Лозарството и винарството у българските преселници в Бесарабия – традиции и иновации
Vine-growing and Wine-making in the Communities of Bessarabian Bulgarians — Traditions and Innovations

Summary/Abstract: Nowadays Bessarabia is famous for its good wines and it is beyond any doubt that Bulgarian immigrants there have excellent skills in vine-growing and wine-making. The question is, however, whether they were just as skilled in this craft when they first came to live in Bessarabia. Nearly all statistical data and opinions of experts in agriculture dating back to that period suggest that the “immigrants from the other side of the Danube” started to grow vines immediately after they settling in Bessarabia. The first Bulgarian refugees planted new vineyards in the estates of local pomeshchiki (landlords) where they settled to live. A number of researchers claim that the Bulgarians and the Gagauzes were already skilled vine-growers and wine-makers when they arrived in Budzhak. This sounds quite logical, having in mind that it was the plan of the Russian government to colonize these lands with the help of immigrants who had to be efficient and experienced not just in agriculture and livestock-breeding, but also in vine-growing and wine-producing. And yet, in spite of the abundance of archives and plentiful research literature about this region, we still do not know enough about the state of vine-growing and wine-making there, and the related traditions in the various Bulgarian communities and the differences between them. We do not know what role this craft played as means of living back in the communities where the immigrants came from. Another thing that needs to be clarified is what the immigrants brought with them from their home lands, and what they learned here, in their new villages, who they learned from, and what were the reasons for their conservatism. The present article seeks to find the answers to all these questions.

• Details
• Contents