2023 Bononia Estate - Dimyat Vermentino Danube Plain Gomotartzi (750ml)

Bononia Estate sits at the biggest bend of the Danube River, in Bulgaria's far northwestern corner, on grounds that once held a Roman fortress and, later, one of the country's earliest breweries. The Yotov family, whose main business is in aviation and defense manufacturing, revived the property in 2013 and built a modern winery alongside a boutique hotel housed in the estate's original 1895 building. Today Bononia farms roughly 160 hectares of vines and has quickly become known for precise, well-balanced wines from both native and international grapes.

Gomotartzi, named for a nearby village, is Bononia's line dedicated to expressing the character of the Danubian Plain, and this bottling blends Dimyat, one of Bulgaria's oldest native grape varieties, with Vermentino. The two are grown and vinified entirely on the estate, in a temperate continental climate with hot summers and abundant sunshine near the river. The wine sees no oak at all, a choice meant to keep the focus on pure fruit and the vineyard's natural acidity rather than any added texture from wood.

The result is a fresh, medium-bodied white with citrus zest, green apple, and a touch of apricot, backed by a faint saline, mineral edge and lively acidity that carries through a generous mid-palate. It makes an easy match for shellfish, branzino, or a simple plate of hummus and salads.