MELNIK – WINE TOURISM HAVEN IN BULGARIA

Hundred-year-old wine cellars, strong red wine, historical buildings and impressive landscape – all of this is on offer in the smallest Bulgarian town, Melnik.

The town of Melnik located in southwestern Bulgaria is officially the smallest Bulgarian town. With less than 400 people it is a small community that retains the status of a town for historical reasons. However, this does not deter crowds of tourists that visit the village-like Melnik every year.

Although the surroundings of the town is beautiful – visitors often come to admire impressive sand pyramids – the biggest attraction is the legendary Melnik wine. Local red grapes are quite unique and they cannot be found anywhere else in the world, reported server Rozhlas.cz.

When it rains it is an ideal time for the visitors to explore Melnik’s wine cellars. Some of them are hundreds years old since wine making has a long tradition in the region.

As the border with Greece is not far away the grapes grow under the Mediterranean sun getting unique flavor. The local strong red wine has been produced since the 14^th century and reportedly was one of the favorites of Winston Churchill.

Although in the last hundred years the population of the town has decreased significantly together with the production of wine, Melnik has become a popular wine tourism destination and an open air museum.

Among its interesting architectural landmarks is the Byzantine House built originally as a fortress in the 12^th century, the Pashov House housing the Historical Museum of Melnik, and the Pasha's House, built by Ibrahim Bey, one of the richest beys in the region during Ottoman rule.