70 years later, Varna’s wine exhibition returns

16:03 Wed 16 Apr 2008 - Magdalena Rahn

Co-inciding with the release of the fourth edition of a map of wine in Bulgaria will be the Varna exhibition VinoTour, taking place from April 23 to 26 in Varna’s Palace of Culture and Sport.

The coming together of wine and tourism will be a marked change from the first Varna wine exhibition, held in 1928. Already at that time, Varna was a classed European resort, Lambrin Sotirov, founder and head organiser of the modern event, along with the Palace of Culture and Sport and Varna mayor Kiril Yordanov, said at a BTA news conference on April 16. And not only that – people also revelled in the grape production of the country, both fresh and in liquid form.

In 1928, there were 39 exhibitors from the grape-growing and wine industry; this time, representatives from restaurants, hotels and destinations from along the entire Black Sea coast, in addition to 22 wineries from all around Bulgaria, will be present. The idea is for Bulgarian wine and grape producers to get to know both Bulgarian tour operators and the public at large.

Bulgarian cellars include Euxinograd, Levent, Logodaj, Malkata Zvezda, Rainov and Sons, Terra Tangra, Vinarna Polomie, Vinprom Svishtov and Villa Vinifera. Alongside the local wineries will be a few winery representatives from Austria and from France.

Participating in the event opening on April 23 will be the Association of Professional Sommeliers in Bulgaria, along with Varna’s mayor.

Entrance to VinoTour is free-of-charge for all guests. Free-of-charge wine sampling will be possible at every stand offering wine; guests will also be able to purchase what they have tasted.

Sotirov, who is head of the publishing house that issues the map of wine in Bulgaria, said that there will be two art exhibitions to accompany the wine and tourism fair: one will be a showing of 21st-century rhytons created by metalcrafter Galin Gospodinov, and another of old photographs of and documents related to Bulgarian wineries and vineyards that Sotirov has collected over the past 20 years.

Also at VinoTour will be held discussions on wine tourism in the country. According to Sotirov, Bulgaria already had great opportunities in this field and a “sparking future” into which it can grow. Tourists, he said, like Bulgaria’s native varietals, as does Sotirov himself, and the wine industry should be aware that producing wines made from grapes like Karlovski misket, dimyat, Melnik, gamza, mavrud or rubin will only draw more customers.