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.