Activity Review: Rila Monestary and Wine Tour

As our time in Sofia was limited, we had to see a lot in very little time! South of Sofia lies two of the biggest tourist attractions: Rila Monastery and the Melnik wine region. Because I did not want to rent a car in Bulgaria, we researched various tours to see it. Because the monastery is a two hour drive, combining it with a wine tour would be perfect.

Thankfully, I stumbled upon a great gem with Via Vino. By combining two monasteries and a wine tour, we would dive into the beautiful Bulgarian countryside and culture while sampling fine wine! Because of the pandemic, we had a private guide and car for €120 per person and we met our guide, Ivaylo, at our flat, it was great. 

St Demetrius Monastery

Hidden in the high hills above Boboshevo, the St Demetrius monastery overlooks the valley and perfectly represents the Bulgarian Orthodox church. First built in the 10th century, the church was then destroyed by the Ottomans. Afterwards, the Ottomans helped rebuild this beautiful church in 1484. Inside the monastery, the frescoes and icons date back to the 15th century and are really well-maintained. Our guide said that the frescos survived because no one ever visits now. 

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Because we traveled all the way here, we spent time viewing the beautiful frescoes. Most of the paintings are of the Orthodox icons and Biblical scenes. Ivaylo described that this church was built after St Demetrius who is well known for healing powers in the 3rd century. Regardless, the church is exceptionally beautiful. 

Beautiful

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Rila Monastery

From UNESCO, Rila Monastery was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. His ascetic dwelling and tomb became a holy site and were transformed into a monastic complex which played an important role in the spiritual and social life of medieval Bulgaria. Destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 19th century, the complex was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862. A characteristic example of the Bulgarian Renaissance (18th–19th centuries), the monument symbolizes the awareness of a Slavic cultural identity following centuries of occupation.

As we walked into the nearly fortress walls surrounding Rila, we were already amazing. Sitting in the middle of a giant courtyard was one of the most beautiful sights. The red and white striped church sits beautifully in this mountain valley. We were stunned at the serene beauty as we walked around the outside. Combined with the autumn leaves and mountains, Rila Monastery is in its best light! As they say, pictures are worth a thousand words!

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Inside the monastery is absolutely stunning. Decorated with gold, frescoes, and artwork, the inside is simply amazing. While we aren’t allowed to take pictures, I managed to take a quick picture!

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Countryside Lunch

On the way to the monastery are countless guest houses and restaurants. Luckily, Ivaylo knows the best one and we sat down in a beautiful restaurant for a home cooked meal! Because Ivaylo said the fish is caught daily, we ordered a whole trout! MF had her fish fried while I had mine grilled. As we worked for our meal by taking out all the bones, we definitely enjoyed our meal! 

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Wine Tasting at Medi Valley Vineyard

Situated about 30 minutes from Rila is Medi Valley vineyard. Making wine for generations, we were lucky to have one fo the only tasting that day (due to COVID). We were led into their wine museum and cellar where we saw the hundreds of barrels holding tasty Bulgarian red wines! We were really impressed with their history as we did not realize that Bulgarian wine dates back to the Thracian period in the early 6,000BC. Thankfully, the wine tradition has survived and we can still taste it today!

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Because of the Soviet influence, most of Bulgaria’s wine was shipped internally and never really exported to the Western world. While it is gaining in popularity in Europe, wine selling still remains about 80% internal and 20% external. There are some great quality wines from terrific winemakers, but it still may be awhile before we hear about them in the US!

Here is what we tasted at Medi:

A Good Year 2019: This is a nice sauvaguan blanc, full of lemon and grapefruit flavors. We enjoyed this one although it is not as strong as the New Zealand blends.

White 2018: From north Bulgaria, this wine is smooth and elegant. Flavors are full of apricot and citrus. The wine is surprisingly good, not as fruity as the smell indicates. Good for ageing! 

Rose: The wine is made from 4 local varietals. Flavors are peach and forest fruits. It is very fruity taste and is too sweet for us. 

A Good Year 2018 Cab Sauv and franc: Made in old oak barrels, this wine tastes fruity yet full of oak and chocolate. We enjoyed this one a lot.

2017 Syrah Incanto: Aged in new oak barrel for 1 year, then 2 years in the bottle. This is classic full bodied red so we definitely enjoyed it!

Afterwards, we purchased the following bottles:

• Syrah 2018
• Rubin 2018
• Maurad 2018
• Incanto Black

The UnChartered Summary

Not only in Bulgaria a hidden gem, but the beautiful Rila monastery and Bulgarian wine are off the beaten track! We loved our full day tour from Via Vino and would highly recommend this hidden tour!

• Ivaylo is incredibly knowledgeable about his country, Bulgarian (and worldwide) wine, and Rila monastery. HIs company does single day as well as multi-day tours of Bulgaria and the Balkans, either solely focused on wine or tourism. If you’re interested in trying Bulgarian wine, I recommend emailing him for importers in the US or UK!
• Medi Valley is a great vineyard in the heart of the mountains. Sadly, shipping to the UK (and US) is incredibly expensive (over €100!).