This story is prepared by Mr. George Ganchev – Hedonique, Founder of Wine & Food Society
only for „Beyond Taste, Oltre Il Gusto” – Magazine.

Looking at the map of Europe, Bulgaria is at the same latitude as Spain, southern France and Italy. Here in the land of the Thracians from the deepest antiquity, the four mountains define a huge variety of terror and wines.

The Thrace
/300 and 400 BC./
The Thracian wine was praised even in ancient literature. Herodotus wrote in his treatise “The Histories of Herodotus” that Cleomenes lost his senses drinking “wine unmixed with water”. In “The Iliad” Homer writes of “a cup of wine as sweet as honey” – Book 18. What we know of their taste from back then can be drawn from Homer who wrote “as often as they drank that honey-sweet red wine he would fill one cup and pour it into twenty measures of water, and a smell would rise from the mixing-bowl marvelously sweet” (The Odyssey, Book 9). We can only assume that ancient red wine was thicker, sweeter and more fragrant. What is sure, though, is that the ancient Thracians, the The Legend of Mavrud
The legend tells of an young man from the remote past, when khan Tervel /700 – 721 AD/ – St. Trivelius, the savior of Europe, ruled the Bulgarian lands. The lad had recently been recruited in the army. When his mother saw him fighting for the first time, she gave him a canteen with a special liquid. She told him that whenever the courage eluded him, the young man should drink from the canteen in order to regain his braveness.
In the campaign against the Arab horde during the siege of Constantinople on the 15th of August, 718, the young man was inspired and imbued with courage. Several times he saved the khan from sure death. He was fearless. At the end of the battle, the khan searched the young man and found him lying wounded amongst several dead bodies. The khan then asked him:
– „Young man, this is the first time you have entered a battle, your comrades fled because of fear, you remained bold. How did you gather such courage?”
– „ My mother gave me a canteen, filled with a miraculous liquid. She told me to drink from it whenever I’m scared. So I did.”
The khan took a sip from the canteen and immediately fell warmness going through his body. His mind cleared, his strength recovered. The khan smiled and asked the lad:
– „What is your name?”
– „My name is Mavrud! – replied the young man.
– „From this day forward let this miraculous liquid be named after you – Mavrud, so that the future generations remember your courage!” – said khan Tervel.
Middle Ages
The quality of the Bulgarian wines was described in the centuries that followed. A legend tells that during the Fourth Crusade /1202 – 1204/, knights entered the city of Asenovgrad. But the Mavrud that they found there made them kind and they spared the inhabitants.
Other documents were alsow found, that describe the abundance of wine in the region. During the Middle Ages the monasteries played an important role in the development of wine-making. Monks were among the avid admirers of the liquid. Evidence in the Bachkovo Monastery indicates that monks drank between 4 and 8 cups of wine a day, which is an average of more than a liter. The barrels, in which held the wine, were stored underground in stone-walled cellars, where they were kept at low temperatures.
After the Independence 1878
When Europe celebrates Valentine’s Day – on the 14th of February, in Bulgaria we celebrate Saint Trifon Zarezan – the heavenly patron of the wine. This is the first holiday associated with spring. The name Zarezan comes from the fact that the vines are ritually cutted then. Blessing vineyard, drinking wine, eating and dancing a lot …
It 1938 that vineyards returned to the prephilox. A French specialist was invited to assess Bulgarian grape varieties and soil types. These are the first attempts to plant French grapes such as Gamay Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and others.
The period of socialism 1944 -1989
In 1978 an entity called “The Central Tasting Committee” was created. Wine had to pass strict requirements and was categorized based on quality control. Although around 90% of the wine, which was of low to medium quality, was still exported to the USSR, the creation of the Committee helped Bulgaria in broadening its markets to England, Germany and Japan, where Bulgarian high-quality wine was praised for its affordable prices.
Bulgarian wine industry is export orientated. The foreign trade accounts for 64% of the production. During the period 1986-1990, Bulgaria was the 5th largest exporter of wine with average annual export of 1804 thousand hectoliters (Bulgarian National Bank).
Nowadays
Today, after ten years of full membership in the European Union, Bulgaria ranks 15-th in the world ranking of wine-producing countries. Over 200 producers of modern wines from many local and world varieties are waiting for you. Wine & Food Society – Bulgaria is honored to be your host of this wine tour. Cheers!

Only a few days ago, something exceptional happened in Bulgaria – the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) held its 40th anniversary congress in Sofia. Founded at the beginning of the 20th century, it is the largest intergovernmental organization in the world, with 46 country members, who produce grape and wine and 40 universities. Now we meet Ms Tsvetelina Nikolova in Katarzyna Estate office in Sofia. She is the Bulgarian woman, who received her Master of Science Degree in Wine Management from OIV on Bulgarian land, at the closing part of OIV congress.

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What is the reception and what is actually the training in the OIV?

Only 13 to 16 people per year are accepted from all over the world. Except the tests I had to make, I had to develop several themes related to the wine sector. Then, a review process followed and the approval came in a year. The OIV applicant’s study methodology is rigorous. I would not call it training, rather it is a dedication to the holy of the wine. For three years, you travel to five continents where you have the opportunity to get to know the local practices to the slightest detail – from the soil to the marketing of wine on the other side of the world. There are also countries that are not big wine producers but are big markets such as the Scandinavian countries, Japan, South Korea. This gives you a lot of information, which develops your imagination and provokes you to think about innovations.

