About us
Our philosophy
“We accept our destiny as an opportunity for growth. It starts as a dream, reveals into a vision and asserts itself as an emotion that takes shape. Tradition becomes state of the art, a place becomes an inspiration, innovation and nature, in perfect harmony, evoke the best of our land. Our mission is to create wines with a lively essence and captivating sensuality.”
Kalina and Sarah at harvest season 2017
October 2018, Evgeniya and Kalina taste the outcomes of the white and rosé from that year's vintage
History
A history of commitement and brave dreams
Santa Sarah Wine Estate was created with the mission of making uncompromising grapes and wines, with a focus on quality, innovative vision and revolutionary approach to production. Today we live with the tradition of producing craft wines, in small volumes, grown with sustainable practices in a pure microclimate.
Santa Sarah team at the beginning of the 2017 harvest season
The 1990s
A new beginning with a revolutionary approach
Iwailo's wine adventure began in the early 90s in Berlin. After the collapse of the Berlin wall the opportunities for new businesses were literally everywhere. Receiving a doctorate in the area of industrial robotics livestock at the Humboldt University, he accidentally started trading with local wine. After several years of successful export Genowski launched the project "Zar Simeon" - the first Bulgarian super-brand for red wine, bearing the name of his Majesty Simeon II Saxe-Coburg. In addition he has revolutionized the "packaging" and the marketing of Bulgarian wines abroad. Zar Simeon is the best Bulgarian wine brand in Germany premium segment.
The use of gravity during the reception of the grapes and musts
Cooling the grape mash using dry ice during crushing
2001
Wine adventure “on wheels”
In 2001 the wine entrepreneur discovered and developed a new concept. Iwailo bought high- technology wine equipment and three caravans for transportation and accommodation purposes. With this the era of the project "Santa Sarah", named after his daughter, was launched. Iwailo's vision included suitable land and varieties, establishing long-term partnerships with growers, reduced yield, higher quality and superior process control as a prerequisite for the creation of memorable wines. His "cellar on wheels" became a sensation. The conditions in which he worked have been challenging - the equipment arrived simultaneously with the grapes and the installation was a difficult task. The small team of " Santa Sarah" selected the best crops of private vineyards across the country and began experimenting with winemaking in small wooden vessels with the principle of "less is more". Soon the "Wine Circus" as they called themselves moved to Stara Zagora, to shorten the maximum transportation time for the grapes from across the country before being processed in the mobile cellar.
One of Santa Sarah's legendary caravans, starting the wine journey "on wheels"
2013
Birth of a dream
After careful selection of suitable land for their own vineyards close to the sea, which is always associated with civilizations and culture, in 2013 the Santa Sarah team, currently consisting of: Evgenia Georgieva, Kalina Dyankova, Neven Barakov, Julien Jivkov, Mladen Enev and Todor Uzunov moved their wine workshop to the village of Goritza, not far from Pomorie. In the spring of 2015, 2016 and 2018, a total of 29 ha of vineyards were planted on the territory of the cellar, and the adventure of the ‘garage’ winemakers continues—they live and work at the young vineyards. Besides experience, enthusiasm and experimental spirit of its creators, the winery near the beach is now home to the old caravans of " Santa Sarah" - a romantic memory of the mobile wine adventure of the past.
March 2018: The young women winemakers prune the roots of the vines for planting and prepare them for the new beginning
Spring 2012: Building the foundations for the new home of our wine workshop
About us
Team
„Our winemaking combines tradition with modern approaches, we use technological progress but also need a lot of handwork, experience and spirit of highly skilled team. Our team is composed of individuals with diverse and complementary skills and talents. We have wine enthusiasts from all over the country. Some members have pursued formal education in wine-related fields at specialized universities, while others have gained their knowledge and expertise through practical, hands-on experience working with vineyards and land care. We have diverse backgrounds that may be considered unconventional or outside of the norm. The shared goal of our winemaking team is to create wines that are memorable and have a distinctive personality, while also reflecting a deep connection to the land.“
February 14, 2019, the dedicated and united team of wine enthusiasts celebrate Trifon Zarezan