Midalidare Estate had come to my attention from its incredible success at the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships, where the estate has been winning Gold Medals for the past five years including winning the World Champion Blanc de Blancs Trophy.
However, what I was to see when I visited quite simply blew me away, not only is Midalidare producing world class sparkling wines, but it also produces some exceptional value still white and red wines. Set in a beautiful setting, the village of Mogilovo has been transformed by the investment of the owner, with an on-site hotel, spa, restaurant, gastro pub, lakeside cottages and luxury wedding accommodation to go with his two wineries and surrounding vineyards. He has brought life and employment back to the sleeping village of Mogilovo.
The attention to detail in the vineyards and winery is exceptional, with experience of this gained by producing their own wines in New Zealand working with Allan Scott in Marlborough and Te Kano in Central Otago.
Midalidare Estate is not merely another up and coming estate, it has built the business with exceptional care, setting up still wine first then sparkling, regenerating the local area both financially and environmentally in the process.
In recent years, their annual Rock Festival has been attracting up to 60,000 attendees over a three-day period. This not only promotes the portfolio of wines but also promotes the area as a tourist destination; rumour has it that Alice Cooper has top billing this year.
The state-of-the-art tasting room is like a space mission HQ, with lay back seats, cinematic 3D and numerous other inventive visual experiences. It combines the old, new and the future in great taste.
So how were the wines tasting?
Prices are for export purposes and per bottle
Sparkling Wines
These were tasted in both 75cl and 150cl
Midalidare Blanc de Blancs Brut N.V. €8.88 (75cl)
Fresh baked brioche with crisp apple – beautiful rich nose, then on the palate it is focused, fresh and zippy, with notes of apricots, guava, and fresh citrus. As it opens out (and especially in magnum) there is an influx of pure stone fruit. A great introduction to the Midalidare sparkling brand.
Midalidare Rose Extra Brut N.V. €8.88 (75cl)
Delicately perfumed nose, pomegranate, rose buds, beautifully balanced, crisp clean notes, simmered rhubarb, blueberries, cranberries, focused with a mineral slate feel, clean and fresh on the finish, encouraging another glass.
Midalidare Deluxe Brut N.V. €10.48 (75cl)
Seamless, pure, clean, and focussed, this is layered with a lovely structure, hints of guava and quince, followed by peeled apricot. Hints of a Parisienne bakery evolves on the nose, a beautifully delicate wine, very refined.
Midalidare Extra Brut N.V. €13.42 (75cl)
This has a fuller flavour – white stone fruit, nutty, dried pineapple, clementine zest – it is much more of a ‘Vintage’ style, with great balance of ripeness and freshness. In magnum the quality elevates, with the evolvement of apricots, white pears and pineapple essence, but the wine continues to have that pristine focus.
Midalidare Pas Dose N.V. €13.42 (75cl)
Heady brioche nose from this 100% Chardonnay, baked Christmas cake and dried Christmas fruits, on the palate it is clean and focused with a biscuit, apple, pear, and quince vibration. Hints of baked apple crumble are more apparent in magnum with refined lemon zest, nectarines, and fresh, aromatic ground spices.
Midalidare Gold Brut N.V. €19.17 (75cl)
Essence of tangerine, shortbread, nectarines and brioche crumbs. Fresh and bright notes on the palate, clean and focused, elegant, with juicy apricots and nectarines on the mid-palate, giving way to a delicious sparkling wine with real class. Evolves perfectly on the palate leaving a lovely, elegant feel.
Midalidare Blanc de Noirs €15.33 (75cl)
Heady, perfumed nose of violets, rosebuds, blackcurrants, talc and cedar. On the palate juicy pomegranate notes, dark red berries, flinty, focused, in magnum the mid-palate has a lovely balance of rose petals, cranberries, red and black currants all adding to a focused wine, still holding that ‘mountain fresh’ focus.
Summing up….
These sparkling wines offer exceptional value and quality, they are elegant, clean, and focused. These are not cheap alternative fizz, but rather fine sparkling wines that offer excellent value. The focus too on magnum production I think is important and the way forward for the sales of sparkling wines.
