📍 Thracian Lowland

The Thracian Lowland (Thracian Valley) is a wine district in southern Bulgaria, in the valley of the Maritsa river, between the Balkan Mountains in the north and the Rhodopes in the south. Its centre is the city of Plovdiv. It is one of the largest and warmest wine areas in the country: summers are hot and long, winters moderate, and autumn is dry, which suits late-ripening reds.

The best-known local grape is Mavrud, a red with thick skins and high tannins that grows near the town of Asenovgrad. Its wines are dark and full, with scents of plum and spice. International grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are widely grown, along with Rubin, a Bulgarian hybrid bred in the 20th century. Red, white and rosé wines are made.

The district includes subzones such as Sakar, Asenovgrad, Brestnik, Sliven, Hisarya, Yambol, Pazardzhik, Stara Zagora and Haskovo. Sakar lies in the south-east, by the Turkish border.

For comparison with its neighbours: to the north, in the Danube plain, wines are cooler in style, to the south-west lies the Struma valley with an even hotter climate, and to the east the Black Sea with its white wines.