Visiting Villa Melnik, one of Bulgaria’s leading wineries, in the Struma Valley
Villa Melnik is a family-owned winery in Harsovo, in southwest Bulgaria, in the Struma River Valley of the Thracian Valley. It began in 2004 when Nikola and Lubika Zikatanov planted 32 hectares of vineyards. Their current winery is gravity flow and energy efficient, and was built in 2013 with the help of EU funding. It’s quite impressive.
I visited in September 2025, during vintage, with Militza Zikatanov, who together with her brother Alex represents the second generation at Villa Melnik – they are both now working with their parents. Militza has plenty of relevant experience gained from working for Diageo in the UK for three years.
The Struma Valley is a warm, sunny region on the border of Bulgaria with Greece and Macedonia. This is a region that traditionally grew grapes, silkworms and tobacco. The Rupel Gorge, visible from the winery, connects this lower part of the Struma valley with the Mediterranean climate, and it’s warmer than the rest of Bulgaria.
This was the bottom of a freshwater lake millions of years ago, and so there’s some limestone in the soils. But most of the vineyards are planted on sandy loess soils that cover the limestone.
The 32 hectares of vines are 75% red, and half of the area is planted with indigenous grapes. Because this is a warmer region, they can grow Mavrud and the broadleaf Melnik (Shiroka Melnik) here, and they have some broadleaf Melnik growing as bush vines.
Militza’s father was the pioneer of wine tourism here. Recently, a high-profile Bulgarian TV series, Grapes of Guilt, was filmed at the winery, and this raised their profile significantly. Here’s the trailer:
Production is around 250 000 bottles per year, and they are found in the Wine Society and Humble grape in the UK.
THE WINES
Villa Melnik Bergulé Viognier Chardonnay 2024 Bulgaria
75% Chardonnay/25% Viognier. Floral and aromatic with nice apricot and peach. The palate is pure and softly textured with nice sweet fruit and good purity. 90/100
Villa Melnik Bergulé Viognier Chardonnay 2023 Bulgaria
Two picks are done, one for freshness and the other for intense flavours. This is a fruity style with some pear, peach and then sweet cherry and lemon fruit, with some subtle spiciness and mid-palate richness. 89/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Sandanski Misket 2024 Bulgaria
A cross between broadleaf Misket and Tamyanka. Textured with a nice grapey edge and some lovely fruit. Has a subtle spicy edge. Nice density here. 92/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Sandanski Misket 2023 Bulgaria
12.5% alcohol. Grapey, bright and fruity with nice freshness and lively citrus and table grape flavours. Fruity and expressive with a slight pithy edge. 90/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Chardonnay 2024 Bulgaria
Barrel fermented. Has some mint, spice and wood character as well as fresh citrus fruit. Toasty with nice density. The wood sticks out a bit. 88/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Chardonnay 2018 Bulgaria
Full yellow/gold in colour. Toast and spice on the nose. Bold, rich, warm and spicy. This has developed in interesting ways. 90/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Viognier 2024 PDO Melnik, Bulgaria
Barrel fermented. Fresh, expressive and bright with pear and citrus fruit, a hint of apricot and some stony notes. Slightly woody. 90/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Viognier 2017 Bulgaria
Full golden colour. Fresh and toasty, with some nuttiness. A rich woody style that is evolving well. 90/100
Villa Melnik Bergulé Viognier 2012 Bulgaria
This is before the current winery was built, and was made in a neighbouring winery. Full golden colour. Warm, rich and spicy. Toast and apricot, and some peach. Nice intensity: this has developed really well. 92/100
Villa Melnik Orange Wine 2023 Bulgaria
This is Viognier and Keratsuda. Two weeks skin contact with cultured yeasts. Yellow colour. Bright and focused and a little minty. Nice marmalade and lemon notes with some grippy characters. Bright with nice grip. 91/100
Villa Melnik Orange Wine 2022 Bulgaria
This is Viognier and Keratsuda. Bright lemony fruit with some lime and marmalade, showing some structure and fresh acidity. Juicy and focused with a spicy edge to the fruit. Bright and expressive. 90/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Rosé 2024 Bulgaria
Broadleaf Melnik and Mavrud. Fresh and supple with sweet cherry and pear fruit. Quite firm and brisk with some minty hints. Distinctive with a savoury twist. 90/100
