Villa Melnik is a family-owned winery located near the village of Harsovo, about 7 km south of Melnik, Bulgaria. The winery has 30 hectares of vineyards. Grown are local (reds: Shiroka Melnishka Loza, also known as Broadleaved Melnik Vine, Melnik 55, Ruen, Melnik 1300, Mavrud; whites: Tamyanka, Keratzuda, Sandanski Misket) and international (reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese; whites: Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc) varieties. The vineyards were planted in 2004, the winery was built in 2013. Produced are three main brands of wines - AplauZ, Bergulé, Family Tradition, as well as some Special wines - Orange Wine, Hailstorm, Sweet Wine - late harvest, Rare Varieties, and other limited edition wines. Wine Cellar Villa Melnik is ranked #39 in the top 50 World's Best Vineyards 2020. The winery is open for wine tours and wine tasting every day Terroir The 30 hectares of own vineyards are situated on the hills between Harsovo and Vinogradi Village, Melnik Region, Struma River Valley, PGI Thracian Valley. They are surrounded by the mountains Pirin, Belasitsa, Slavyanka, which provide constant cooling breeze and a favorable temperature amplitude during the days and nights. The climate is Mediterranean - with long, hot dry summers and mild winters. The hills are exposed to the South. The vineyards grow on sandy hills with some limestone and volcanic deposits. Nearby is the extinct volcano Kozhuh. Villa Melnik puts great emphasis on sustainable practices without the use of any chemicals or pesticides in the vineyards. Most vineyards operations are completed by hand, including harvesting. The Winery Villa Melnik is a modern state-of-the-art winery. The building is on three floors and is partially dug into the sandy hills. The production process is gravitational, which means that the grapes, juice, must, and wine flow through the three levels of the winery only using the force of gravity. This is allows the wine to go through the production process stress-free, with minimal mechanical pressure or human intervention, resulting in gentle extraction and maceration and wines with balanced flavors and soft tannins. The gravity method also ensures energy-efficiency. The wines ferment in stainless steel tanks and age in oak barrels. Villa Melnik uses French, American and Bulgarian oak 225L barrels. The barrels and bottles are aged in underground tunnels-cellars deep into the sandy hills under naturally constant temperature and humidity. Many traditional old houses and wineries in the Melnik region have similar underground cellars.