Viticulture

Trifon Zarezan, also known as Vintner's Day, is a cherished Bulgarian national holiday celebrated on February 14th, coinciding with Saint Valentine's Day. While Saint Valentine's Day is widely associated with romance and love, Trifon Zarezan holds a unique place in Bulgarian culture, honoring Saint Tryphon, the patron saint of vineyards, winegrowers, and gardeners.

World wine production is expected to fall to its lowest level in 60 years in 2023 due to poor harvests in the Southern Hemisphere and in some major European producers, including Greece, the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) has said.

Experts warn that many regions in Greece will become unfit for viticulture by 2050 due to climate change. Indeed, if the climate crisis worsens by the end of the century, few vineyards will remain, primarily in higher-altitude locations. 

One of Slovenia's premier wine-growing regions, the Vipava Valley has a vine grafting tradition going back almost 120 years. Today, their grafted vines are sold world-wide, the lion's share to France, the world's leading wine-producing country.

Today Bulgarians celebrate Trifon Zarezan in the old style - the feast of the vine-growers and wine, also known as Zarezanovden, Trifun Chipia and Trifun Zarezoy.

The day of the Holy Martyr Tryphon from ancient times is associated with the first pruning of the vineyards.

The wine festival has ancient roots and is rich in rituals - says ethnographer Nedka Dimitrova:

The rose blossom crop this year is seven times lower than in the same period of last year, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. This, according to manufacturers, is the worst harvesting campaign in recent years

Answering a question about his expectations for the upcoming election campaign, President Rumen Radev said that Bulgaria needs a campaign of ideas, principles, a vision for getting the country out the current deep crisis, a vision for Bulgaria's future development, and not a campaign of discrediting materials, which seems to be the case for now.

Two major celebrations are taking place on February 14 in Bulgaria, with Valentine's day coinciding with the national feast of wine and vine.

Many vineyards have been affected by hail before the grape harvest, said Krasimir Koev, Executive Agency on Vine and Wine (EAVW), in an interview with Focus News Agency. 

The wine sector is one of the most stable in Bulgaria, commented Agriculture Minister Rumen Porozhanov. In the "Byalata Prast" area near Svilengrad, together with the Director of the Executive Agency for Wine Krasimir Koev, he participated in the traditional ritual of triforing vineyards for Trifon Zarezan holiday.