during the first millennium or so before Christ. Legend has it that they have made wine along the banks of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritsa">Maritsa river</a> for the last 5,000 years. The ancient Greek poet Homer partially corroborates this in his epics written around 800 BCE. From <cite>The Iliad</cite>:</p>