16 Jul Villa Melnik among the Top 50 World’s Best Vineyards
We are proud to share that Villa Melnik Wine Cellar was awarded as one of the Top 50 World’s Best Vineyards 2020. Occupying the 39th position among the “50 best wine destinations in the world”, Villa Melnik worthily represents Bulgaria. The prestigious ranking was announced on 13.07.2020 online, live by Sonoma Valley, California.
The World’s Best Vineyards ranking is compiled by the World’s Best Vineyards Academy – a community of over 500 experts in the field of wine and wine tourism from all over the world. Nominations and voting are secret until they are announced. The criteria are complex and include the overall tourist experience – wine, vineyards, wine tour and tasting, viticulture and wine practices and traditions, the history of the brand and the people behind it, the connection with nature, the hospitality of the team, the reputation of the winery. Among the 50 winners are world-famous names of producers from the most popular wine destinations such as Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Tuscany, Stellenbosch, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina. There are also small family wineries from fast-growing, but still exotic for Western consumers wine regions such as Japan, Lebanon, India and now for the first time – Bulgaria! The World’s Best Vineyards ranking is a product of William Reed – the global media conglomerate behind names such as the international wine competition International Wine Challenge (UK), IWC Canopy Magazine, as well as a number of other media in the field of food, beverages and tourism. This year’s edition of the ranking is supported by Sonoma County Winegrowers – the Winemakers Association of Sonoma Valley, California. On the site of World’s Best Vineyards you can view the full list of the Top 50, at the announcement ceremony you can watch in YouTube.
For us, this award is the result of our long-term efforts to develop wine tourism in the region of Melnik, Sandanski and Petrich. Our cooperation with the wine and tourist sites in the area led to the creation ofMelnik Wine Routes, which are not just a tourist map, but our vision of a united wine destination. Privately, Villa Melnik has proven to be a leader in wine tourism through the offered daily tours and tastings, through our unconditional devotion to the unique local varieties, through the development of annual events such as Trifon Zarezan in Villa Melnik, Lazarovden and July morning, as well as numerous workshops, corporate and private events. We have repeatedly received recognition in the field of tourism – we hold the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for more than 5 years, and in 2018 we were included in Chris Losh’s guide to “world wineries that must be visited” – Where to Drink Wine: The essential guide to the world’s must-visit wineries.
We share the ranking in World’s Best Vineyards 2020 with all colleagues from the wine and tourism industry in the Melnik region, with whom we want to move forward. Through cooperation and joint efforts, we can defend the position of our region in this prestigious world ranking and develop in the future.