Villa Melnik Bergulé Rosé 2023 Bulgaria
Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot and Broadleaf Melnik. Nice bright fruity style with lovely citrus and some red cherry. Vivid with a tart finish. Very refreshing. 89/100
Villa Melnik Bergulé Rosé 2023 Bulgaria
Supple and bright with juicy mandarin fruit and fine spices, with an appealing stony edge. Dry with lovely balance and a sense of delicacy. Stylish. 90/100
Villa Melnik Bergulé Melnik Pinot Noir 2020 Bulgaria
This has lovely cherry fruit on the nose with some wild herbs. Softly structured with lovely strawberry and cherry fruit, showing nice purity and a bit of grippy structure. Lovely wine. 92/100
Villa Melnik Bergulé Melnik Pinot Noir 2014 Bulgaria
This still has good colour. Nicely fruity and elegant with warm sweet cherry and berry fruit, and a hint of herbiness. This is stylish with nice texture. 93/100
Villa Melnik Bergulé Mavrud Melnik 2020 Bulgaria
Warm and spicy with nice density and robust tannins. Quite structured with ripe sweet fruit and nice minty hints. Generous. 91/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Shiroka Melnik 2022 Bulgaria
This is broadleaf Melnik, and it spends 18 months in Bulgarian oak. Nice grainy, spicy edge to the sweet cherry and raspberry fruit. Some oak in the mix but the fruit tends to elegance with sweet cherries and raspberries. Grippy finish. 91/100
Villa Melnik Rare Varieties Shiroka Melnik Bush Vine 2020 Bulgaria
14% alcohol. This is concentrated and dense with a core of sweet black cherry and raspberry fruit with good structure and poise. Tightly wound but nuanced. Firm finish. 93/100
Villa Melnik Rare Varieties Shiroka Melnik Bush Vine 2019 Bulgaria
This is Shiroka Melnik, growing as bush vines. Rich, ripe cherry and berry fruits. Pure with a nice intensity showing a bit of tannin. Lush but with nice definition, and some nice sour cherry and spice on the finish, with nice tannins. 92/100
Villa Melnik Rare Varieties Melnik Family Tree 2022 Bulgaria
This is a blend of all the ‘children’ of Melnik, including parent Shiroka Melnik, which were created to be earlier ripening and more intense. Nice elegance here but also good depth with sweet cherries and plums. Textured with a fine spicy edge. Lovely weight and intensity. 94/100
Villa Melnik Rare Varieties Melnik Jubilee 1300 2021 Bulgaria
This is Melnik and Saperavi. Vivid, intense and aromatic with sweet raspberries and a hint of beetroot/pomegranate. Lovely weight on the palate: shows ripe, supple black cherry and plum with nice grip. Has a savoury sappiness under the ripe fruit. A fleshy red with really nice balance. 93/100
Villa Melnik Rare Varieties Melnik 82 2019 Bulgaria
Melnik and Valdigué. Good structure. Rich, slightly baked fruit on the nose. The palate has nice grip with good tannins and lush sweet fruit. 90/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Melnik 55 Reserve 2021 Bulgaria
This is a blend of Melnik and Valdigué. It has lovely fruit, with a sweet core of cherries and plums, as well as some vivid blackberry. Lovely sleek ripe fruit in a grainy frame. 93/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Melnik 55 Reserve 2020 Bulgaria
Supple, sweet and lively with cherry and raspberry fruit, showing nice texture. Sleek and supple with lovely ripe fruit and a nice tangy bitter finish. Really good. 91/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Mavrud 2021 Bulgaria
A late-ripening variety that works well here. It’s purely historical that it’s not more widely grown in the Struma Valley. Rich and sweetly fruited with nice tannins and bold, layered black cherry and blackberry fruit. Concentrated and tannic with lots of impact. 91/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Merlot 2020 Bulgaria
There’s a nice savoury depth here as well as cherries and plum, and some spice and earth. Stylish and mellow with fine tannins. 89/1001
Villa Melnik Aplauz Syrah 2020 Bulgaria
Supple and fruity with nice structure under the berry and cherry fruits. Stylish with some elegance. 90/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Bulgaria
Nice structure here, with some savoury development. Blackcurrants, berries and some spicy warmth. 89/100
Villa Melnik Aplauz Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Bulgaria
This has evolved very well. Mellow and stylish with some lovely fruit, as well as sweet berries and blackcurrants with some fine spices. Mellow and expressive, this has aged really well. 94/100
