Welcome to the home of the best Pinot Noir in Bulgaria – Edoardo Miroglio winery and hotel Soli Invicto

7 minutes read

Almost like in Italy – a walk among the vineyards of one of our favourite Bulgarian wineries and a cozy night at the boutique hotel Soli Invicto

The place which we will tell you about in this article is very special. It was made with a lot of personal attitude and attention to detail, with its first goal to serve an Italian family and help it spend its days in Bulgaria in the greatest way. Overlooking endless beautiful vineyards, with its cozy atmosphere and unique design, the place goes pretty close to the idea of the perfect vacation. Where and what it is? We are talking about hotel Soli Invicto and the Edoardo Miroglio winery near Elenovo, eastern Bulgaria.

The vineyards of Edoardo Miroglio wine cellar, Edoardo Miroglio winery
The vineyards of Edoardo Miroglio wine cellar

The estate was first built as a mansion of Italian businessman Edoardo Miroglio, one of the largest foreign investors in Bulgaria. Besides being the owner of numerous textile factories, one of his most recognizable businesses in Bulgaria is the Edoardo Miroglio winery. We adore their wines and we finally visited their boutique hotel and now we will tell you about it.

We have previously said how much we love the views of green vineyards in the spring and summer. The neat green rows near the village of Elenovo are hypnotizing. While talking in the car about how beautiful everything is, we reach the top of the hill in front of Soli Invicto hotel, from where we see the full panorama of hundreds of hectares of vineyards lit by the July sun.

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Hotel Soli Invicto – what and where?

It is early afternoon  and everything around the hotel is calm – most of the guests have not checked in yet. We find our way to the building. There is not a huge door with a huge sign or something, but it is not needed. No matter which of the three entrances you will choose, you won’t get lost in the hotel.

The building has the attractive form of double spiral. It was built by an Italian architect who was inspired by a Thracian sanctuary nearby with the same form. The hotel itself is small – only 10 rooms, and gives you all opportunities for a calm rest.

Hotel Soli Invicto, a part of the Edoardo Miroglio estate and winery near Elenovo, Bulgaria
Hotel Soli Invicto, a part of the Edoardo Miroglio estate and winery near Elenovo, Bulgaria
[info]If you are enthusiastic, you can try to find the sanctuary which is located on a nearby hill. It is known as Thracian sanctuary of the Sun in the Yurnea area, near Elenovo, and features stones ordered in the form of a spiral.[/info]

Settling in Merlot and heading to the pool

Waiting to check in, we had enough time to explore every single place of the hotel. We had heard a lot of superlatives about it before we visited. The architecture and furniture are really impressive. The interior, as far as we know, was designed personally by the wife of Edoardo Miroglio. On the walls in the lobby we notice beautiful paintings of grapes and we see fireplaces all around – I bet they create amazing coziness in the winter.

Merlot room at hotel Soli Invicto
Merlot room at hotel Soli Invicto

Because we arrived first, we had the chance to choose a room. Every studio has its unique name and spirit. We chose Merlot, not particularly because of the grape variety but mostly because the enchanting blue wallpapers that make the room very cozy.

For us all details are very important, not only the design. For example we always appreciate a comfortable bed and pillows. In Soli Invicto was really very comfortable and you can always find a quiet corner in the public areas to have a sit and read a book.

Some memories about Italy

During our first trip to South Italy years ago, we first discovered the Italian manner of dining. Back then we were slightly surprised that restaurants only open for lunch and dinner and if you get hungry in the afternoon, you have almost no chance to eat out. Unlike in Bulgaria, where many places are open 24 hours. However, we do not consider this a disadvantage and were not surprised that the restaurant in Soli Invicto follows this Italian tradition. It is open from 11 to 14h for lunch and from 18 to 23h for dinner (2018). And because it was already late afternoon, we quickly made our schedule for the rest of the day. It included a whole afternoon of sunbaths by the pool.

The pool at Soli Invicto hotel
The pool at Soli Invicto hotel

A Friday afternoon by the pool

The weather in this area of Bulgaria is always nice and this Friday afternoon was great for the pool. And the pool itself is amazing – large, clean and beautiful. And also very attractive because it is an infinity pool, overlooking the vineyards and mountains. It is 25 m long and up to 2 m deep, spacious enough to accommodate all guests willing to enjoy it. And because we came earlier than others, we felt like we had a private pool.

