Rose wine with Pontic shad and Tamianka with mussels soup. Wines from Rupel, Struma valley, Bulgaria and mood from the sea

3 minutes read

We took a well-deserved spring holiday on the Bulgarian Black sea coast and the sea breeze in the evenings brought us a lot of positive energy and mood. When you expect to be far from the crowds, you also expect to be far from shops. So this time we were travelling with a box of wine bottles to ensure that our food for lunches and dinners has proper company.

Two wonderful wines from Rupel wine cellar in Bulgaria, the Valley of Struma river region
Two wonderful wines from Rupel wine cellar in Bulgaria, from the Valley of Struma river region

When you go to the farthest Northeast but bring wine from the farthest Southwest

I like this kind of subconscious decisions. We did not think of this when we were picking the bottles to bring to the seaside. However, quite subconsciously, we brought several bottles of wine from the southwesternmost part of Bulgaria to the northeasternmost part of the country. Well, our choice proved very good. Here I will not be telling you about the whole journey because there will be a separate story about it. This is now mostly about good wine, food and friends.

So the end of April found us in the middle of a field, very close to the sea, in the house of friends and nearby a local mussels farm. They had bought fresh mussels and cooked wonderful mussels soup. As good guests, we took care of the proper wine to make the day even better.

RUSALIi Tamianka 2018 from Rupel winery, Struma valley region. Bulgaria
RUSALIi Tamianka 2018 from Rupel winery, Struma valley region. Bulgaria

The aromatic Tamianka – RUSALIi Tamianka 2018 from Rupel winery

Tamianka is quite popular grape wine variety among the Bulgarian winemakers in the recent years. We really like it. Pairing with mussels and fish goes quite well. So it was a great choice for the mussels soup in this hot spring day. Moreover, Galya, the mother of my friend Boyan, proved a wonderful cook and served us amazing mussels soup.

RUSALIi Tamianka 2018 – Rupel winery
RUSALIi Tamianka 2018 – Rupel winery – a wonderful wine for the spring and summer

The Tamianka 2018 from Rupel has very nice aroma of sage and lime, dried flowers and dried figs. Beautiful light gold colour and fresh fruity taste. It goes well with seafood, sushi and light cheeses. It should better be well-cooled.

Soft cheeses with herbs and fig jam - the perfect fit for the Tamianka 2018 by Rupel wine cellar, Bulgaria
Soft cheeses with herbs and fig jam – the perfect fit for the Tamianka 2018 by Rupel wine cellar, Bulgaria

The day can always become even better

We had really great time on the northern Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. Another evening we bought Pontic shad. It is a fish that lives in salty waters but throws its eggs in fresh waters. It is usually fished in April-May and it was quite fresh.

So we were staying in this wonderful house in the village of Krapets. We had ordered the Pontic shad to be prepared for us in the local restaurant, together with a portion of scad because we wanted to spend a calm family night in the house. All our stay in Krapets was actually accompanied by seafood. And because those days we could be in Italy but had to turn the offer away, we had prepared an Italian-style rose wine for our dinner.

My wife is very impatient to fill her glass with wine
My wife is very impatient to fill her glass with wine

Rose wine from Sangiovese and Nebbiolo – RUSALIi Rose Anita 2018 – Rupel winery

We had chilled it well, while outside the weather became quite cool, too. While trying to put the house and children in order, we also ordered our romantic dinner table. Anna immediately grabbed the “small fish” (the scad) and almost chewed with their small bones.

In this moment we opened the rose wine and sipped it in the glasses to slow down. The rose wine from Sangiovese and Nebbiolo is another wonderful pairing for fish. It will also go well with richer fish like salmon and it will not be mistake if you just drink it without any food. We paired it with Pontic shad and it was great. The aromas include cherry syrup and rosehip.. and according to the official description, tobacco leaf. However, I have no idea how the tobacco leaf smells. Medium body with very pleasant aftertaste.

Rose Anita from Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, paired with caviar
Rose Anita from Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, paired with caviar

About the grape varieties, they are typical Italian. Sangiovese is typical red grape from Tuscany. Nebbiolo is another old variety from Piedmont. Both varieties have been known since the Roman empire times. However, besides drinking them in Italian-made wines, it is a great experience to try them when grown and made in Bulgaria. You can find plantations of them in the Sandanski-Petrich hollow which quite reminds of Tuscany. Recently we have been seeing and tasting very good wines from the area at wonderful prices, which is not less important.

In brief about the two wines

RUSALIi Tamianka 2018

Wine:RUSALIi Tamianka 2018
Country:Bulgaria
Variety:Tamianka
Vintage:2018
Wine Cellar:Rupel Winery
Location:Dolno Spanchevo, Petrich
Price:6 – 7€
Barrique:no

RUSALIi Rose Anita 2018

Wine:RUSALIi Rose Anita 2018
Country:Bulgaria
Variety:Sangiovese and Nebbiolo
Vintage:2018
Wine Cellar:Rupel Winery
Location:Dolno Spanchevo, Petrich
Price:6 – 7€
Barrique:no

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