What brings wine and rock music together?
Perhaps the fact that a great part of the rock fans love the good wine too, while quite many of the talented winemakers – here in Bulgaria, as well as all over the world – listen to this style of music with real pleasure. The strength of this relationship is proved by one of the emblematic modern Bulgarian wineries, Midalidare Estate. A first of its kind music festival, called Rock In The Wine Valley, is going to take place on the winery’s territory in the beginning of this June.
The stage in the village of Mogilovo, where Midalidare Estate is located, will be hit by the legendary musicians of W.A.S.P., one of the most popular rock-ladies Doro, the Swiss hard rock band Gotthard, and Udo Dirkschneider – former front man of ACCEPT and current lead vocalist of U.D.O. Many younger Bulgarian and international performers will be joining these rock ‘dinosaurs’ on the stage of the event too.
“We expect the combination of high class rock music and the broad variety of tastes of our wines to bring a different and untypical experience”, says Alexander Alexiev, manager of Midalidare Estate and one of the two leading winemakers at the winery.
More than 5,000 visitors are expected within the three days of the festival. Special spots for placing of tents, caravans and campers will be available to facilitate the accommodation. For those who prefer the comfort of hotel rooms, arrangements for preferential prices are already made with hotel-keepers in Stara Zagora city and the surroundings. Besides listening to their favorite music, guests of the event will have the chance to get familiar with miscellaneous attractions offered by Midalidare Estate apart from its main activity of quality wine production. Not the least, they can walk on the so-called Wine Road and taste the various in style and category products of the winery.
But why should a winery open its doors to the fans of rock music?
Part of the explanation is probably the attitude of winery’s team. Both Alexander and his colleague Nikolay Katerov are avid rock fans since their teenage years. One of the products of their love to this music is the wonderful wine RockNRolla, which – as they explain – matures under the sounds of rock-and-roll. Thus, it is believed that the wine absorbs at least a part of the strength and energy of this powerful music. Therefore, when the organizers of the popular until recently Kavarna Rock Fest – Bulgarian Live Music – came to them with an offer for making a big rock event in Mogilovo, the decision was not much delayed.
But the motivation behind Rock In The Wine Valley is not just a sentimental impulse. Like all the other projects of Midalidare Estate, it is brought in line with a long-term strategy for development of this place as a point of attraction for the lovers of alternative tourism. “Through the various events we organize and will organize in the future, we are gradually pursuing our main goal – to reach a broader circle of people, who value high the quality spending of their leisure time. When they come here, they will see where and how we work, they will try our wines and, hopefully, will become our clients and friends”, say Alexiev and Katerov.
The rock event of the year – Rock In The Wine Valley – will take place on June 9th, 10th and 11th, 2017, on the territory of Midalidare Estate winery, in the village of Mogilovo, region of Stara Zagora.
Tickets are available in the entire Eventim chain in Bulgaria.
More information at www.midalidarerock.bg
Upon this strategy, the first International 3D Street Painting Festival in Bulgaria took place last year in Mogilovo, bringing as participants some of the world’s best artists in this genre. The event attracted significant visitor attendance. Most of the remarkable paintings could still be seen in the alleys and the backyard of the winery.
Another target category of guests, for whom there will be soon some very pleasant surprises at Midalidare Estate, are the nature lovers. Nearby the winery’s vineyards, an open-air park for bears will be set up over the next couple of years. It will accommodate bears currently living in poor conditions (such as narrow cages in zoos, circuses, etc.). “As opposed to the traditional zoos, where the wild animals are put in cages to be seen by the freely walking visitors in safety, we would like to turn this perspective upside-down. We will leave the bears in freedom, while the people, who would come to see them in their natural habitat, will do this on specially designed platforms – “island” type – erected above the ground”, tells about this forthcoming initiative Alexander Alexiev.
Despite the numerous additional activities, the main focus of Midalidare Estate has always been kept on its primary business – the production of wines with superior quality. But novelties are underway here too. The winery is to launch on the market its first sparkling wine in the course of this year. There are also plans for building a special new wine cellar (third for Midalidare Estate in Mogilovo) for optimal production of the sparkling wines, whose capacity will be about 50,000 bottles per year. This new wine cellar will be also open for visitors who would like to see the traditional methods of production, maturation, and storing of the “champagne” type of wines.
Whether by its new wine offerings, or through unforgettable experience amid a real pastoral idyll, the tiny village of Mogilovo – nestling in the heart of Sredna Gora Mountain – can always pleasantly surprise any lover of thematic travels.
And fans of the divine drink and valuable music are more than welcome to reward their senses in the Wine Valley not just for the upcoming great rock event in the beginning of June.
Source: VinoZona Ltd.