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You received your diploma at the OIV closing Gala Dinner, which was a great exception to the OIV graduation practice. How did this happen?

In fact, the diplomas are two: one is “Master of Science in Wine Management” from OIV and “Management in Wine and Vine Sector” from SupАgro University in Montpelier, France. This happened on the idea of Ms. Monika Christmann, OIV President, Mr Jean-Marie Aurand, General Director of OIV, Mr Michel Bourqui, AUIV General Delegate, Mr Nicolas Goldschmidt, OIV MSc in wine Management Director, who was at the congress and gave it to me personally. This is a gesture of appreciation for Bulgaria, for my work for Katarzyna Estate and personally for me, because in the world of OIV every detail is very important.

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These diplomas places you among the highest-ranking specialists in the field of winemaking, wine management and marketing. How this fact will affect you as a Managing Director of Katarzyna Estate, your wines and Bulgarian wine production in general?

People will look at Bulgaria in a different way. We already have modern wineries and a lot of investment in the sector. We produce quality wines that attract more and more admirers. The image of Bulgarian wines is growing and will continue to grow on a global scale. I hope that Bulgarian wines will have a strong presence on world markets.

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Finally, something personal – which is the favorite wine variety of Tsvetelina Nikolova?

Basically, each variety has its own charm and character, it depends on what mood I am, but I like to experiment and try new tastes. Last time I was impressed by Torontes ( Argentina), and the person who dedicated me to this wine was Gerard Basset (one of the top sommeliers in the world) on our tour in Latin America, which was part of my OIV training.

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We speak with the founder of The Balkans International Wine Competition – Mrs. Galina Niforou, days before the 6th edition.
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How was the idea born?
The year is 2011, when I took the decision to come on the wine market in Bulgaria separately. During this time in the social networks started to appear the posts of different friends vintners from the Balkan countries. The other provocation came from my direct impressions from Greece, where I’ve been lived, and my observations on the Greece wine sector, which is an undisputed leader in the region at the time. The cake became ready, after I summed the quality produced wine of all Balkan countries and proved that the region is fifth in production of wine in the world, something, which I’ve never supposed.
It followed a travel to Athens and a meeting with my friend – the first Master of Wine in the Balkan, Konstantinos Lazarakis, and rolled the wheel. On his recommendation, because of the sensitivity of the Balkan manners / here she smiled slightly /, in the competition part we applied the Australian scoring system as the most accurate and honest to the participants.
Each year we invite different Master of Wine from all the world for that reason.
This year with us are: Konstantinos Lazarakis MW BIWC Chairman Greece, Caroline Gilby MW United Kingdom, Christy Canterbury MW USA, Rod Smith MW United Kingdom /France.

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Your first meeting with the wine?
Since I was a little kid. Either parental and maternal line. I come from Chirpan – a very ancient wine region in Bulgaria. Both of my grandfathers made wine during the socialism, of course. And as we say – „Blood is thicker than water”, I found myself the „male girl” in the family…..

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How did the decision to take the professional road of wine come?
Love! I was in love and I had to be at Any cost in Plovdiv, because He was there. And in Plovdiv, is the University of Food Technologies of Bulgaria. For a girl in love at this age „at any cost” is a big power. The rest was easy. Now the love is as the good wine – a worldview of joy and light to my daughter, family and friends, with whom we share common joys.

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Which is the biggest wine adventure of Galina Niforou?
During my first education in OIV – International Organisation of Vine and Wine.The city is Paris. The month is December. The year is 1995. Bulgaria isn’t a member of the EU and in effect are all visa restrictions including for the transit passing through the European airports. In the educational programs of OIV pass groups between the countries, which take a part in the education. I had to accompany such a group for Bulgaria, but at the airport the French employee didn’t allow me to the aircraft, because I hadn’t a transit visa for Austria, and the group flew without me. Right now started the biggest strike in the French history,and I remained blocked for days at the airport, secured only by 12 francs in my pocket, which were enough for one croissant plus a packet of chewing gum, and some bottles of wine in the suitcase.

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Is there something, which you took up and it didn’t happen?
My ideas happen. Here the Balkan forum is held for six years. We started promotional projects of Bulgarian wines for USA, Japan and China. But, I have a dream in a professional aspect – finally to be realized the wine brand of Bulgaria. There isn’t another country in the world, which produces wine and to be so underdeveloped in this case. Because, if the wine producers want to have a market success and the state to be presented by one real successful sector outside the world, it should start with the national brand. It depends on the will and the vision of the both sides. If it doesn’t happen as soon as possible, we not lag behind but straight lapse from all business process in the branch. We have the experts. And as I’m a positive human and I believe, that the Bulgarian wine brand will happen, after that I can retire on some southern Greece island. I take the opportunity to invite all, who want to test more than 500 kindest of Balkan wines, to be welcome on the 3rd and the 4th of June in Grand Hotel Sofia