Still wines
Although the visit was to explore the sparkling wines, the Midalidare Estate is not a one trick pony and there were impressive white and red still wines. At the estate there are two wineries – one for red wine and the larger winery for white wine with separate facilities to produce still white and sparkling.
Midalidare also leases vineyards in Marlborough, New Zealand – with Isabel to make a Sauvignon Blanc and Central Otago with Te Kano to make a Pinot Noir, both of which are sold in Bulgaria.
Midalidare Silver Angel Sauvignon Blanc 2023 €4.41
Although the label would have to be changed for the UK market, this is a classic Old World ‘village’ Sauvignon. Delicate, ginger, apricot, lime notes – I loved the freshness and purity. Over 200,000 bottles produced.
Midalidare Estate Grown Single Vineyard Sauvignon/Semillon 2023 €5.30
Textured with a citrus and savoury balance, key lime pie, sauce anglaise, lime curd – full-flavoured and excellent gastronomic potential.
Midalidare NZ Sauvignon Blanc, Craiglochart Single Vineyard 2023 €7.28
Classic New Zealand SB with gooseberries to the fore, juicy fresh apricots on the mid-palate, aromatic and full-flavoured with a real zing.
Midalidare Sauvignon Blanc Premium Selection 2023 €6.33
Quince, lime curd, steely then citrus freshness, focused with a lovely textured creamy feel. Old World style, focused and refined and a small production (15,000 bottles).
Midalidare Just Three Barrels Viognier 2022 €6.33
Aromatic nose, then a vibrant seductive wine that oozes charm, ginger spices, buttermilk, yellow flowers, quince – fresh and fragrant on the end. Bright and clean, a stunning wine.
Midalidare Mogilovo Single Vineyard Traminer 2023 €5.05
Fry’s Turkish Delight – pure, clean, precise. Aromatic with dried ginger and pineapple with hints of rose buds and Turkish markets.
Midalidare 42/54 Rose Syrah €3.48
Clean cut. Fresh, steely, focused, bright crimson, delicate red plums and blueberries, vibrant.
Midalidare Merlot & Cabernet Franc, Mogilovo Single Vineyard 2022 €4.83
Cherries, Christmas pudding, rhubarb, chewy, evolves with violets, spice, velvety and juicy. Fresh and clean on the finish.
Midalidare Nota Bene, Merlot, Malbec, Syrah 2022 €5.58
Cocoa, spice, dark and brooding, alluring, blueberries, and violets, this is an excellent fresh silky wine that delivers. The finish is pure and clean.
Midalidare Cane Cut Syrah, Dabovets Single Vineyard 2023 €11.18
Loved the purity and freshness of this wine which has real focus with wet stone/minerality and bright fruit, even saline, notes.
Midalidare Malbec & Syrah Premium Selection, Dabovetts Single Vineyard, 2023 €7.29
Taut and tannic on first taste with bilberries, cedar, spice, cane, then opens out with cranberries, redcurrants, blackberries, and blackcurrants, with spices that balance the basket of berries; further tobacco, cedar and elegant notes evolve. Needs time to show its potential.
Midalidare Grand Vintage Malbec, Mogilovo Single Vineyard 2022 €9.52
Liquorice, spice, menthol, blueberries, bilberries, vanilla spice, cedar, long luscious juicy finish. Very impressive with a cool focus balancing the oak and spice.
Midalidare Petit Verdot Carbonic Macerated, Mogilovo Single Vineyard 2022 €11.18
Silky smooth and velvety, cocoa, violets, earthy, truffles, granite, the mid-palate is balanced and refined with a clean freshness.
Midalidare Reserve 2016 €23.97
A blend of 65% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot
An exceptional aged Cabernet that would sit happily with esteemed peers, this is silky with a perfume of cocoa, nutmeg, thyme, cedar, and blue fruits. Delicate but deep flavours, blueberries, bilberries, blackberries, chocolate, damsons and refined cigar notes, hints of mocha with a beautifully fragrant, silky finish.
