In the museum of wine in Melnik you can seal your own bottle of wine with your photo instead of a label. Moreover, it will cost you very decently – an average of 10-12 lev /approximately 5-6 euro/. The bottle is filled with pre-selected wine – white or red. And since Melnik is famous for its wide variety of typical Melnik Vine /the so called “shiroka melnishka loza”/ we recommend you taking it. But the choice is still a matter of taste.
A part of the magic is that the bottle is sealed before your eyes. First the the cork is put inside, then it is poured with wax, and the label is displayed on hand with information on the variety. However, if you decide to surprise your loved ones, you can put a label with your own, a photo of them, or one from a memorable event like your wedding day or the birth of your child. That way you can keep the elixir for a special occasion.
Before buying the wine you should, of course, definitely taste it. The entrance to the Museum of Wine in Melnik is 3 lev /approximately 1,5 euro/ and there is also a ticket which is more expensive but allows you to do a wine-tasting on the spot. If you choose it, you can try 3 sorts of red wine and one sort of a white wine, accompanied by bites of toast, drizzled with olive oil. The wine is poured directly from the vat. The cave-vault of the museum stores over 400 types of wines, produced at home and abroad, so your choice of shopping is not just about the tasting potions. In addition, in the museum you can also buy a homemade brandy.
The Wine Museum in Melnik opened in 2013 and since then you can learn a lot about the traditions of production of wine and interesting facts about the typical wine for the smallest city in Bulgaria and the region. The unique collection of tools, utensils, equipment and technologies for the production of wine and brandy – scissors, baskets, barrels, knitted large bottles, brandy flasks, grinders is also impressive. The ‘sights’ mentioned above are also accompanied by a collection of photographs and mosaics.
Melnik is famous mostly for its typical wine. The variety is grown only in the region, and the wine has a distinctive and unique flavour. When you drink it, you feel a combination of strawberries, white cherries, and sometimes hints of tobacco, dried mint and pepper. It is said that the wine contains the enzyme for longevity and its fame dates back from the time of Emperor Trajan. Then it became one of Winston Churchill’s favourite pleasures.
