Mavrud

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mavrud dry red wine from region of Brestovitsa.
Mavrud wine on the shelves in a supermarket in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. This particular wine is from Perushtitsa.

Mavrud (Bulgarian: мавруд, from Greek, μαυρό (mavró), "black") is a red wine grape that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines, indigenous to the Balkan region. It's growing in some regions in Albania, Thrace region in Bulgaria, some regions in Greece and in Romania.[1]

The grape has been described as a characterful, low-yielding, small-berried and late-ripening grape capable of producing tannic, spicy wine with a potential for ageing.[2][3][4]

History[edit]

Regarded as one of the most highly esteemed local wines, Mavrud vineyards are mainly found around Asenovgrad and Perushtitsa, as well as more rarely near Pazardzhik, Stara Zagora and Chirpan.[citation needed]

There is speculation amongst grape growers that Mavrud may be an ancient clone of Mourvedre, imported into Bulgaria by the Romans.[citation needed]

Legend[edit]

A legend that the oenophiles of the Mavrud wine like to repeat in order to explain the restoration of this locality as wine-growing country[5] was that during the reign of Khan Krum of Bulgaria, all vineyards were ordered destroyed. Later, a lion escaped from its cage and terrorized the city. However, a fearless young man named Mavrud (now the name of a wine grape) confronted and slew the lion. The king summoned Mavrud's mother to learn the source of such courage. She said she had secretly saved a vine, made wine, and that this was the source of Mavrud's bravery. Khan Krum ordered the vineyards replanted.[6][5]

In the original Bulgarian version the legend says it was a monster called the lamya (ламя) which was vanquished, according to one book on wine.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Pierre Galet: Dictionnaire encyclopédique des cépages. 1st edition. Hachette Livre, 2000, ISBN 2-01-236331-8.
  2. ^ Johnson, Hugh; Robinson, Jancis (2005). The World Atlas of Wine (5th ed.). London: Mitchell Beazley. p. 256. ISBN 1-84000-332-4.
  3. ^ Robinson, Jancis, ed. (1999). "Mavrud". The Oxford Companion to Wine (2nd ed.). winepros.com.au. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14.
  4. ^ Stevenson, Tom (2005). The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia (4th ed.). London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 414. ISBN 0-7566-1324-8.
  5. ^ a b Šiškova, Elena; Ivanova, Marii︠a︡; Dimova, Rosit︠s︡a (1998), Destination: Bulgaria, Selekta, p. 87, ISBN 9781841621555
  6. ^ Kay, Annie (2008), Bulgaria: The Bradt Travel Guide, Bradt Travel Guides, p. 226, ISBN 9781841621555
  7. ^ Chalkov, Ivan (2001), Kak da napravim vino Как да направим вино [How to make wine], DIONIS, p. 7, ISBN 9789548496285