2022 Tsarev Brod - Riesling Danube Plain Pet-Nat (750ml)

Tsarev Brod Winery began in 2001, when agronomist Ivan Ivanov and his family planted the first acres of vines in the village of the same name, near Shumen in northeastern Bulgaria, not far from the Madara Rider, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It took fourteen years of patient vineyard growth before the winery itself was finally built in 2015. Now farming around 270 acres, the small, family-run estate has earned a reputation for quality well beyond its size, and it holds the distinction of being the first Bulgarian producer to make a white-grape pét-nat.

This wine is made entirely from Riesling grown in the winery's own vineyards on the Danube Plain, hand-harvested in mid-September and pressed before fermentation begins in small stainless steel tanks. Rather than finishing that fermentation before bottling, the wine goes into the bottle while still working, following the ancestral method, the oldest known technique for making a naturally sparkling wine. No sugar or extra yeast is added at any stage, and the wine spends several months resting on its lees before release, gaining texture without ever seeing oak.

The result is a pale, faintly cloudy wine with a fine, persistent mousse and aromas of green apple, quince, and citrus, backed by soft yellow fruit and a touch of white blossom. Bone dry and lively on the palate, with a gentle mineral edge on the finish. It works well as an aperitif or alongside shellfish, salads, or a plate of fish and chips.