Although Bulgaria has been practising viticulture for more than three millenia its current industry is no more than 100

years old, and in that time, due to the rise and fall of communism, has experienced a rollercoaster of changes. At the start of the 20th century small holdingers accounted for the major share of the market, pooling thier resorces in the form of co-operatives. In 1947 the newly formed communist government established Vinprom, a state run organisation with the pervue to oversee all the countries production of wine and spirits. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were planted instead indigenous varities in colossal mechanized vineyards. Thanks to Pepsi's business interests in the country, much of Bulgaria's modern wine production was heavily influenced by UC Davis's school of viticulture. So sucessful were exports that Bulgaria became Britiain's fourth largest supplier of red wine,

however in the late 1980s production almost came to a standstill due to Gorbachev's anti alcohol campaign which

resulted in the uprooting of thousands of acres of vineyards. Since the fall of communism, and with the help of international investment, the industry has slowly recovered. Recently a number of boutique wineries have popped up across the country succesfully making quality wine.