Where and how to celebrate Trifon Zarezan 2024
This year as tradition stands vine growers and winemakers will celebrate “Trifon Zarezan”, and wine lovers will once again have the opportunity to join their celebration, to enjoy the festivities and wines along with the traditional pruning of the vines. There will be plenty of celebrations in 2024 so the choice of which region to head to will be large and rest assured there will be something for everyone – those who love lavish celebrations, music and outdoor dancing, and those who prefer spa relaxation, serenity and a short walk through the vineyards with scissors in hand. Let’s not forget, however, that we can also “invite” the holiday into our own office to celebrate it with the whole team.
One holiday, more than two dates
In some regions of the country Trifon Zarezan is celebrated on February 1st, while others celebrate on the 14th. Often however this is not a deciding factor as the events in most of the wineries take into consideration the tourist flow and the opportunity to attract more visitors during the weekend. After all, what kind of celebration has no guests?
Uva Nestum Wine & SPA is one of the wineries which will traditionally prune the vines on the 1st of February at 11:00 and is the only one in the valley of the Mesta River to do so then. A great opportunity to enjoy a family vacation on the not-so-busy weekdays, join the ritual of pruning and get the children involved in a themed workshop as well as an organised walk around the cellar and farm of the complex. If you want to enjoy the spa, massages, delicious food and their great wines for a little longer you can always extend your stay and treat yourself to a long family weekend. Check out the offer HERE.
Wine Cellar Tsarina together with Tsrancha City Hall and Prosveta 1922 Community Center have organised an event with a charitable cause on February 3rd. They will be collecting funds for the repair of the roof of the church “Holy Annunciation” in the village. The holy ritual will begin in the cellar at 10 AM., and an hour later there will be a traditional ritual pruning of the vines in the Bandala area, a symbol of new beginnings and abundance. At noon, the celebration will move to the village square in Tsrancha with a rich folklore program, a chance to taste the wines of wine cellar Tsarina as well as grabbing some delicious food.
For 24 years now wine cellar Villa Vinifera has opened its doors to all wine lovers and in 2024 the celebration date is February 10th. In the interval from 11 AM till 4 PM you can enjoy the ritual of “Pruning of the vines”, the choosing of the King of the vineyard, wine tastings, delicious appetisers and traditional Bulgarian folklore dancing from the “Trakia” Ensemble. You are required to confirm your attendance with the organisers in advance.
The region of Veliko Tarnovo is preparing for a Holiday Marathon on the weekend of February 10th and 11th.
The marathon will start on the 10th in The New Vineyars – village of Arbanasi, near Veliko Tarnovo. For the second year in a row on the occasion of Trifon Zarezan in the month of wine and love The New Vineyars – Arbanasi village invites you to a wine adventure with wines from the cellars of the region, boyar barbecue and lots of fun!
A prayer for the blessing of the vineyards with Father Kyprian will start at 11 AM., followed by a group pruning of the vines. At 12 PM begins the “Barrel Rolling” and for the rest of the evening you can indulge in the folklore program, dances and a festive tasting of the wine cellars of the area – Ruevit Estate and Lege Artis.
On the 11th, you can head to the wine cellar Yalovo, where you can enjoy tastings of “Old school” wines, a holy ceremony, folklore and once again can test your barrel rolling skills.
“Trifon Zarezan” in Suhindol is traditionally celebrated exactly on the 14th with a procession and festive people. After the celebration of the vineyards in the “Dimchenski Zavoy” area, the festivities with songs and folk dances will continue in the “Varbaka” area, and at 2 PM the procession will head to the town centre.
In South Sakar the holiday will be celebrated in the cellars and given the expected 4 festivals this year we wish them a holiday in which they feel like guests!
Zaara Estate however extend the following invitation to you: “Come with us and take a sip from the spirit of love. Let’s invite it to flow through us and inside us, creating the world through our deeds!”
On the 14th you can celebrate with them and treat yourself to a day and night in “Place above things”. The ceremonial pruning of the vines will start at 11 AM followed by a tasting of 5 young wines and 5 cheeses from their own Zaara dairy farm. In the evening you will enjoy a virtuoso 4-course dinner in the restaurant with Chef Ivanka Petkova and live music.
In the beautiful Rose Valley both holidays are given their deserved time and ritual. You can join the daily ritual at Chateau Copsa with a rich cultural program in honour of Trifon Zarezan on the 14th but also take advantage of the holiday packages with overnight stays and surprises for Valentine’s Day on the 16th and 17th of February with the special appearance of “Mailbox for fairy tales”. Enjoy romance in a new light with Milla Mihova, Georgi Blazhev, Kamen Alipiev and Silvia Petkova and an elegant 4-course dinner.
