Krassimir Koev
Executive Director
National Wine and Spirituous
Beverages Research Institute

Not too many people working in Sofia have an office above a wine cellar. And for most people, displaying a mini-enoteca in that office would seem a bit out of place. Krassimir Koev is a legitimate exception in both cases, because wine is at the heart of his work.

You’ve been at the institute for five years now, one as its director. How have things changed in that time?
Bulgaria’s wine-making industry has changed for the better in the past few years. At first the de-nationalisation of the industry meant that wine-making at vineyards was left in the hands of many people who had no previous experience. But we are past this. I don’t believe that any winery now is being managed by people who do not want to, or do not know how to, run it.

Tell us a bit about the institute?
The institute has a 55-year history. It was the institution that controlled the entire process, from planting the vines to the selling of wine. At that time, as you know, we exported exclusively to COMECON [Council of Mutual Economic Assistance] countries, which absorbed everything. The market has shrunk since then. Our major external markets still are Russia and Poland where we now export 70 million and 25 million litres respectively.

And how much Bulgarian wine is sold on the domestic market?
About 10 to 15 million litres.

How do these markets differ in their demand?
The bulk of what we export to the Russian market are wines that are not very sought after on the domestic market. Those are the semi-dry wines that are low-cost, table wines. In the past few years we’ve seen increased interest in the higher-class Bulgarian wines on the Russian market, but these wines are still a small share of what we export, let’s say, about 200 000 bottles. Poland is very much the same. They like aromatic, fruity wines.
But in recent years, many quality, high-class wines produced in Bulgaria have been starting to find niches in Europe and the United States. Unfortunately, they still hold a very small market share. Part of the reason is insufficient advertising. I think we’re also at fault for not promoting the varietals that are peculiar to Bulgaria, such as Mavrud, Gamza, Dimiat. The world is used to Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, but maybe we should put our money on grapes that are unique to Bulgaria. Plus, we cannot compete on the basis of price, because wines from Australia, New Zealand and Chile are flooding the international market at a very competitive cost-quality ratio. They can do this because, I am told, they get about 1000 kilograms from a decare, which is a lot compared to our average of about 450 kilograms. That alone makes Bulgarian wine more expensive.

What is the reason for this difference?
There is only one explanation. In the past few decades our vineyards became rundown. The process of restitution fragmented the land, and not everyone could care for their small vineyard in a way that would guarantee good harvests. And there are some that are now in the forest fund, because there are 15 to 20-year-old trees growing on them. If you travel around Bulgaria you will see this for yourself. There has been a reversal in this trend in the past five years, and people are planting new vineyards, taking great care of them, but it will take time.

So what do we need to do to make our wines competitive abroad?
Well, a good wine is not made in the lab, it’s made on the vineyard. If you start with good grapes, there is little chance you’ll end up with bad wine.
So we’re talking about appropriate care for the vines. We’re talking about not being in a hurry to pick the grapes before they’re ripe.

What is the institute doing to make sure that this happens?
We do two things. One is chemical analysis and the other is research and consultation services for wine producers. I can guarantee that we will offer an honest and expert opinion, and must say that no one has used our services and then not come back.
Right now we are working with French colleagues on purchasing the technology and know-how for the introduction of new technologies for oxygenation and filtering, which would lead to a shorter production cycle and better quality. The idea is not to reinvent the wheel, but to adopt technologies that are already giving great results abroad. We hope to be ready to present this service at the Vinaria and we are sure there will be great interest from local wine-makers. To be able to shorten a process by a third of the time, while simultaneously improving quality, is cost-efficient to say the least.
And, we are in the process of obtaining accreditation for the Russian market. We’ve filed the documents and have been approved. We anticipate signing the contract by the end of March. This means we will be able to guarantee for the Russian market that all the wine that leaves Bulgaria for import into Russia meets the necessary criteria.

Who are some of your clients?
Some of them are Vinprom Karnobat, Vini Sliven, Lovico Suhindol, Vinprom Haskovo, Synchron Invest.

Do you like drinking wine?
I’d lie if I said I didn’t. But I’m not going to tell you anything about the ones I prefer, so as to avoid any conflict. But as I said, we make great wines, and if there is one thing they lack, its proper advertising.