We're back in Bulgaria, and the conversation follows Charles's trip through the Struma River Valley, the Pirin Mountains, Sofia's suburbs, and Plovdiv. He explains how he got the best tips from Eric Alzi of The Bulgarian History Podcast.

We visit Reupel Winery's unlikely Marselan and Pinot Noir blend, Zagreus Winery and their most unexpected Mavrud dessert wine, discover grapes like Tamyanka, Sandanski Miskat, Broad Leaf Melnik, and Reuben, and talk about why Bulgarian reds seem to understand restraint better than so many overoaked bottles.

Somewhere between medieval rulers, beautiful disorganisation, French tourists comparing everything to home, and Russians in speedos, we end up discussing travelling with a young child and why Charles isn't allowed to go to Greece without Nick, while trying to figure out why Bulgaria feels a little like home.

• Tamyanka, Sandanski Miskat, and Broad Leaf Melnik.
• Reuben and why crossing Nebbiolo with Syrah actually makes sense.
• Why Bulgaria keeps winning us over with balanced reds instead of overoaked ones.
• Charles's conversations with Eric Alzi from The Bulgarian History Podcast during his trip.
• Zagreus Winery, Reupel Winery, and surprisingly empty roads outside the capital.
• Roman ruins and Bulgaria's beautifully disorganized charm.

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Bean is, again, missing in action. Charles just became a dad, French people start insulting each other, and before the episode can even get going, the air conditioner has to be sacrificed because the audio is absolutely horrendous.

We trace the Canary Islands from Pope Clement VI to Spanish colonization, Britain's love affair with fortified wines, phylloxera, and the wine renaissance that followed.

From there, Charles takes us through his trip to La Orotava, Mount Teide, lava rock pools, volcanic vineyards, and one unforgettable diesel Peugeot.

Along the way, we dive into whole-bunch fermentation, the island's remarkable Cordón Trenzado vine-training system, and the volcanic wines that make Tenerife unlike anywhere else in the wine world. Then the church bell rings for real as Suertes del Marqués earns the show's first-ever Golden Wine tier.

Wine we describe

Suertes del Marqués Candio 2019 (Valle de La Orotava, Tenerife) — 100% Listán Negro — $48.50 CAD

Tenerife has five PDOs (Denominaciones de Origen):

• Abona
• Valle de Güímar
• Valle de La Orotava
• Ycoden-Daute-Isora
• Tacoronte-Acentejo

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The church bell that was hinted at before finally makes its official debut. Charles introduces its purpose: the sound reserved for the bottles that earn Gold or Platinum status on the Wine Soul rating scale.

Nick disappears down a rabbit hole about Christianity in India, the guys accidentally invent an "oatmeal" tag for certain wines that deserve their own category, and The Lord of the Rings is officially reiterated as completely safe territory in the Wine Soul universe.

It's also a preview of exactly the kind of conversations you'll find on our Patreon as more Off the Cork episodes arrive.

Off the Cork is where the conversations keep going after the recording was supposed to end—and where future Patreon extras will continue to ring the bell for the bottles that deserve it.

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