ABOUT BULGARIA WINE TOURS

We offer tours that introduce our guests to the wines, culture, traditions, cuisine and nature of Bulgaria.

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Established in 2014, Bulgaria Wine Tours is the first tour operator in Bulgaria that specializes exclusively in wine tourism. The small tour-operator was founded by Zina Sorensen from Denmark and Vasil Zlatev from Bulgaria. The idea for Bulgaria Wine Tours was born during Zina’s graduate thesis research that focused on the potential of wine tourism in Bulgaria. In 2013, Zina and Vasil traveled around Bulgaria visiting over 10 wineries in different wine regions to interview them about their opinions on wine tourism and their views on the opportunities and challenges related to wine tourism development in Bulgaria. The outcome of the research was a master thesis entitled ‘Exploring wine tourism in Bulgaria – A pathway to sustainable rural and tourism development?’

During these winery visits, it became clear that Bulgaria can offer unforgettable and authentic gastronomy experiences.

In 2014, Bulgaria Wine Tours was established. The company received the necessary documents to operate. In 2015, the website was launched and the first wine tour was organized by Bulgaria Wine Tours.

We offer a variety of tours and experiences such as wine tours, beer tours, wine tastings and food walks in multiple Bulgarian cities. Other experiences, we can offer are wine-paired meals, cooking classes, wine-themed corporate events and visits to wine festivals. Our wine tours can also be tailored or customized to your needs.

Check out our many experiences:

WHO ARE WE

Our founders’ team is at the heart of Bulgaria Wine Tours. We have our own strengths and areas of expertise but we share the love of wine!

Zina Sorensen Bulgaria Wine Tours

Zina Sorensen

Manager & Co-Founder

Hi, I’m Zina! I’m the co-founder and managing director of Bulgaria Wine Tours. I have an undergraduate degree BSc (Hons) in International Hospitality Management from the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management (Dubai) and École Hôtelière de Lausanne (Switzerland). I also have a Master’s degree (MSc) in Environmental Management & Policy from the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) at Lund University (Sweden). I am a wine and tourism enthusiast. My passion for wine and my background in tourism and sustainability ultimately led to creation of ‘Bulgaria Wine Tours’ in 2014 with my husband – Vasil.

vasil

Vasil Zlatev

Co-Founder

Hi, I’m Vasil! I am the co-founder of Bulgaria Wine Tours. My background is in renewable energy, energy management and and other environmental. I fell in love with Bulgarian wines and wine regions in 2013 during a research trip where Zina and I traveled around Bulgaria visiting wineries, talking to winemakers and listening to great stories. I couldn’t help but think that people have got to come here, see these wineries, taste these wines and hear these stories! I love history so I know many stories and legends about Bulgarian wine and Bulgarian history. I love to share these stories with our guests and I am always excited to show off Bulgaria and the quality wines from here!

WHY WE DO IT

Bulgaria is a country with rich history, culture and traditions as well as beautiful nature and stunning landscapes. Bulgaria is also one of the oldest wine producing regions in the world with wine production on these lands dating back to ancient times. Not so long ago in the 1970s, Bulgaria was one of the largest wine exporters in the world, and widely recognized as a top wine producing country. The modern wineries are now trying to put Bulgaria back on the wine map as a producer of quality wines.

Bulgaria Wine Tours is dedicated to helping Bulgaria and its wineries raise awareness about the diversity, quality and regionality of its wines by bringing visitors to the best wineries in the country and allowing them to taste French, New World and unique Bulgarian varieties cultivated here.

Bulgaria is still an undiscovered country where wine tourism is concerned. Bulgaria Wine Tours would like to promote Bulgaria as an interesting and diversified tourist destination as well as highlight the variations of alternative tourism that are possible here – wine, culinary, rural, cultural, SPA and rural tourism.

  • Wine & SPA Midalidare
  • Rila Monastery
  • sach food
  • Thracian Feast
  • Wine and nature
  • Grape Stomping
  • Cellar at Chateau Copsa
  • Surva Masks
  • Belogradchik rock formations
  • Grape-picking truck
  • Belogradchik Rocks
  • Todorovden
  • Kordupolov House
  • Group tour: Wine and dine tour in Bulgaria
  • The wine wall at Enotheka Bendida
  • St. Mary church in Plovdiv
  • The Unification Monument in Plovdiv
  • The Red Church situated 15 km from Plovdiv
  • Statue of Seuthes III, the king of the Odrysians, found in his tomb
  • 16th century bridge in Svilengrad
  • Katarzyna Estate - Eastern Rhodope wine region
  • Mezek tomb from IV c. BC - the largest Odrysian tomb on the Balkans
  • Starosel wine tasting room
  • The golden mask of Teres I - the first king of the Odrysian Kingdom
  • Day wine tour: Starosel
  • The most famous Thracian golden treasure with vessels to drink wine

6 REASONS TO BOOK WITH US

We are the first tour operator in Bulgaria to exclusively specialize in wine tours. We work closely with  wineries, hotels and restaurants to offer exclusive access to wineries that normally would not be open to visitors and deliver memorable experiences. We aim to show you the true and authentic Bulgaria.

We check every step of your journey from visiting the wineries to inspecting the restaurants to ensure the quality of the offered service. Our tours are designed from scratch by our team through our own personal travel experiences.

We are a young start-up and we are passionate about promoting Bulgarian wines and wine regions as well as alternative tourism in general. We believe that alternative types of tourism such as gastronomy tourism and rural tourism will help the socio-economic development of rural regions in Bulgaria. We work with equally passionate partners in the wineries and hotels to create authentic and real experiences.

Don’t take our word for it. We continuously receive great feedback from customers who have enjoyed a tour with us. Check our Guestbook or TripAdvisor to read customer reviews.

We are a licensed and insured Tour Operator. See our license from the Ministry of Tourism here and our mandatory insurance policy here.  We have  conducted academic research on wine tourism in Bulgaria and have 5 years of experience in the wine tourism industry and over 10 years of experience in the hospitality and tourism industry.

We are flexible to accommodate your wishes by customizing a tour or creating a tour for you from scratch. Whether you are two peple or a larger group, we can create a memorable bespoke tour for you. Get in touch with us to start creating the perfect wine tour in Bulgaria for you!