Wine as a Cultural Narrative
Wine is far more than a drink or an agricultural product. It tells a story about the land, the climate and human labour; about celebrations, customs and exchange between communities. In the cross-border region between Bulgaria and Greece, this story has developed over thousands of years. Archaeological finds, museum collections, historic settlements, winegrowing landscapes and present-day wineries form a cultural map where past and present continue to meet.
This connection lies at the heart of VINE_ROUTE – “The Cultural Path of Wine”. The project aims to create an integrated cross-border cultural tourism route presenting the shared winegrowing and winemaking heritage of Northern Greece and Southern Bulgaria. The route will be more than a sequence of points on a map. It is conceived as a connected narrative leading visitors from ancient evidence of wine production, trade and ritual use to modern wineries, festivals and local initiatives.
A Network of Places and Partners
The project is implemented by four partners from Greece and Bulgaria – museums, a sector organisation in winegrowing and winemaking, and an association experienced in regional development. This partnership brings together museum expertise, knowledge of the wine sector and experience in regional development.
The Bulgarian section seeks a balanced representation of museums, archaeological and cultural sites, wineries, festivals, local producers and communities. What matters is not only each individual site, but also its relationship with the others: what visitors learn, how their journey continues and how the local story becomes part of the shared cross-border narrative.
A Route to Experience
A contemporary cultural route must be easy to understand, accessible and engaging for different audiences. The project therefore combines physical travel with digital and interpretive tools. It includes multilingual content, augmented-reality materials, interactive installations, tourism signage and educational museum kits. Technology does not replace the authentic place; it helps people see and understand its story.
An archaeological object can reveal how wine was stored and transported. An old winegrowing tool can draw attention to the labour and skills passed down through generations. A winery visit can show how traditional knowledge meets contemporary production. When these elements are arranged within a clear narrative, the route becomes an experience rather than merely a list of attractions.
Benefits for Local Communities
Cultural tourism creates value when it also benefits the people who live in the area. Including small settlements, family wineries, local products, crafts and events broadens the tourism offer and encourages longer stays. Visitors gain a richer connection with the region, while local businesses gain opportunities to reach new audiences.
The project encourages cooperation among museums, tourism sites, wineries, municipalities, tour operators, journalists and civil society organisations. This network is essential for ensuring accurate information, coordinated services and a route that remains sustainable after the funding period ends.
The route is being developed through the selection and verification of sites, thematic linkages and coordination among the partners. Each stop is assessed not only for its cultural or tourism value, but also for the practical conditions of a visit: access, opening hours, capacity, advance booking requirements and links to other places along the route. This turns the shared concept into a route that can genuinely be used by independent visitors, groups and tour operators.
From Individual Sites to a Shared Destination
The strength of VINE_ROUTE lies in its shared identity. The Bulgarian and Greek sides have their own local characteristics, yet they are connected by similar natural conditions, ancient cultural contacts and living winegrowing traditions. The route presents diversity without erasing differences and transforms the border from an endpoint into a natural continuation of the journey.
What Visitors Will Discover
A journey along the Cultural Path of Wine may begin at a museum display, continue through an archaeological site and a vineyard landscape, and end with a meeting with a local producer. Visitors will thus explore wine through different periods and perspectives: history, agriculture, trade, religion, art, food and everyday culture.
The content being developed will support visit planning and present the sites in Bulgarian and other languages. Maps and digital materials will provide guidance on location, access and connected points of interest, while interpretive tools will turn facts into memorable stories. It is particularly important that information be verified with the sites themselves and that images and materials be used with the necessary permissions.
A Path towards Sustainable Tourism
VINE_ROUTE places culture and sustainable tourism at the centre of regional development. This means respecting heritage, managing visitor flows responsibly, promoting lesser-known places and actively involving local communities. The aim is not a one-off advertising campaign, but a foundation for a recognisable thematic product that can develop over time.
When a route combines reliable history, carefully selected sites, hospitality and modern interpretive tools, it offers more than a visit. It gives people an opportunity to understand the region through the tastes, traces and stories left by generations. In this way, “The Cultural Path of Wine” becomes an invitation to travel – one route with many faces and many stories.
The Cross-Border Dimension
The route is not a sum of two national products but one shared narrative. Sites on both sides of the border are selected around a common theme and described according to the same rules, so that visitors can move from one section to the other without sensing a break.
The Bulgarian and Greek sections will be linked through the most suitable border crossings. Each territory will contribute what it genuinely has – where the wine sector is developed, wine will lead the story; elsewhere it will be heritage, nature and cuisine.
European co-financing
Project No 6010584 VINE_ROUTE – “The Cultural Path of Wine” is implemented under the Interreg VI-A Greece–Bulgaria 2021–2027 Programme. The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is the Lead Beneficiary, and the project partners are Winemakers of North Greece, the Archaeological Museum of Sandanski, and Reconstruction and Development Union – Project Partner 4. The project’s total approved budget is EUR 1,129,676.12.
This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, the participating countries or the Managing Authority. The project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and by national funds of the countries participating in the Interreg VI-A Greece–Bulgaria 2021–2027 Cross-Border Cooperation Programme.