Maria enjoys the view from the infinity pool at hotel Soli Invicto, Elenovo, Bulgaria
Maria enjoys the view from the infinity pool at hotel Soli Invicto

Another great thing about it is that the pool is not in the immediate vicinity to the building and around it is very quiet. We have never liked the noise and constant loud music around some pools and really felt great here.

A view to the pool from the top tower of the hotel
A view to the pool from the top tower of the hotel

A quick tour around Edoardo Miroglio wine cellar

The winery is actually closed in the summer months, they probably do not have a lot of work while waiting for the grapes to ripen. So we took a very quick tour across the really basic things. So we learned that Edoardo Miroglio winery is producing around 1 million littles of wine yearly and half of it goes for export. The cellar is surrounded by 220 hectares of own vineyards – maybe the largest massive of vineyards of Bulgarian cellar we have seen so far.

Wine cellar Edoardo Miroglio in Bulgaria
Wine cellar Edoardo Miroglio in Bulgaria

Of course, we passed by the hall with various fermentation tanks, most of them produced in Bulgaria. We also loved the hall with the barrels where we were especially impressed by a few huge barrels, still being used. We had seen such barrels before but not actively used. Of course, we did not miss the chance to take photos with them.

We loved these huge barrels at Edoardo Miroglio winery, Elenovo, Bulgaria
We loved these huge barrels

How sparkling wines are made by classical method in Bulgaria

However, the most interesting place in the winery for us is where sparkling wines are being made by classical method. Just like in Champagne, France! We have mentioned earlier that we are huge fans of their Brut Rose. And it is obvious that the making of these wines is really an impressive art. The hall where the bottles mature for 2 years in order to make the perfect bubbles is strictly isolated in order to preserve the constant temperature of 12 degrees. Then we saw where the bottles are being placed and rotated before the yeast is removed and the temporary iron cap is replaced by a cork. Well, we learned that the latter process is sometimes dangerous because the pressure in the bottles reaches 6 atmospheres. And sometimes they burst. So everyone working with them needs to be very careful.

A fish dinner and a bottle of white wine from red grapes

Time for dinner came and we settled in the comfortable restaurant of the hotel. What you can eat there – well it depends on when you are there. The menu is being changed weekly so it all depends on the season and the mood of the cook.

Without any doubt, they will offer you delicious things – 4-5 varieties of salad and 4-5 starters, and then around 10 main courses. I believe you will find your meal. We enjoyed a tomato-mozzarella salad and baked goat cheese for starter. Then moved on with fish for main course – salmon for Maria and cipura for me.

Our best company for the evening - Blanc de Noir, one of our favourite wines from Edoardo Miroglio winery
Our best company for the evening – Blanc de Noir, one of our favourite wines from Edoardo Miroglio winery

They both went perfectly with the wine we chose first – the Blanc de Noir – white wine from Pinot Noir. Desserts were also a great shot – tiramisu, nougat and yoghurt with jam. Well, the nougat was our number one! Finally, we decided to give out some of our wine to the people from neighbouring tables because anyway we cannot drink a whole bottle at once. So it all turned to a mass tasting.

Lovely nougat with coffee
Lovely nougat with coffee

We need to notice that quality has a price tag, too. The restaurant is not budget at all. But everything was well prepared and served with smile. The wine is also overpriced as in every other restaurant despite being produced here locally.

How to book

The fastest way to book is by calling on the phone. You can find the contacts of the hotel on their website. On the website there is also a reservation form that you can use to send your request.

You can also reserve your room through Booking – Hotel Soli Invicto.

The vineyards around hotel Soli Invicto are a great place for walks
The vineyards around hotel Soli Invicto are a great place for walks

Deer and a few more words about everything

We will finish with the deer. Nearby the hotel there is a small zoo with deer and you can take a walk and enjoy it. Just next to it is also the small dam used for watering the vineyards. Of course we took the walk among the vineyards and Maria even tasted the first ripe grapes.

The deer zoo near hotel Soli Invicto, Edoardo Miroglio winery, Elenovo, Bulgaria
The deer zoo

And if it has not become clear, we liked the place. We spend little time there, just one night, but next time we will bring the kid (or kids).

[info] And one advise about Edoardo Miroglio wines. Try everything you can find. They are all great. And if you are looking for the greatest, try anything from Pinot Noir. The area around Elenovo is known as the best place to grow Pinot Noir in Bulgaria and they really make great wines from this variety. If you had any reserves towards Pinot Noir before, try again – you may love it![/info]

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