About us
Two bottles, because one often runs out just as the conversation gets interesting.
We are Denitsa and Konstantin, the two people behind Two Bottles of Wine, an online shop and wider project devoted entirely to Bulgarian wine.
We select wines from small, family-run and boutique Bulgarian wineries, look for interesting local grape varieties and talk about them without making things unnecessarily complicated. We also work with restaurants and independent retailers, create wine selections, take part in events and send Bulgarian wine to people in Bulgaria and abroad.
We started with far more enthusiasm than knowledge about online shops, logistics, excise duties and all the other things that somehow come bundled with a love of wine.
The website was “finished” at least five times. Our first twenty cases of wine lived under the bed for a while. It was not the ideal storage solution, but it gave us a fairly strong reason to start selling.
How it all began
After years in the Netherlands, Denitsa returned to Bulgaria and had to get used to life here again, find her people and begin to feel at home.
Wine helped. We organised informal tastings at home, looked for new Bulgarian wineries and often wondered why so many good wines remained almost unknown. Gradually, we started talking about exporting Bulgarian wine and about how many more people might enjoy it if they simply had the chance to try it.
For a long time, it was something nice we would do “one day”. We both had other jobs and enough commitments to make postponing it sound entirely reasonable.
Eventually, we simply decided to give it a try.
There was no grand business plan, dramatic turning point or legendary bottle that started it all. There were many conversations, plenty of hesitation and one fairly ordinary: “All right, let’s do it.”
That is how Two Bottles of Wine was born.
Why only Bulgarian wine
Because that is the whole point of the project.
We do not believe every Bulgarian wine is good simply because it is Bulgarian. Nor do we think anyone should buy it out of a sense of duty. What we do believe is that Bulgaria produces many interesting, high-quality wines with real character, and that they deserve far more attention than they currently receive.
We work with people who put an enormous amount into their vineyards, wineries and every new vintage. Some are already well known. Others are still waiting to be discovered, one bottle at a time.
We love local grape varieties, but not merely as intriguing names on a label. We want more people to know what Dimyat, Gamza, Tamyanka, Mavrud, Pamid, Vrachanski Misket and Shiroka Melnishka Loza actually taste like. To recognise them, compare them and sometimes choose them instead of the familiar variety they buy out of habit.
People often ask why we do not add imported wines as well. The answer is simple: that is not the project we want to build.
We believe Bulgarian wine belongs on every table. Not only in Bulgaria.
How we choose the wines
We have tasted practically everything you will find in the shop. Whenever we can, we visit the wineries and meet the people behind them. We want to know where the wine comes from, who made it and why they chose that particular grape, style or way of working.
We do not select wines based only on awards, scores or beautiful labels. A wine can be technically flawless and still fail to make us want a second glass. That is an answer too.
We look for bottles with character and a clear reason to be part of our selection. Wines we would open at home, take to friends or recommend to someone who simply wants something good for the evening.
We write our descriptions carefully and try to talk about wine like normal people. You can discuss acidity, tannins and structure. You can also simply say, “This is really good with olives and cheese.” Both are perfectly valid.
You do not need to be an expert to choose a good bottle. And when you do not know where to start, you can always write to us. We will not test you.
Why two bottles
Because in good company, one bottle is often not enough.
One is for dinner and the other is “just in case”. Sometimes they both turn out to be for dinner.
The name suits us for another reason too. Two Bottles of Wine was created by two people who spent a long time passing an idea back and forth before finally deciding to see where it might lead.
The name began partly as a joke, but over time it turned out to be surprisingly accurate. There are two of us, we do everything together and almost every decision has to survive at least two opinions.
We are the two bottles. We still do not know exactly where this road will take us, but so far there are many more bottles, fewer boxes under the bed and a growing number of people to talk to about Bulgarian wine.
Thank you for finding us.
Explore our selection of Bulgarian wines. Try a grape variety you may only have seen as a name before. Open a bottle without waiting for a special occasion.
And when you are not sure what to choose, write to us. We will find something.
And we will probably suggest two.