The Bulgarian town where love takes a back seat to wine on Valentine’s Day

In Melnik, Saint Trifon eclipses Saint Valentine as the town celebrates its long history of winemaking

The sun glows on the otherworldly shapes of the sandstone cliffs that have been sculpted by millennia of rain and left looking like someone tried to make sand castles but was too impatient to fill the bucket to the top. Jagged battlements and conical heaps stretch to the horizon.

At the base of these cliffs stands a cluster of large, elegant houses. This is Melnik, Bulgaria’s smallest town, with just 194 residents. Despite its diminutive size, the town is famous as the heart of Bulgaria’s wine region. Every year, on 14 February, thousands of visitors arrive for Saint Trifon’s Day, a celebration of the patron saint of winemaking, which is a much bigger deal than Valentine’s Day, and dates back centuries.