Върбица (Varbitsa)

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyards in the land of the village of Varbitsa lie in the northern part of the Danubian hilly plain, on the northern slopes of the Pleven Heights.
• The mean altitude of the region is 240 metres, and the climate is characteristically continental, with hot summers and cold winters.
• Annual rainfall totals approximately 650 mm, and the cumulative temperature sum for the period when mean daily temperatures exceed 10 ºC (April–October) is 3,800 ºC.
• The soil types in the region are leached chernozems — of medium depth, moderately to heavily eroded — and dark grey forest soils of moderate erosion.
• The dark grey forest soils in the region have formed on carbonate-free, dark-coloured clays, reddish-brown clays, and sandy-clay materials.

• The wine-grape variety authorised for the production of wine with the protected designation of origin Varbitsa is Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Vine training includes specific systems such as Umbrella, Moser, and medium-trunk double-arm cordon, combined with mixed and short pruning at a load of up to 54 buds per vine.

• The characteristics of the grapes allow the wine to reach a natural alcoholic strength of approximately 12.5% to 13% by volume.

• The moderately continental climate, high cumulative temperature sum, and dark grey forest soils, together with constraints imposed by human intervention, result in deeply coloured red wines with a ruby-red colour, an intense fruity bouquet, and a harmonious palate.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Bulgaria

Sources

• National product specification (PDF) — iavv
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-BG-A0370
• Official trade body site — НЛВК — Национална лозаро-винарска камара