TN: decent modern St Emilion, cru Beaujolais transforms

I vaguely remember purchasing a reasonable wine named Magdelaine which was made in Bulgaria when I was summering in the Engadine many years ago. It was very full bodied, fruit forward, unpretentious and went admirably with a number of dishes that we prepared in our rented Wohnung.

Does this ring any bells with anyone here?

Godzilla

New one on me. But my knowledge of Bulgarian wine is nil (maybe Patok can answer?) The Magdelaine I refer to is a classic St Emilion. There's also an appellation in Northern Italy (Alto Adige I believe) called St Magdelener.

No, this was most likely a negociant created blend, for the moment and for the market, and most likely doesn't exist anymore. The Bulgarian wine industry underwent a painful transition in the past ten years, which will be, one hopes, for the good. It was all very well explained in that magazine article which I mentioned in the other thread. When it comes online in March, I'll most certainly post a link.

You have a chance to acquire some knowledge, if you're really curious. I seem to remember that NY was one of the states where it was possible to ship wine; unfortunately, here in MD I can't take advantage. There are two online stores that sell BG wine in the States:

and

If you (or anybody that can receive shipments) decides to try, some observations:

Chateau Euxinograde is the only old and traditional winery still in operation (from before Communism, it was the King's private cellar in his chateau on the Black Sea coast). They are supposed to be the best white wines of Bulgaria, but I haven't tasted any recently (being primarily a red wine person), so have no idea what their current quality might be. The cognac-like thing they produce, called Euxignac, is fantastic, and worth a try, if you can find it (it's very rare; I was not able to find any on my recent visit).

Since the distilled products of Karnobat are well-known impostors (claiming to be aged in casks blah-blah, while as a matter of fact are alcohol mixed with concentrated extracts), I wouldn't trust their wines either.

It is still a fact though, that most of the wines for the domestic market are not exported, and from the ones I tried, I can see only a couple being offered in these two stores. They are the Vini Merlot and Cabernet, and while the Cab is a decent, if not spectacular, quaffing wine, the Merlot is best avoided (not only too fruity, but actually a little sweet). The best course for any adventurous a.f.w.-er who decides to order something, is maybe post here or to my e-mail what they think of ordering, so I may provide feedback, if I know anything about the choices.

Something else - both sites sell Rakia (grappa, eau de vie) and call it 'brandy' which it technically is, but not in the sense that it's cognac-like. The congac-like drinks on the sofiausa site are Preslav, Pliska, Pomorie and Sunny Beach. Everything else is grappa/eau de vie; Mastika is anise based, like ouzo.

That St. Magdelener is a distinct possibility of what we were drinking in St. Moritz as well as some other Bulgarian wines that were available at that time. Twenty five years has a way of blurring and combining a couple of undocumented memory images until they morph into one. ;-)

Thanks for the input

Godzilla