KAVARNA - ZIA (ZIA means “LIGHT”)
Located in the Northeastern part of Bulgaria, just 10 km from the Black Sea coast, this is our very first plot planted with vineyards on a flat terrain 130m above sea level.
The climate is dominated by the constant breezes from the Black Sea which helps keeping the sugar levels and acidity in the grapes in ballance.
The soil is very rich and most of the work in the vineyards is directed towards avoiding excessively large yields which would lead to watered down produce. It is mostly done by hand, which allows consistent control of the quality of the grapes.
The philosophy of AYA Estate Vineyards is to follow entirely organic and biodynamic principles – both in the vineyards and during the vinification process.
Here we cultivate our Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Petit Manseng and Pinot Noir under the strict supervision of the very skilled agronomist of Zia Wine Gallery, Vesselina Kassabova (Vesi). Thanks to her remarkable work we have fantastic grapes for the production of our Colorito white wines and the red Pinot Noir.
HARSOVO, Melnik region -
AYA (AYA means “DESIGN”, “BEAUTIFUL”)
Located in the Southwest of Bulgaria, this hilly terrain is 250-330m above sea level and facing mostly south. The meaning of Aya is remarkably poetic and the art-referencing connotations fully correspond to our deep belief in the unbreakable and eternal connection between wine and creativity.
The climate is warm with constant breezes blowing from the Aegean Sea and high diurnal variation due to the cooling winds descending from the surrounding mountains. The soils are sandy with a high percentage of limestone and low humus content with a yellowish color, typical for the region.
The average age of our old vineyards is around 50 years and they include Cabernet Franc and the local endemic variety called Broadleaved Melnik Grapevine, named after its typical big leaves. We’ve also newly-planted Syrah, Censault, Grenache and Merlot to add more diversity to our wine portfolio.
The biodynamic principles here are in the hands of our agronomist Miroslav Dimitrov (Miro) who rigorously adheres to AYA Estate Vineyards' philosophy of working with nature and not against it.
Philosophy
In both locations we grow our vines organically by adhering to biodynamic practices, our goal being to promote healthy and deep growth of the root system. The work in the vineyards is exclusively manual, which allows strict monitoring and quality control. Biodynamics is a complex and not well-known science in Bulgaria, that is why Julian Reneaud advises and teaches our agronomists the belief in working with, not against, nature.
We believe that the biodynamic principles help with the true expression of the different varieties according to the specific terroir Our philosophy to follow entirely organic and biodynamic principles is applied both in the vineyards and during the vinification process.
