Three hundred wines from more than fifty producers, every one of them Bulgarian. Asen Tsekov opened Vino Orenda in 2012 as the first shop in the country to sell Bulgarian wine only, at bul. Makedonia 50A on Ruski Pametnik square.
Be clear about the format: this is a shop with a tasting table, not a late bar. Doors close at 7pm and stay shut on Sunday.
The guided tasting covers five wines in 60 to 80 minutes for 50 euros a pair, and the winemakers sometimes pour their own bottles.
One small room, shelves to the ceiling, a tasting table in the middle. Reviewers use the word enoteca and mean it as a compliment: unhurried, personal, no pretension.
Tsekov runs the neighbourhood wine event Tour de Zarezan every February, which tells you how he sees the shop: as the square's cellar.
Wine tourists, solo travelers, and locals restocking. Weekdays run quietest; weekends bring the tasting bookings.
The site sofiaapartments.net frames it right: a purposeful stop rather than part of a loud night out.
Ruski Pametnik square sits a ten minute walk from Opalchenska metro, with trams crossing the square. Book the tasting ahead; one table means one party at a time.
What to order
- 01
The guided tasting
- 02
A native variety bottle
- 03
A Bulgarian craft beer