When it comes to romance, people usually think of a good bottle of wine, two glasses, and of course, a loved one. It is even better if you have a love poem to go with the wine to ensure you an unforgettable moment.

In such moments, Bulgarians can rely on the poems of the great lyric poet Evtim Evtimov, which combine the themes of love and wine in a unique way. Many of his poems have been turned into popular songs. Among Evtimov’s most famous books of poetry are Bitter Wine; Love for Love; and Wine and Love. His poems have been published in the UK, Greece, the US, Poland, India, Turkey and Russia.  

Evtimov, now 73, continues to be a passionate proponent of love and wine as editor-in-chief of the Pulls literature newspaper.

“For me, love and wine are bound to be together in life,” he says with a smile, adding that this connection is even more important because it comes naturally. For Evtimov,  “love is wine, and wine is love, and love and wine taken together make poetry”.

That is the simple truth that has guided the poet trough his remarkable career. Evtimov was born in Petrich near the Greek border. He has worked as a teacher for more than 10 years and his first poem was published in 1952. That year marked the start of his career as a journalist. Since then, he has worked in several publishing houses, been head of the local radio, and editor-in-chief of various literature newspapers and magazines. Evtimov maintains that wine is only important when there is a woman to share it with. Evtimov, twice married, is certain that no love is sinful when it is true and sincere between two people. The poet remains faithful to the axiom in one of his poems: that a poet needs only bread, a glass of wine and a beautiful woman. “This is all I need to be happy and satisfied with life”.

When asked which of the two holidays he prefers to celebrate: St Valentines - the Catholic celebration of love, or Trifon Zarezan - the Orthodox celebration of wine, both on February 14, Evtimov is clear. “I do not mind whether the holiday is Catholic or Orthodox. For me it is fantastic that love and wine mix in that day, uniting people despite their religion. Love is not only Catholic or Orthodox, it is for everyone and love is not bound with religious boundaries”.

Evtimov is really happy that his poems receive recognition in the songs of the well-known Bulgarian singer Vesselin Marinov. “The funny thing is that Marinov actually does not drink wine, but he is associated with it because of my lyrics,” Evtimov laughs.  When asked for his personal preferences about wine, Evtimov is decisive that for him, there exists only red wine, made from grapes. He remains a fan of Bulgarian wine, but has only one demand about the quality of good wine:  “I have tried Italian and French wines and many other imported wines. I can tell you that the only criteria that I have is for the wine to be made from grapes, to be real wine”.

This is his recipe for success for Bulgarian wine on the foreign market: “It should be made only from grapes and not mixed with any other substances. The best way to promote Bulgarian wine is to make it with great quality.”