Before Retirement, Vance Petrunoff Was Selling Bulgarian Wines from Sonoma, CA

Lucia Comnes sings a traditional Bulgarian folk song called 'Izgreyala Yazna Zvezda.' The lyrics describe a young woman who is so beautiful that she is mistaken for a bright star shining in the sky. Lucia is an American singer and violinist from San Francisco, California, who has studied Bulgarian folk music with many great singers, including Tzvetanka Varimezova and Kremena Stancheva.  From 2002-2004 she sang with the women's Balkan vocal group - Kitka - in Oakland, California ( www.kitka.org ).  She also composes songs, performs songs in many other languages and plays a lot of traditional Irish music.  Learn more here: www.luciacomnes.com This film was produced by Vance Petrunoff and filmed by Tamarind Free Jones  in Hercules, California, in June 2012.

Volcanic ash drifting across the Atlantic forced the cancellation of flights in Britain and disrupted air traffic across northern Europe, stranding thousands of passengers. This unexpected event is jeopardizing the making of the 2009 vintage VINI wines in Sliven, Thracian Valley, in Southern Bulgaria. Our consultant winemaker Miro from Trentadue Winery in Sonoma County, Northern California has a scheduled flight this Sunday night via Munich and Lufthansa notified us of flight cancelations for the next couple of days. Maybe we should call it the Volcanic vintage, once it is made whenever that is. I am praying for a safe flight for Miro and all the other passengers.

The export of Bulgarian wines, canned food, dried fruit and vegetables for the USA doubled, it emerged at the meeting between Bulgaria Minister of Agriculture, Miroslav Naydenov and the US Ambassador to Bulgaria, James Warlick. The diplomat pointed out he intended to study the traditions and good practices of wine-making in Bulgaria. H.E. Warlick and Naydenov expressed confidence that the two countries will maintain cooperation in food safety, the training of veterinary experts and the university exchange programmes for professors and young researchers. http://paper.standartnews.com/en/article.php?d=2010-02-12&article=3217 9

The 2008 World Value Wine Challenge (WVWC) is the nation’s most comprehensive competition for wines $20 and under. Since these wines represent over 90% of the wine sold in the country, this is what matters most to today’s consumers. 88 • VINI (Bulgaria) 2006 Merlot, Thracian Valley. $7.99 Silver Medal : 2008 WVWC – Best Eastern European Red 86 • VINI (Bulgaria) 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Thracian Valley. $7.99 Silver Medal Beverage Testing Institute offers trusted, professional reviews that include a 100pt. scale score, corresponding medal, and detailed tasting notes, and a diverse marketing package. Tastings.com . WVWC best performers will be featured in Restaurant Hospitality Magazine (the nation’s TOP restaurant magazine), the Tribune Company (includes print and online features nationally) and a homepage feature on our popular and free website, Tastings.com!

Cabernet Sauvignon, Domaine Boyar, Bulgaria, 2003 Reserve is number 6 of the Top 10 Value wines of 2007 as ranked by the Global Gourmet . Tasting notes: A full-bodied wine with an intense nose of wild berries. The palate is also rich with fruit as well as integrated tannins and smooth vanilla flavors. To be served with red meats, game and medium cheeses.