Vinprom Karnobat has invested in the restoration of an ancient wine cellar more than 500 years old in the area of the medieval Markeli fortress. The fortress is known for the battles of Khan Krum with the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus I Genicus, which wrote glorious chapter in Bulgaria’s history as a European superpower.
The conquest and razing of Bulgaria’s then-capital Pliska in 811 proved to be a Pyrrhic victory for Nicephorus. Historians even suggest that the pillaging of the royal cellar further augmented Krum’s anger, who, following the devastating defeat of the invaders at the Varbishki pass, ordered the Byzantines ruler’s skull lined with silver to be used as a toasting cup.
The cellar, which is 10 km away from Vinprom Karnobat, will become a part of a comprehensive wine tourism project – one of the most promising subsections of global tourism.
