🥃 Sungurlare Grape Rakia (Sungurlarska grozdova rakya)
Bulgarian wine spirit with an EU GI from the Sungurlare Valley: Misket Cherven, Muscat Ottonel and other grapes, distilled to 65% vol.
Sungurlare Grape Rakia (Сунгурларска гроздова ракия) is an EU-protected geographical indication for a Bulgarian wine spirit from the Sungurlare Valley near the southern slopes of the eastern Stara Planina. It is distilled to 65% vol. from wine of Misket Cherven, Muscat Ottonel and other varieties and sold from 40% vol., either colourless or aged in oak.
The zone covers Sungurlare and ten villages of the municipality, Nevestino in Karnobat Municipality, and Mokren and Padarevo in Kotel Municipality. After the 2023 amendment it has 1,733.6 ha of bearing vines instead of 3,146: the villages of Vilchin, Lozitsa and Ognen left the zone. The valley lies at 180–220 m; about 70% of the soils are brown forest types. According to the 2015 file, there are about 1,115 ha of the local Misket Cherven clone here.
Since 2023, Chardonnay, Traminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Rhine Riesling, Rkatsiteli, Pinot Gris, Grüner Veltliner, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir have been added to Misket Cherven and Muscat Ottonel, with no fixed proportions. The wine is distilled in continuous DK2-640 and DK2-780 stills with capacities of 25,000 and 50,000 l per day. The spirit is stored in stainless-steel tanks or for at least six months in barrels. Volatile substances must be at least 300 g/hl of absolute alcohol.
The industry standard was approved on 10 October 1983, and the drink has been on the market since 1985. The first national order was issued in 2003, followed by Order No. T-RD-27-17 of 27 November 2013 and Order No. RD-16-146 of 14 February 2023; the EU amendment was published on 29 February 2024.
Why it matters for you. Three types are sold under one name: the regular straw-coloured one, the colourless «специална» and the amber «отлежала» from the barrel. The technical file recommends serving it chilled as an aperitif with shopska salad or sirene brine cheese. WHO reminds us: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Legal basis | EU GI PGI-BG-01855 (protected since 21.06.2005); amendment OJ C/2024/1625 |
|---|---|
| Raw material | wine of Misket Cherven, Muscat Ottonel and 11 other varieties (since 2023) |
| Distillation method | continuous, DK2-640 and DK2-780 stills, to 65% vol. |
| Minimum maturation | aged type — at least 6 months in barrels |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | from 40% vol. |
| Year founded | 1983 — industry standard; on the market since 1985 |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Sungurlare Grape Rakia (Sungurlarska grozdova rakya) → kind of → 🍇 Grape brandies → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Next step
- ⚗️ How spirits are made
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🍇 Misket Cherven, 🍇 Muscat Ottonel
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 Bulgarians
- Part of
- 🍇 Grape brandies, 🥃 Grape rakia
- Related to
- 📜 Sungurlare, 📍 Rose Valley, 🗺️ Bulgarian wine
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Rakia
Frequently asked questions
What is Sungurlare Grape Rakia?
A Bulgarian wine spirit with a protected EU geographical indication from the Sungurlare Valley. The wine is distilled to 65% vol., and the finished drink has at least 40% vol.
Is it true that it is made only from Misket Cherven?
No. Traditionally its base was Misket Cherven and Muscat Ottonel, and the 2023 amendment added 11 more white and red varieties, including Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot and Pinot Noir. There are no fixed proportions of varieties.
What types of Sungurlare rakia are there?
Three: the regular pale straw-coloured one from the barrel, the colourless «специална» and the amber «отлежала» with longer ageing. The aged type must spend at least six months in the barrel.
What changed in the 2023 specification?
Three villages left the zone, the vineyard area shrank from 3,146 to 1,733.6 ha, new varieties were added, and the NM-3000 still was replaced with the DK2-640 and DK2-780. The EU published the amendment on 29 February 2024.
How is it served?
The technical file describes serving it chilled as an aperitif with Bulgarian salads and cheeses (shopska salad, kyopolou, lyutenitsa, sirene brine cheese) or as a digestif.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- ⚗️ How spirits are made — Fermentation, distillation (below 96% vol.), oak ageing, blending and dilution with water: five steps from grain or fruit to bottle.
- 🥃 Rakia — Balkan name for fruit and grape distillates — plum, quince, apricot, pomace; strength from 37.5% vol.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Bulgarians — A South Slavic people, the main population of Bulgaria in the Balkans; their famous yogurt kiselo mlyako is made with Lactobacillus bulgaricus.
Similar
🥃 Karlovo Grape Rakia (Karlovska grozdova rakya) · 🥃 Pomorie Grape Rakia (Pomoriyska grozdova rakya) · 🥃 Straldzha Muscat Rakia (Straldjanska Muscatova rakya) · 🥃 Yambol Grape Rakia (Yambolska grozdova rakya) · 🥃 Slivenska Perla (Sliven grape rakia) · 🥃 Burgas Muscat Rakia (Bourgaska Muscatova rakya)
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Technical file «Sungurlarska grozdova rakya», Ares(2015)2302813 (02.06.2015), EN version — eAmbrosia attachment 66150
- OJ C/2024/1625 (29.02.2024): approved standard amendment PGI-BG-01855-AM01, single document «Sungurlarska grozdova rakya»
- eAmbrosia (EU register of GIs): Сунгурларска гроздова ракия / Sungurlarska grozdova rakya, PGI-BG-01855 (EUGI00000015339), EU protection 21.06.2005
- Bulgaria: Wine and Spirit Drinks Act (Закон за виното и спиртните напитки), State Gazette No 45 of 15.06.2012, Art. 123 (grape rakia), Section VII of Chapter Nine (GI procedure) — as quoted in the technical files
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks, Annex I, category 4 «Wine spirit» (OJ L 130, 17.5.2019)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)