Grape Guide
Shiroka Melnishka
RedShiroka Melnishka, the "broad-leaf" Melnik grape, is a late-ripening black variety native to the far southwest of Bulgaria and the country's most distinctive red. Almost all of it grows in the warm Struma Valley, where it yields firmly tannic, spicy, long-lived wines that repay oak maturation and bottle age.
Key characteristics
- Black-skinned, very old Bulgarian variety of unknown parentage
- Buds late and ripens from late to very late, with harvest often falling in October
- Very fertile vine with small, thick-skinned berries
- Vulnerable to winter cold and to downy and powdery mildew
- Planted almost entirely in the Struma Valley around the town of Melnik
Typical flavors
Major regions
Struma Valley (Bulgaria) · Melnik · Harsovo · Sandanski · Blagoevgrad Province
Also known as
Melnik (Bulgaria) · Broadleaf Melnik · Shiroka Melnishka Loza · Shiroka Melnichka Loza · Chiroka Melnichka · Siroka Melniska
Shiroka Melnishka is the signature black grape of southwest Bulgaria, and the only native red there whose wines are regularly judged capable of long ageing. Its name points to the large leaves of the vine and to Melnik, the small town beneath the Pirin Mountains close to the Greek frontier. Beyond the Struma Valley it is almost unknown, and on labels it is usually shortened to Melnik.
In the glass it gives deeply coloured, structured reds with firm tannins, bright acidity and a savoury, spicy profile of dark fruit, white pepper and tobacco. Because it ripens so late and can struggle in cool, damp autumns, quality depends heavily on site and vintage. The best bottles come from warm, sandy, south-facing slopes and usually gain from oak maturation and several years in bottle. Sweet and fortified versions exist but are a small part of output.
Shiroka Melnishka is counted among Bulgaria's oldest cultivated varieties. It is named for Melnik, a small town in the Struma Valley lying beneath the Pirin Mountains, close to the Greek border. The Bulgarian name translates roughly as the broad-leaf vine of that town, and the full form, Shiroka Melnishka Loza, is often seen written out. Its own parentage is unknown.
A popular story holds that Thracian settlers brought the vine from Asia around 2000 BC, but nothing supports this, and the true origin remains open. What can be said is that the vine has long been tied to this one corner of the country, held there by its need for heat and its sensitivity to winter cold.
In the twentieth century Bulgarian breeders used it as a parent. Melnik 82, Ruen and Ranna Melnishka Loza (the name means early Melnik vine) all descend from it. Breeding lists from 1963 recorded Shiroka Melnishka crossed with pollen from a mixture of Valdiguie, Durif, Jurancon and Cabernet Sauvignon; DNA analysis in 2005 showed the pollen parent of Ranna Melnishka Loza and Melnik 82 to be Valdiguie. These crossings are separate varieties, not synonyms, and are easily confused with the parent when a label says only Melnik.
The vine is very fertile and productive, with medium to large bunches carrying small berries with thick skins. Budbreak is late, which spares it from most spring frosts, but ripening is late to very late and can run into October, when the weather in southwest Bulgaria often turns cold and wet. Full ripeness is therefore easiest in warm, dry autumns and on sunny, free-draining sites; the Struma Valley, with its Mediterranean-influenced climate and sandy hillsides mixed with limestone and volcanic material, is the warmest wine area in the country. Winter cold can damage the wood, and the variety is susceptible to downy and powdery mildew, though it has fair resistance to botrytis bunch rot thanks to its thick skins. Yields need control to reach concentration.
The principal style is a dry, full-bodied red with deep colour, marked tannin, firm acidity and high extract. Young wines show dark cherry, plum and blackberry with white pepper and herbal notes; oak maturation tends to add tobacco, cedar and spice, and the best examples gain complexity over a decade or more, ageing better than the other local red varieties. Some producers bottle it as a single variety, while others blend it with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Syrah to soften its edges. Fortified wines, both semi-sweet and sweet, are also made, as is a limited volume of rose. Leading producers working with the grape include Damianitza, Logodaj and Villa Melnik. A protected designation of origin named Melnik covers the area; its permitted varieties and blend rules should be checked against the official specification.
Where it grows
Struma Valley
The grape's home and near-total domain, a warm, sheltered basin in Bulgaria's far southwest. Plantings were recorded at about 2,600 ha in 2009; later estimates range from roughly 1,600 to 2,700 ha, so the current total is uncertain.
Melnik
The small town beneath the Pirin Mountains that gave the variety its name. Sandy hillsides here, with some limestone and volcanic material, produce the most typical wines.
Harsovo
A village in the Melnik area and the base of Villa Melnik, whose roughly 30 ha of south-facing hillside are planted largely to Shiroka Melnishka and local companions.
Sandanski
A town in the Struma Valley known for warm conditions and for the local white Sandanski Misket as well as for Melnik reds.
Blagoevgrad Province
The administrative province that contains these wine areas and almost every hectare of the variety.