вторник, 24 март 2009 г.

Vinaria 2009 in Plovdiv

неделя, 22 март 2009 г.

Bulgaria wine producer enters India and Chinese markets


March 20, 2009

Bulgaria’s wine producer Telish is planning to enter the wine markets of India, China, and Hong Kong. The news was announced Wednesday by Hospitalitybizindia.com, which cites Svilena Hristova, Sales and Marketing Manager of Telish Wine Cellar.

The wine-maker Telish located in the Northern village of Telish, Pleven District, was the only Bulgarian firm to attend the India International Wine Fair, which took place on March 16-18 in Mumbai. “The company is presently targeting the South Asian markets of India, China and Hong Kong. India is a new market for us. Presently, we are the first Bulgarian wine producers here and we plan to establish our presence in the Indian market”, the Sales Manage of Telish is quoted as saying. The company plans to export to South and East Asia its produce of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Bulgarian indigenous varietals, Mavrud and Rubin. Telish produces about two million bottles of wine each year, and 40% of these are exported to destinations like Canada, Croatia, and Germany. “The IIWF visit’s aim is to understand the Indian market, display our series of products to Indian importers and distributors and provide them with possibilities for mutual business opportunities“, Hristova is quoted as saying.

неделя, 15 март 2009 г.

VINARIA 2009

Start Date 18-MAR-09 End Date 21-MAR-09

Venue City / State Country
International Fair Plovdiv
37, Tzar Boris III, Obedinitel Blvd.
Plovdiv,
Plovdiv
Bulgaria

Event Profile:
VINARIA is the most prestigious and largest specialized exposition within the branch in South Eastern Europe, which brings together exhibitors in the field of vine-growing and wine-producing.

Highlights:
The WINE NATIONAL COMPETITION is held within it. The National Tasting includes brandy and natural rakias. The awards for drinks-winners and producers are presented at a grand wine ball WINE AND LOVE, LOVE AND WINE. The prize of International Fair Plovdiv - Golden Rhyton - the most prestigious one at Vinaria, the Wine of the Year and Honours diplomas, gold, silver and bronze medals for high quality are evaluation of high esteem for the drinks-winners.

Visitor's Profile:
Purchasing departments, (small and medium retailers, hypermarkets), Those responsible for wine in the Hotel, Catering and Restaurant channel, Restaurants, Wine waiters, On-line stores, Specialist on-line stores, Wine Clubs are the target visitors.

Exhibitor's Profile:
Wine Producers from around the world will participate - Importers, Exporters, Wholesalers, Wholesale distributors, Wine producers, Generic promotional bodies, Associations/Institutions.

Organizer:
International Fair Plovdiv
37, Tzar Boris III - Obedinitel,
Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Tel: +(359)-(32)-902000
Fax: +(359)-(32)-902432

четвъртък, 5 март 2009 г.

Wine Report from the Fort


Wine Report from the Fort
About Bulgaria … King Kroum bans all vineyards!
By Fred McMillin

Northside San Francisco – European edition, 4000 B.C. issue: King Kroum has ordered the destruction of all the vineyards in his kingdom.

Northside San Francisco – European edition, 3990 B.C. issue: During a celebration, panic broke out when one of the king’s caged lions escaped and terrorized the city. After the lion was slain by a fearless young man, the king summoned the young man’s mother to learn the source of such courage. Fearfully, she confessed to having preserved one vine, from which was made the wine that gave her son, Mavrud, the strength and bravery to confront the lion. The king was so impressed that vineyards were again planted and one type of grape was named Mavrud.

Northside San Francisco – European edition, 1980 issue: Under USSR control, Bulgaria is now exporting two million cases of wine per year.

Northside San Francisco – West Coast edition, 1985 issue: Back to the lions. Bulgarian-born Vance Petrunoff has not slain a lion, but he has just as much courage. With no connections, he has just jumped off a Soviet plane, which was refueling in Anchorage, and received political asylum in the United States.


Northside San Francisco – West Coast edition, 2000 issue: Veteran Bulgarian vintner Vance Petrunoff is now president of Bulgarian Master Vintners. Now fast-forward to the present. My Fort Mason students have found Petrunoff ‘s bottles to be big bargains. Here are four, all imported by Bulgarian Master Vintners:

• 4th: Domaine Boyer Merlot Reserve 2003, $8
• 3rd: Targovishte Winery Riesling 2006, $8
• 2nd: Targovishte Winery Muscat Ottonel 2006, $8
• 1st: Targovishte Winery Traminer 2006, $8

Contact: Vance Petrunoff, Bulgarian Master Vintners, phone: 707-939-8719; fax: 360-237-2326; e-mail: bmv@wineimport.com

Postscript: King Kroum is legendary not historical.

