The Winery

Bessa Valley is located on 3 000 decares (300 ha), of which 1 400 (140 ha) have been already planted. The view – light green slopes with vines, hills and the mountain behind them. The fragrance – the air is filled with the aroma of grass and herbs. The sound of the Valley – the wind carries the songs of the birds from the nearby reserve.

There is only one road in the Valley and only one set of buildings. The architecture was inspired by the Sharapanite – the ancient Thracian wineries.

The main cellar forms an arc dug in the hill. The Rotonda is next to it, a place, where the fermentation is carried out. A Pergola connects the cellar with the administrative building. The walls of the buildings are faced in limestone, in which different sea inhabitants have left their traces.

Facts about the winery

The Bessa Valley project started in 2001. The land in the Valley used to be owned by about 800 different people before it was bought up by the winery. Since then the investments made are more than € 6.5 million.

Part of the cellar is dug in the rock, which is of a great significance for the preservation and maturing of the wine in oak barrels. The rock allows the maintenance of a constant temperature and humidity of the air.

Only acacia cuttings are used for vine support.

Currently the yield from the Valley is 400 tons of grapes, divided into first and second selection. About 350 thousand bottles of wine will be made from those.

The grapes are picked up manually by trained personnel and sorted twice during grape picking. The pickers collect only the best berries, the rest are cut off and put on the ground. The berries undergo a second selection before they are put in the fermentation tanks.

The winery is 3 555 square metres in area and has a capacity of 2 500 barrels.

Bessa Valley invests in French oak barrels – barriques. Each one costs about €570, but they are used only three times. After the third time, the barriques stop giving off tone and influencing the maturing wine. This is why the winery regularly buys new French barriques.

Alcohol fermentation and maceration take place for about 30 days. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barriques.

Enira Reserva ages on sediment for 16 months, 35% in new barriques and 65% one-year old barriques. Enira ages for 9 months – 10% in new barriques, 60% in one-year old barriques and 30% in two year-old barriques.

About 80% of Enira is for export. The largest markets for the wine from the Valley are Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, USA, Russia.


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