Open days in the valley of river Struma
The valley of the river Struma is undoubtedly one of the richest regions in terms of wine experiences and naturally it beckons with the most opportunities to celebrate the holiday. The wine cellars there once again prove to us their great teamwork and open their doors together on the weekend of February 16th-18th for “Wineries in Melnishko Open Days”.
Villa Melnik welcomes you on Saturday 17th of February from 11 AM to 18 PM and they have prepared a ritual of blessing of the vines and pruning, an opportunity to prune the vines with the help of their experienced winegrowers, tours of the winery with a talk about production practices and winemaking traditions, tasting of new vintage wines and a farmer’s market with local producers and handmade jewellery. The folklore program will also be rich and fans of the TV series “The grapes of guilt” or “Vina” will be able to walk and take pictures around the sets of the film.
Orbelia Winery will welcome wine tourists for cellar tours and free tastings on February 16th and 18th from 11 AM till 4 PM. The real celebration will be on the 17th and the program will start as early as 11 AM with a holy water blessing and ritual pruning of the vineyards located in front of the winery in the village of Kolarovo. An authentic women’s choir from the village of Kolarovo will also be performing and there will be a barbecue with meat delicacies and traditional dishes as well as music and, of course, wine tastings.
Rupel Winery in the village of Dolno Spanchevo will be welcoming tourists from the 16th all the way up until 4 PM on the 18th of February. On the 16th and 18th they are planning free wine tastings and tours, while the the more festive part of the program will take place on the 17th, when you can get acquainted with the unique “Zarezan” ritual and the Zarezan dance, with the participation of the “Macedonci” ensemble and association “Rusalii” Petrich. There will be wine tastings and boutique chocolate delights from Anna’s Chocolates, culinary exhibition of local dishes and baked goods with a charitable cause, tasting of dairy and meat delicacies, art workshop for children and adults and a delicious barbecue!
The vineyards of Libera Estate will once again be an enchanting place for music and meeting wine friends, leaving memories for years to come. Amid breathtaking views of the vineyards and the landscape throughout the Struma River valley, sommelier Zivko Enchev will lead tastings of all their wines from the current vintage but will also surprise you with the looming new 2023. A trademark, but also a sought-after attraction, are the guest chefs who invite to offer their “street food” suitable for the wines which we can confidently refer to as “vignestreet food”. They will be waiting for you from February 16th till February 18th from 11 AM till 5 PM and you will be able to participate in the ritual pruning on the 17th from 12 PM.
Zlaten Rozhen have surprised with their offer once again. In addition to the three Open Days in which visitors will be able to tour the cellar, taste the wines from new vintages for free, visit the Retro Museum at preferential prices and try local specialties, they have also organised 5 flight sessions for tethered balloon ascents (at a height of 70 m). Of course, the ascents will only take place if the flying conditions are suitable, in clear weather and with low to zero wind values. Тhe scheduled times are: Friday (16.02) from 4 PM, Saturday (17.02) from 10 AM and from 4 PM and Sunday (18.02) from 10 AM and from 4 PM.
On February 16th, Zlaten Rozhen will host the opening of the Open Days in the Struma Valley – a holy water blessing and a ritual pruning with the participation of all wine cellars and official guests. You can find the entire program for the three days on their Facebook event.
Villa Sintica’s “Trifon Zarezan” package includes two nights with breakfast, a festive 4-course dinner on February 17th with music and a special folklore program with free wine tasting on February 17th during the day. During your stay you can enjoy their new indoor pool and SPA area: steam room, sauna, ice melter, relaxation area, contrast shower and outdoor hot tub.
You can check out their offer HERE.
We will not forget the Sofia neighbourhood Tour de Zarezan, in which several well-known shops and restaurants in Sofia as well as some new ones, dedicated to the mission of promoting Bulgarian wine and many wineries, unite for a special event that will kick off the celebration of Trifon Zarezan.
The event is held with the assistance of the Bulgarian Association of Independent Winegrowers.
On the second Saturday of February, lovers of Bulgarian wine will be able to meet representatives of many Bulgarian wineries – members of BAIW, at seven different wine locations in the centre of Sofia and taste more than 50 wines as well as participate in a raffle with wine prizes.
If you can’t attend some of these events, you can always create your own. Often “Trifon Zarezan” enters the offices of companies so that the team can celebrate together, diversify, but also gain knowledge. Here are some ideas:
- Wine tasting with a wine specialist who will select the wines for you, deliver them to you and conduct an interesting and educational tasting for your team.
- Wine tastings at different company offices in different cities is also a way to bring together a team that rarely meets in person. With a specialist in each office or through online connection between them, a tasting like this is bound to keep the topic of conversation on “Trifon Zarezan” for a long time after that as well as your attitude to the team as a whole.
We are here and we can help you organise a wonderful “Trifon Zarezan” team building.