Wine of the Day, No. 876
A white from Bulgaria's Thracian Valley
You know how it is. You’re in the grocery store and need a charming little wine to go with a simple dinner, but driving to the wine store would mean more time and another stop, and the dogs are waiting to be fed, and then you have to cook. So, you grab a bottle from the shelf in the grocery store, something you haven’t seen before, and you just take it on faith but tamp down the expectations a bit.
That scenario resulted, for me recently, in the Bio Viognier & Traminer 2022, Thracian Valley, Bulgaria, made from certified organic grapes, all in stainless steel, by the Edoardo Miroglio winery. Perhaps it’s traditional in the Thracian Valley to blend viognier and gewurztraminer, I dunno, but this example is, as far as I can tell, the only one I have tasted in 41 years of writing about wine. This blend is 50/50. The wine is delightful.
The color is very pale straw-gold, with the faintest light green tinge; notes of jasmine and gardenia, lemongrass and acacia, lemon peel, verbena and preserved lemon burst from the glass; spare and lithe on the palate, the wine flows with precision and energy, powered by bright, incisive acidity; the characters of the combined grapes lend a slightly musky, dusty aura, like peach and pear skins and austere meadow flowers; the finish is all apples and limestone and fennel fronds. 13% alcohol. The importer’s website says that the 2023 version of this wine is available, so if you find this 2022, purchase gratefully and drink up. Suitable for vegans. Excellent. About $16, representing Good Value.
Imported by Serendipity Wines LLC, Austin Texas. A local purchase.