неделя, 1 март 2009 г.

Bulgaria Food and Drink Report Q1 2009 (Business Monitor International)

Summary: Despite global economic difficulties, the Bulgarian food and drink market is expected to continue its steady expansion, jumpstarted by EU membership gained at the start of 2007 and an envious amount of foreign direct investment (FDI). Rising manufacturing costs and saturation of Western European markets should support this development, as international food and drink producers as well as mass grocery retail (MGR) players increasingly look abroad, to emerging markets, for expansion opportunities.

As an illustration of the above point, in June 2008, Nestlé confirmed that the recent investment in an upgrade of its Bulgarian production facility was a confirmation of its commitment to the country’s confectionery market. The facility has been expanded at a cost of US$15.5mn to include a new line for the production of Kit-Kat Senses. Nestlé Bulgaria expects a 20% increase for 2008, despite some questions over the level of consumer confidence in the wake of the global credit crisis.

In the meantime, the Bulgarian wine industry has received geographical indications protection from Australia, which now recognises 51 local wine-growing areas. The original agreement between Australia and the EU did not include Bulgaria or Romania, as it had already been in negotiation stages when the two countries joined the bloc. The Bulgarian wine industry is also expected to benefit from the recently announced reform of the EU wine sector, which aims to stimulate developing markets.

Other beverage sectors also continue to exhibit marked dynamism. According to a September 2008 report by the Association of Bottled Water Producers, the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages in Bulgaria rose by 11% in H108. Bottled water and carbonates are expected to be the main drivers behind growth, as investments continue to pour into the industry. In fact, Bulgaria currently boasts the second-highest percapita consumption of soft drinks among EU members, indicating the strength of the market. Similarly, data recently released by the Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB) show strong growth in domestic beer production as well as exports. Additionally, Bulgaria’s per-capita beer consumption is now around 70 litres per annum, just behind the EU’s larger markets of France, Spain and Portugal.

However, in light of the sustained turmoil in international financial markets and uncertainty surrounding the restructuring of the global banking system, we caution that a rapid severing of external credit lines to Bulgaria could precipitate a sharp unwinding of the country′s economic asymmetries. We have long been cautious of Bulgaria′s hefty current-account deficit and burdensome level of external debt. With economic growth still strong during H108, the potential for growth to collapse going forward could prove too great a shock for the economy. Indeed, should growth slope off sharply, economic asymmetries may unwind quickly, setting the economy up for a hard landing – a scenario that we believe now looks more likely should capital inflows dry up or an Emerging Europe-wide banking-sector crisis unfold. This in turn would further compound already-elevated risk aversion towards Bulgarian assets over the medium term.

Santa Sarah Privat becomes Bulgarian Wine of the Year

Santa Sarah Privat, vintage 2006 has won the Bulgarian Wine of the Year 2008 prize and title, which were officially awarded at a ceremony held on November 21.

Winners in other categories, awarded by an international jury, include: Best Bulgarian White Wine - Chateau de Val Cuvee, 2007, Best Bulgarian Sparkling Wine - Edoardo Miroglio Brut Metodo Classico, 2005, Best Bulgarian Rose - Gorchivka Rose, 2007, Best Bulgarian Dessert Wine - Santa Sarah Snow Wine, 2005.

Santa Sarah Privat, vintage 2006, has been produced in a 4,300-bottle series. Despite the fact that the Santa Sarah company does not own vineyards they have been creating excellent wines for over ten years, using twenty Bulgarian brands.

Privat is considered the best Santa Sarah wine. Since 2004, it has been a combination of the traditional Bulgarian mavrud and cabernet sauvignon. The wine's unique taste is created by the slow fermentation process in German oak barrels, followed by a 10-month maturing in new French barrels.

The Bulgarian Wine of the year contest is organized by the Bulgarian Bacchus magazine and it is the first such competition having the goal to encourage production, trade and consumption of Bulgarian wines.

According to Emil Koralov, Special Projects Director for the Bacchus magazine, the selection has been very difficult and the competition tense. An additional arbitration wine tasting by the international jury had become necessary in order to select one of the two top contestants.

The top ten Bulgarian wines for 2008 are: 1. Santa Sarah Privat 2006, 2. Terra Tangra Roto 2006, 3. Solitaire Elenovo Merlot 2006, 4. Maxxima Private Reserve 2003, 5. Logodaj Nobile Rubin 2006, 6. Terra Tangra Cuvee 2006, 7. Katarzyna Question Mark 2007, 8. Bessa Valley Enira Reserva 2006, 9. Terra Tangra Grand Reserva 2006, 10. Vinissimo American Barrel 2006.