Visit the filming location
More About the Team
The director of the TV series “The Grapes of Guilt” is Victor Bozhinov. The screenwriters are Vanya Nikolova, Neli Dimitrova, and Katya Nikolova, who work on the project “Grapes of Guilt” by Simon Eddy Schwartz. The executive producer is Nadezhda Tsvetkova and the production company is Brod Film. The film is a project of the Bulgarian National Television.
The cast includes: Elena Telbis, Vladimir Zombori, Gerasim Georgiev – Gero, Paraskeva Dzhukelova, Mihail Bilalov, Kristina Veroslavova, Silvia Lulcheva, Lilia Maravilya, Maya Bezhanska, Zhivko Sirakov, Daria Mitusheva, Klimentina Fartcova, Svetlana Yancheva, Robert Yanakiev, Dimitar Selenski, Veselin Kalanovski, Lilia Abadzhieva, and many others.
A Bit About the Plot
“The Grapes of Guilt” is a family story intertwining two main themes – wine and guilt – both present in every person’s life. The plot follows the lives of people connected to the wine industry. The series explores timeless human themes – people forced to leave Bulgaria, dramatic secrets from the past that always return to the present, business and its integrity, passion for creative work, betrayal, and love...
Explore the Filming Location
The series recreate the connection between vine growers and the land: the love, the hard work, and the devotion they pour into tending the vineyards. It also shows the wild forces of nature that can wipe out months or even years of work in an instant.
One of the most emblematic scenes in the series is the lighting of fires in the vineyards – frost is approaching, and to protect the vines from freezing, the winemaker Elina orders fires to be lit among the rows. Everyone sets off during the night – either in desperation or with hope to save the vineyards.
In this scene, the entire crew, actors, extras, and pyrotechnicians felt the fear of a vine grower at the thought of losing their vineyard and livelihood.
Villa Melnik Winery has 300 decares of vineyards located in the areas of the villages of Harsovo and Vinogradi, Melnik region. The winery is situated close to the vineyards on a hill with southwest exposure.
We grow local and international grape varieties, with special value placed on local varieties – they are our national treasure and pride: Broadleaf Melnik Vine (or Shiroka Melnik Vine), Melnik 55, Ruen, Melnik 1300 Jubilee, Melnik 82, Melnik Rubin, as well as one of Bulgaria’s most famous varieties, Mavrud.
We also cultivate white varieties such as Sandanski Misket, Keratsuda, and Tamyanka. Among international varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Viognier, and Sauvignon Blanc.
A large part of the screen time in the series takes place in and around the winery. Within its walls unfold tragedy and crime; friendships and love are born; feelings of envy, guilt, and justice are felt.
The filming process did not interfere with the normal operation of the winery. Sometimes we had to postpone bottling by a day or two because of the shoots or assist the crew with boxes and bottles for their “Markov Wine,” but overall, the television and the real winemaking teams worked together excellently! Some of our team even appeared as extras in certain scenes, including our corgi, Mr. Shelby – you’ll notice them.
Villa Melnik Winery is a high-tech modern facility that preserves the viticultural and winemaking traditions of the Melnik region. It is built on three levels so that grapes, must, and wine move by the force of gravity. This method is not only energy-efficient but also extremely gentle on the wine. The cellar’s capacity allows for about 150 tons per year, producing short series of high-quality wines. The winery is open for visits all year round without any days off, and visitors can witness every step of the production process. Access is provided for people with mobility difficulties.
The actors in the series skillfully demonstrate working with fermentation tanks, presses, and barrels.
The laboratory is the “headquarters” of the winery. It serves as the enologist’s main office, a room for chemical-physical analysis of the wine, and a venue for professional tastings. Here is the rapid analyzer that becomes the victim of theft in the series. The analyzer is completely authentic – with just a single drop of wine, our technologist can obtain complete data on the wine’s parameters.
We must note the great contribution of our chief enologist, Momchil Mikov, who shared part of his knowledge with the series’ technologists, Elena Telbis and Gerasim Georgiev – Gero, so their acting and dialogue would be authentic.
Villa Melnik features underground tunnels dug into the sandy hill. They were hand-excavated and are typical for the Melnik region. This ensures a natural, constant temperature and humidity level, which the wine needs to age and mature gracefully. Inside the tunnels, visitors can observe the sandy soil layers where our vineyards grow—sandy with limestone, clay, and volcanic deposits from the extinct volcano - Kozhuh. The family vault of Villa Melnik is also located in the underground tunnels, where we store our enoteca wines and private collections of some of the most passionate wine lovers.
