Hundreds Gather to Meet the Summer Solstice at Kabile

The Oldest Winery in the South of Bulgaria, Villa Yambol, Treats the Gathering to Some of its Kabile Wines Named after the Ancient Thracian City

Hundreds of people gathered to observe the ancient tradition and greet the longest day of the year at the Kabile Ancient Thracian City Archeological Reserve. As in years past, the event was organized by the Yambol Regional Historical Museum. The oldest winery in the region, Villa Yambol, contributed to the festivities by offering some of its Kabile wines named after their namesake Thracian city. It all began before sunrise with a dance of the priestesses at the foot of Zaichi Vrah Hill. Then a torchlight procession took the gathering to the top of the hill where the ancient temple once stood. Their people soaked up the energy of the first rays of the sun while enjoying a re-enactment of the ancient Thracian ritual of ushering in the sun at the rock temple of the Mother Goddess Cybele.

‘When the first ray of sunlight passed through the chute gouged in the rock and lit up the carving of Cybele’s face, the ancient Thracians knew that the year’s longest day had dawned’ officials from the Museum told people.

With an ever-increasing number of participants, the festivities continued with a serving of “sun food” prepared by students from the Food Technology and Tourism Vocational School in Yambol, and, of course, with wine.

The earliest written evidence of the fact that Thracians were making wine is found in the works of Homer. “Written evidence suggests that Thracians, unlike Greeks, were not watering down their wine. Their wines used to be made in our very region and were known for their exceptional quality“, historians commented.

Villa Yambol’s titular Kabile line of wines was named after the ancient Thracian City to pay homage to the region’s winemaking traditions. The winery believes that traditions are what links the past to the future and that they should be treasured and cherished greatly especially in a wine producing region such as this. The region of Yambol is known for a climate that is ideally suited for making high-quality wines and Villa Yambol is one of its key wineries. The labels of the Kabile Series bear the image of Mother Goddess Cybele, protector of the land and the vines and the driving force of creation of every wine. It is also one of the most award-winning brands at international wine competitions.