Drink with Roger Jones | Eastern Europe
With Greece, Turkey and Georgia growing their wine distribution in the UK, I have been looking further afield in Eastern Europe, with Bulgaria in particular starting to make inroads, vastly different from the ‘cheap plonk’ sourced from the country in the 1990s.
The Bulgarian wine estate of Midalidare had come to my attention following its incredible success at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships, where the estate has won Gold medals for the past five years including victory in the World Champion Blanc de Blancs Trophy.
Not only is Midalidare producing world-class sparkling wines, but it also makes some exceptional value still white and red wines. In a beautiful setting in the Thracian Valley, the village of Mogilovo
has been transformed by the investment of the owner, with an onsite hotel, spa, restaurant, gastro pub, lakeside cottages and luxury wedding accommodation to go with his two wineries and surrounding vineyards, with the estate bringing life and employment back to the sleeping Bulgarian village.
Midalidare Estate is not merely another up-and-coming estate; it has built the business with exceptional care, setting up still wine first then sparkling, regenerating the local area both financially and environmentally in the process.
In recent years, its annual rock festival has been attracting up to 60,000 visitors over a three-day period, with Alice Cooper headlining in 2025.
As for the BBQ food of Bulgaria, I was served a whole carp’s head from the fire, but I was particularly drawn to the spices used in the country’s cooking, including Shopski Spice – a a blend of coriander, fenugreek, cumin, paprika, thyme, parsley and garlic.
Sharena Sol is a flavoured salt made from salt, dried herbs and paprika, while for slow cooking Bulgarians used Chubritza, which translates as summer savoury, and is similar to a blend of dried marjoram and thyme.
Pork in all forms, including kebabs, meatballs and pork belly, is the most common meat, often served with leeks and a vinegar dressing.
My suggested recipe, a Bulgarian-British creation, is chargrilled monkfish with lobster tails, sweetcorn, baby leeks and Shopski spice.
Rub all the ingredients in the Shopski spice. Having layered a small amount of butter on the monkfish and corn, char-grill until cooked. Rather than using vinegar, I dressed the dishes with a mixture of lime juice and olive oil and served with minted yoghurt.
The Midalidare wines
Silver Angel Sauvignon Blanc 2023
Delicate, ginger, apricot, lime notes. I loved the freshness and purity. Over 200,000 bottles have been produced.
Midalidare Estate Grown Single Vineyard Sauvignon/Semillon 2023
Textured with a citrus and savoury balance, key lime pie, sauce anglaise, lime curd. Full-flavoured and with excellent gastronomic potential.
Grand Vintage Malbec, Mogilovo Single Vineyard 2022
Liquorice, spice, menthol, blueberries, bilberries, vanilla spice, cedar, with a long luscious juicy finish. Very impressive with a cool focus balancing the oak and spice.
Reserve 2016
A blend of 65% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot
An exceptional aged Cabernet that would sit happily with its esteemed peers, this is silky with a perfume of cocoa, nutmeg, thyme, cedar, and blue fruits. Delicate but deep flavours, blueberries, bilberries, blackberries, chocolate, damsons and refined cigar notes, hints of mocha with a beautifully fragrant, silky finish.
Blanc de Blancs Brut NV
Fresh baked brioche with crisp apple – beautiful rich nose, then on the palate it is focused, fresh and zippy, with notes of apricots, guava, and fresh citrus. As it opens out there is an influx of pure stone fruit. A great introduction to the Midalidare sparkling brand.
Rose Extra Brut NV
Delicately perfumed nose, pomegranate, rose buds, beautifully balanced, crisp clean notes, simmered rhubarb, blueberries, cranberries, focused with a mineral slate feel, clean and fresh on the finish, encouraging another glass.
Deluxe Brut NV
Seamless, pure, clean, and focused, this wine is layered with a lovely structure, hints of guava and quince, followed by peeled apricot. Hints of a Parisienne bakery evolves on the nose, a beautifully delicate wine, very refined.
Extra Brut NV
This has a fuller flavour – white stone fruit, nutty, dried pineapple, clementine zest. It is much more of a ‘Vintage’ style, with great balance of ripeness and freshness. In magnum, the quality elevates, with the evolvement of apricots, white pears and pineapple essence, but the wine continues to have that pristine focus.
Pas Dosé NV
Heady brioche nose from this 100% Chardonnay, baked Christmas cake and dried Christmas fruits. On the palate it is clean and focused with a biscuit, apple, pear, and quince vibration. Hints of baked apple crumble are more apparent in magnum with, refined lemon zest, nectarines, and fresh, aromatic ground spices.
Gold Brut NV
Essence of tangerine, shortbread, nectarines and brioche crumbs. Fresh and bright notes on the palate, clean and focused, elegant, with juicy apricots and nectarines on the mid-palate, giving way to a delicious sparkling wine with real class. Evolves perfectly on the palate leaving a lovely, elegant feel.
Blanc de Noirs NV
Heady, perfumed nose of violets, rosebuds, blackcurrants, talc and cedar. On the palate, juicy pomegranate notes, dark red berries, flinty, focused. In magnum, the mid-palate has a lovely balance of rose petals, cranberries, red and black currants all adding to a focused wine, still holding that ‘mountain fresh’ focus.
