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PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIC VINE AND WINE IN BULGARIA

D.a Toteva

Abstract

This work was supported by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science under the National Research Programme "Healthy Foods for a Strong Bio-Economy and Quality of Life" approved by DCM # 577 / 17.08.2018". Wine has been produced in Bulgaria for about 5000 years. The first wines were transported to our region from the Middle East. During the Thracian times wine was a part of daily life and pagan rituals in our territory. Organic production has existed since the 1980s. It develops in almost all countries in Western Europe and the United States. In the EU in 1991, the European Council of Ministers of Agriculture adopted Regulation No 2092/91 for organic production of agricultural products and their labelling. On the basis of this Regulation, the Regulation No 3 of 25 March 1998 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for the production of organic grapes and wines is adopted in Bulgaria, which defines the conditions and procedure for the production of organic grapes and wines, their certification and state control. The climatic conditions in Bulgaria for development of viticulture are extremely favourable. The climate changes from temperate continental in the northern part of the country to Mediterranean - in the south, which is a favourable condition for growing both white and red grapes. The production of organic grapes is a subject of much discussion because of the specificity of viticulture, which is a labour-intensive industry that does not allow a high degree of mechanization. Further information about attitudes and practices for bio production gives the information from 75 interviews conducted with large and medium-sized grape producers in 2018 in three of the six wine-growing regions of the country - South-East Viticulture Area, South Central Viticulture Area and the North Central Viticulture Area. The positive attitudes of the grape producers combined with the favourable soil and climatic conditions, experience and traditions in the wine sector, give reason to say that organic vine and wine production in Bulgaria has a perspective.

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