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It’s Always Time for Wine at Tempus Vini

 

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Last June I visited Sofia for the first time. What a charming little city! Which maybe sounds slightly condescending but a) I don’t mean it that way at all and b) almost anywhere is little when you live in Istanbul. I had a marvelous time exploring the Bulgarian wine scene there. For people like me who don’t like to drive, the city offers quite a few opportunities to learn about and experience the wine. One of the places where I got a great crash course was Tempus Vini. 

Tempus Vini

Kalin Kushev’s passion for wine went from hobby to business when he opened Tempus Vini in 2016. His shop, packed to the ceiling with bottles of wine from Bulgaria and beyond, places a heavy emphasis on not just Bulgarian wine, but small producers and native varieties. He’s created a wine lover’s paradise: an intimate shop where people can gather to not just buy, but also try wines and talk about them with other wine enthusiasts.

Kushev organizes wine tastings on a regular basis. Some are Bulgarian Wine 101-style tastings intended to introduce tourists to the wine and grapes. But he also plans regular events that not only introduce new wines to his customers, but also the winemakers. He brings in guests who talk passionately about their regions and wines. This, he hopes, will help encourage a more knowledgeable local wine culture and spark people’s interest in trying new wines and grapes. 

Since opening Tempus Vini, Kushev has also moved into winemaking! He sources grapes from around Bulgaria and makes small batch wines that carry the Tempus Vini label.

Tempus Vini Pét-Nat Dimyat, 2023

Made with 100% Dimyat (or Dimiat), this was, as the name indicates, a pét-nat, ie. made in the ancestral method with just one fermentation, not two. The grapes Kushev uses for this wine come from a dry-farmed, organic vineyard. He makes a very small amount of this, only 200 bottles! I was especially happy to be able to snag a bottle from his shop. I absolutely love the lack of stick on label, that the bottle just had this little tag hanging on it. 

Slightly cloudy (like I like my pét-nats!) pale lemon in the glass with delicate notes of pear, orchard blossom, and a hint of pastry. Dry, with a fine mousse, friendly acidity, and moderate alcohol. Flavors faithfully followed the nose for a truly delightful sipping experience. 

I didn’t purposefully pair this with anything. I had recently been gifted with Kwoklyn Wan’s Chinese Takeaway cookbook and wanted to try out a few recipes. Whenever my friend, Emma, comes over to play, we invariably open bubbles. Accidental pairing, yes. Successful pairing? Also yes! The light sweetness in the bubbles and its fruity flavors did very well with the food. 

Dimyat

Dimyat (also commonly spelled Dimiat) is an old, white grape variety hailing from Bulgaria’s Black Sea region. While often used  in Bulgarian distillates, it makes friendly and fruity, if more simple white wines as well. 

Generally late-ripening, the location of vineyards along the sea help moderate temperatures and keeps away autumn frosts allowing the grape plenty of time to reach peak ripeness. Plantings of this vigorous variety have also spread inland in Bulgaria where the warmer climate is advantageous to ripening. 

Wines tend to a have a fruity profile with notes of grape, stone fruit, and yellow tree fruit. Best consumed young.

Tempus Vini Pamid, 2023

Is it a light red? A dark rosé? Either way, what a color!

Hand-harvested in early September from 45-year-old vineyards, grapes underwent cold (3-4C) maceration before spontaneous fermentation at 16C over 20-ish days.

A fruity wine with medicinal notes and dried hibiscus flowers around a core of cherry hard candy, strawberry jam, and blood orange. Lightly tannic with medium acidity and moderate alcohol. 

This one I did want to pair. I tried several things, nothing however was successful. I found the wine interesting but the strong medicinal flavor was hard to get past.

Pamid

Pamid is one of the most ancient Bulgarian varieties. It dates back some 4000 years to the time of the Thracians. A pink-skinned grape, it’s generally used in these dark rosé/light red wines meant to be consumed young and lightly chilled. 

Small, thin-skinned berries reach good sugar levels but lack acidity, as well as color and tannin. 

Sofia

Things to Do 

There are so many stunning churches and great museums to visit in Sofia. And a lot of them are really close to each other, making them pretty easy to visit!

If you see only one church, it should be the Patriarchal Cathedral St. Alexander Nevsky. Don’t miss the amazing Alexander Nevsky Crypt Icon museum below the church (separate entrance to the left). There’s also Saint Sophia (of course), the Church of Saint Nicholas, Saint Georgi Rotunda, the Holy Synod, and so many more. There’s also a very nice mosque and a synagogue if you’re Christian churched-out. 

Sofia has some really great museums including the National Museum, National Gallery, Archaeology Museum, and quite a few more. There’s also the Roman archaeological complex of Serdica, located conveniently right at the Serdika metro station. Part of that is free and outdoors but it’s worth paying the entry fee to access the covered part of the site. 

Sofia has a decent metro system but, it is small and really easy to walk around. It therefore has a variety of walking tours available, depending on what interests you have! Some of the coolest are:

See Sofia highlights

Discover Sofia’s rich history and beauty

Explore the city’s interesting street art and graffiti

Check out Sofia’s flea and food markets

If you’d like to explore other parts of Bulgaria, there are also many day trip options from Sofia. Take a day trip to Boyana Church and Rila Monastery (this should be a must on your list!) or visit Plovdiv with its Roman ruins, great food, and arts scene.

Where to Eat

There’s a big food scene here of both Bulgarian and international foods. Some of my favorites during my visit included:

Coffee and breakfast

Izzy’s Coffee and Brunch

Altruist

Mekitsa and Coffee

Traditional Bulgarian and otherwise

Moma

Hadjidraganov’s Cellars

Shtastlivetsa Restaurant

Skapto Burgers, Beers and Fries