Bulgarian is a Slavic language that has 5.4 million speakers in the country. It is also spoken in Canada, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States. It is part of the South Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family.

Whether you are a wine lover, foodie or a history buff there is so much to learn about this beautiful Balkan country. I am thrilled to say that wines from Bulgaria are becoming more widely available and it seems as though consumers are growing curious about these new discoveries. In fact, there are now over 30 Bulgarian wine producers that have bottles in retail shops, grocery stores and restaurant menus throughout the U.S. This is a huge jump from the 400 or so Bulgarian wines that were imported 10 years ago.

The wines of bulgaria are often underrated but this is changing and the quality is increasing with each passing vintage. One of the reasons for this is because Bulgarian winemakers are becoming better at understanding drinkability and are less inclined to over extract and use oak. They are finding a balance that is allowing their fruit to shine through and the results are some truly delicious wines.

Another reason for the increased interest in Bulgarian wines is the increased exposure that they are getting at major retail chains. For example, this year, G&B Importers is bringing in about 700,000 bottles of Bulgariana, K Cellars and Rough Day wine from all over Bulgaria, which will be in major retailers like Albertsons, Delhaize, Giant Eagle, Martin’s, Food Lion, and Costco.

While some Bulgarian wines are not yet widely available, I have seen an increase in the number of Bulgarian foods on restaurant menus and in retail shops. Two of the most popular Bulgarian dishes that can be found in many places are kufte and lozovi sarmi. Kufte are flat meatballs that can be made from beef, veal or pork and are usually seasoned with red pepper flakes. Lozovi sarmi are similar to a sushi roll in that they are filled with ingredients and wrapped in a casing such as cabbage leaves or rice. They are commonly served on a stick and some versions include mincemeat.

Bulgarians are very proud of their cuisine and they have a wide variety of dishes that appeal to all palates. You will find a lot of hearty, heavy foods as well as lighter fare such as tarator which is a cold soup of yogurt, cucumbers, garlic and dill. This is a very popular summer dish that is refreshing and hydrating.