The art of perfumery: Bulgaria’s Rose Valley | WIDE

In central Bulgaria, a vast agricultural plain stretches between the small towns of Karlovo, Plovdiv and Kazanlak. This is Bulgaria's Rose Valley. This is one of the biggest production areas in the world for roses for the perfume industry and Thierry Vasseur is heading here in a few days' time. Bulgarian roses are grown on a large scale here on huge geometrical plots, but they actually hail from Asia Minor, from Iran in particular. It was when they arrived in Damascus in Syria that they caught the eye of the Western world. And that is why they still bear the name they were given in the Middle Ages, Rosa Damascina, or the Damask Rose. The tradition of rose growing in Bulgaria dates back a very long time. Roses were first introduced here 300 to 400 years ago, and this area, known as Rose Valley, offers perfect conditions for cultivation. It has become acclimatized and now it's our local variety. We still grow Rosa Damascena, but the variety has adapted and now it's typically Bulgarian. In Bulgaria, the Damask Rose has had to acclimatize to the Balkan hills, which are cooler and wetter than the land of its origins. Despite originally hailing from the warmer climes of the southern Mediterranean, it now seems to be perfectly integrated here. Rose bushes are fairly special kinds of plants. Their roots can go down five meters into the earth in order to find water. Once they are well rooted, they continue to bloom for 30 years. You just need to cut them back completely to the roots every five or six years. Then they regrow from the root, almost as if they're just coming out of the ground. They produce roses in other countries, but the Bulgarian rose, with its unique aromas and qualities, is truly exceptional and that's why it has such a wide-reaching reputation. Every year, around two tons of highly prized rose essential oil are produced from these Bulgarian workshops. Momchil Mirov didn't think twice about giving up his career as an international diplomat to take over the helm of one of the biggest distillers in the country. We are one of the biggest producers of rose oil in Bulgaria. Last year, we transformed almost 1.5 million kilograms of flowers during the campaign, producing 430 to 440 kilograms of rose oil. Unlike the Provence rose in Graz, the Damask rose of Bulgaria is perfectly adapted to a hydro-distillation process. Here, the flowers aren't washed with solvent. Instead, they are tipped into huge stills filled with water. Once boiling, the scent molecules are carried on the water vapor, forming a fine layer of oil after 24 hours of settling. Every morning, the rose essential oil is collected in what feels like a secret ceremony. Nobody knows in advance how much oil we will obtain. It could be 10 kilograms, it could be 15. It's a natural product. That's why we never know the exact quantity. Rose essential oil is a very special product. It's unique. It's like a religion for the Bulgarians. It's an emblematic product for this country, just like our famous Bulgarian yogurt. The reason why so few are permitted to enter this almost holy laboratory, and fewer still may approach the freshly distilled oils, is because they are worth their weight in gold. A kilo of rose essential oil today sells for around 12,000 euros on the international marketplace. This exorbitant price is the reward for the secular expertise of Bulgaria's master distillers. In the early 20th century, traders began traveling across Europe to sell the oils and open outlets in Paris, London and New York. From then on, the trade of essential oils became very important for Bulgaria, and it still is today. The rose really is the symbol of Bulgaria. The irony of this story is that the rose was introduced by the Turks when Bulgaria was still part of the immense Ottoman Empire and is now celebrated as a national emblem. Throughout the harvest season, the Bulgarian countryside chimes with traditional rural celebrations to delight both the eyes and, in particular, the ears. But some people don't come here just to fall for the charms of such bucolic scenes. Every year, while they are still extracting Provence rose concrete and grass, Thierry Vasseur comes to Rose Valley. You're good? Good, good. He comes here to the source to find the precious ingredients for his future creations. Along with his master perfumer, Gérard Antoni, with whom he has worked very closely for many years, Thierry Vasseur sees each of his field trips as a real source of inspiration. The thing I really love about Bulgaria, and it's often the same for other countries I visit to look for ingredients, is the people who live here and who grow and transform these sublime raw materials. They are really magnificent. Look at all those petals, those beautiful petals. Ah, they're magnificent. And when I'm back in Paris, then I naturally think back on these experiences. And that's why there's a whole other human adventure involved in this rose. Without leaving the laboratory, it would indeed be difficult to imagine that the subtle rose notes in some of the world's most haunting perfumes come to life here in one of these gigantic metal cauldrons. Each distiller has their own equipment and their own techniques, and each still has its own personality. The stills are handmade. They aren't produced on an industrial scale. So every still has its own unique way of reacting to steam pressure, to temperature, to temperature distribution, etc. Thus, every creator has their own specialty.