With a viticultural heritage that stretches back to before the Romans, Bulgaria has a long tradition of winemaking to draw on. Both before and after the Soviet period, production was focused on volume, but since EU membership was granted in 2007, Bulgaria has received substantial foreign investment and quality has been increasing rapidly. Native grapes like mavrud and melnik are full of character, while cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot can also do very well.