Why it matters
The producer
Menada began in 1901 as the Loza Cooperative. Today the winery can process over 8,000 tons of white and red grapes and reports annual production of 20 million bottles. Its cellar includes equipment for maturing wines in French oak barrels, giving the operation both large production capacity and an oak maturation program.
An in house laboratory analyzes wines throughout production. The winery works with estate grown fruit and presents a portfolio of red wines that includes both blended and named variety expressions.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
The prime vineyards lie in the villages of Elhovo and Mogilovo, about 18 kilometres from Stara Zagora, within the Thracian Valley of central Southern Bulgaria. The vineyard landscape sits between 170 and 260 metres above sea level under a temperate continental climate.
Menada lists maroon forest soils made from clay and sand, alongside rocky deluvial soils and slightly sandy or clayish alluvial deluvial soils. These different ground types give the vineyards varied water movement and rooting conditions across the growing area.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range includes Menada Merlo, a three litre red Bag in Box wine. It also includes red wines named Mavrud, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, giving the portfolio both a format led bottle and wines organised around individual grape varieties.
Menada 2022 is a red wine with a three grape composition. It sits alongside the separate red variety names in the wider range.