The cellar also houses the barrels. We use 225-liter barrels made of Bulgarian, French, and American oak, each imparting unique aromas and flavors to the wine.
We want to highlight that we did not allow the props team to use “fake movie wine” during filming – every drop on screen is genuine Melnik wine, which is why the smiles on the actors’ faces are so authentic.
In the tasting room, we welcome wine lovers from around the world every single day, without exception! Polite and knowledgeable staff will greet you and guide you on a tour of the winery with talks about winemaking traditions and production practices. Here you will taste our finest wines paired with local delicacies.
The concept of wine tourism was incorporated from the very beginning in the design and architecture of Villa Melnik – visitors can experience every stage of the production process.
Many events and festivals are held at the winery: celebrations for Trifon Zarezan, Lazarovden, July Morning, as well as numerous private and corporate events. In the series, the main character Elina organizes the local wineries for a wine festival and creates a map of the wine routes. Her desire to foster collaboration among the wineries in the region reflects reality. The wineries of the Melnik region offer a tourist map called the Melnik Wine Routes in both digital and printed formats.
In 2020, Villa Melnik was ranked No. 39 in the “Top 50 World’s Best Vineyards” by an anonymous jury of over 500 wine experts worldwide—equivalent to a Michelin Star in the world of wine. This global recognition reflects Villa Melnik’s efforts to preserve and revive winemaking traditions and unique local varieties and to present the region in its best light—through its food, culture, traditions, and hospitality.
Book a wine tour and tasting at Villa Melnik
The Wines in “The Grapes of Guilt”
Some of the wines of Villa Melnik are shown in the series (as a prop or hidden). Here you can find out what they are:
Rare Varieties: Melnik 1300 Jubilee
The series realistically portrays the challenges that vine growers and winemakers face daily – sometimes natural disasters, other times unpredictable economic or human factors. The screenwriters and producer united around the idea that one of the greatest values of Bulgarian wine is its indigenous grape varieties. They are best adapted to the specific natural and climatic conditions of our geographical region. They carry unique flavor characteristics that make them distinctive and unforgettable – a true treasure in the world of wine.
In the Rare Varieties episode, we vinify local grape varieties that are nearly extinct and grow only in the Melnik region. Our mission is to preserve and promote them. Melnik 1300 Jubilee is exactly such a variety, originating from the family of Broadleaf Melnik Vine (Shiroka Melnik Vine).
За сорта: Мелник Юбилеен 1300 е уникален местен сорт от семейството на Мелник. Той е селектиран в гр. Сандански след кръстоска на сортовете Широка Мелнишка Лоза и грузинския сорт Сепарави. Посветен е на юбилея от създаването на Българската държава.
Винификация: Виното е направено от внимателно подбрано грозде от собствени лозя, отлежало 12 месеца в български дъбови бъчви.
Характеристики: Непрогледен мастилено-пурпурен цвят... Експресивен, самобитен аромат на екзотични цветя, сандалово дърво, зрели черни плодове, черница, сини сливи, къпини, зрели малини, шоколад, мока. Тялото е сочно, добре балансирано; със зрели, обли танини и прекрасна свежест. Дълъг, благороден финал. Вино за ценители.
Melnik Family Tree
A main storyline in the series is family relationships – between spouses, parents and children, ancestors and heirs. Villa Melnik is a family business, and family values are at the core of everything we do. The Melnik Family Tree embodies our mission to preserve and revive the unique local varieties.
In the second season of the series, Andrey and Elina Bonchevi, father and daughter, happily share a drink of this wine, showing how strong family ties are!
В този купаж сме събрали цялото семейство на Мелниците – древния ендемитен сорт (майката) Широка Мелнишка Лоза и модерните й кръстоски (нейните деца) – Мелник 55, Мелник 1300 Юбилеен, Руен, Мелник 82 и Мелнишки Рубин. Виното е със средно тяло, елегантно, добре балансирано. С аромат на бор, смърч, хвойна. Зряло и сочно вино с вкус на червени плодове - череши, вишни, костилка. Вино с характер.
Bergule Melnik & Pinot Noir
Bergule Melnik and Pinot Noir play a leading role in the series – the bold blend of the ambitious enologist Elina! She graduated in winemaking technology in France and created this daring and unconventional “experimental” blend of Broadleaf Melnik Vine and Pinot Noir. Through it, she hopes to attract the interest of local and international wine experts and thus promote the local variety.
In the film, there is opposition between Elina’s innovative blend and the “pure barrel-aged Broadleaf Melnik” made by the tradition keeper Nasko – their professional disagreements reflect broader trends in the world of wine.
Мавруд и Мелник (Широка Мелнишка Лоза) е уникален купаж, тъй като Вила Мелник е първата винарна, която отглежда Мавруд в Мелнишкия край, а сортът Мелник не вирее извън него. Виното е пивко и игриво. Ферментирало е само в иноксов съд без досег с дъб. Има средно интензивен рубинен цвят, с аромати на свежи горски червени плодове, вишни и фини землисти, гористи нотки. Тялото е леко, с галещи, зрели танини.
Aplauz Shiroka Melnik
In the opening scene, Philip and Marta arrive from the USA to Bulgaria to bring order to the inheritance left by their uncle. On the plane, Philip drinks the emblematic Villa Melnik Aplauz Shiroka Melnik. Thus, the wine sets the tone for the series and foreshadows that the story will unfold in the Melnik region, where the Shiroka Melnik Vine was born.
Аплауз Широка Мелнишка отлежава 18 месеца в български дъбови бъчви. Виното е със свеж характер и приятни сладки аромати на ягоди, вишни, мока, тютюн. Има средно тяло с пикантни пиперени подправки и сладък ванилов вкус.
В нашето портфолио можете да откриете различни лица на Широка Мелнишка Лоза: чашовидно отглеждана в Rare Varieties Shiroka Melnik Bush Vine, полу-суха в Bergule Melnik Semi-Dry, в купаж на Bergule Melnik & Pinot Noir, свежа и лека във Family Tradition Melnik, или като компонент от всички наши розета.
Отглеждаме и всички „деца“ на Широка мелнишка лоза: Мелник 55, Мелник 1300 Юбилеен, Руен, Мелник 82, Мелнишки Рубин и дори белия сорт Сандански мискет.
Bergule Sauvignon Blanc
The first episode of the series is titled “Sauvignon Blanc.” We present to you a Sauvignon Blanc that is different from what you expect or know — a Sauvignon Blanc with a true Melnik character!
Жив, светло златист цвят със свежи зелени оттенъци. Сладостен нос с нотки на нежни цветя, грейпфрут, захаросан лимон и тропически плодове. Сладко тяло с хармонична свежест и средно дълъг финал. Виното има лека остатъчна захарност, което го прави неустоимо.
Pinot Noir & Sangiovese
In season 2 of the series, there is a competition between two wineries, Markova Winery and Aleni Hills, each with its own wine consultant — an expert from abroad. For Markova Winery, he is French, and for Aleni Hills — Italian. Whether by chance or design, we have a wine that represents the friendship between a Frenchman and an Italian! The blend of Pinot Noir and Sangiovese! The elegant French gentleman Pinot Noir and the passionate Italian Sangiovese meet in our vineyards to start a true friendship. On the label, the two varieties are symbolized by the national emblems of France and Italy — a wolf and a rooster. Both varieties are grown in our vineyards between the villages of Harsovo and Vinogradi.
Пино Ноар оставя спомен със своя пищен и пикантен червен плод от череша, вишна, ягода и малина. Санджиовезе добавя плътно тяло, структуриран танин и изразителен и запомнящ се финал. Виното отлично се съчетава с печени меса, средиземноморски подправки, сирена и паста.
Aplauz Cabernet Sauvignon
This is the favorite wine of director Victor Bojinov and the wine that proves Melnik hospitality for international varieties.
Аплауз Каберне Совиньон е най-награждаваното вино на Вила Мелник. Носител е на множество златни и сребърни медали от международни изложения, включително Decanter, Mundus Vini, SMV Canada, Concours International des Cabernets и други. Притежава тъмно гранатов цвят с керемидени оттенъци, карамелен нос с нотки на черни плодове, канела и шоколад. Тялото е сочно, с приятна сладост и опушено-ванилов финал.
Aplauz Rose
- This is the favorite wine of Elena Telbis. Villa Melnik’s task was to familiarize the TV series team with Melnik wine so they could fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere — both literally and figuratively. One of the undeniable favorites among the ladies is Aplauz Rosé.
Розето е купаж от Мавруд и Широка Мелнишка Лоза, свежо и елегантно, с нежен розов цвят. Притежава интензивен нос с горска ягода и сладка праскова, мъх и тревистинотки. С дълъг послевкус.
Behind the scenes
Check out photos from the filming process:
Season 1
Season 2
