Bulgaria’s English-language newspaper The Sofia Echo brings you Vintellectual -  a walk through the wine industry of the country, which is believed by many experts and historians to be the first place in the world where vines were planted and wines produced.

The lands occupied by Bulgaria today may claim to be the cradle of the “elixir of the Gods”, since they saw the first vine protection decree in the second century CE. Oddly enough, it was the Bulgarian Han Krum, who now lends his name to one of Bulgaria’s wine regions, who imposed the first drinking prohibition laws in history during his reign from 802 to 814 CE.

On top of this, is the notion that the wine cellar may also be a Bulgarian invention. Bulgarian monasteries in the Middle Ages had first been reported to have stored wine in cool vaults deep under the ground.

Bulgaria cannot claim today to be the largest, nor the best, or to carry any other glorified definition in the world trade in wines. It has long ago lost the competition with countries like France, where wine is not just business, but part of the culture of society, or the countries of what is widely called the “New World”, such as the United States, Argentina, Chile, Australia and others that are currently dominating and guiding trends in global wine trade. Nevertheless, today Bulgaria is rising from the ashes to regain its popularity and become, if not the biggest exporter, a purveyor of some high-quality products serving both people’s senses and souls.

On the pages of Vintellectual, you can read interviews with some of the leading experts in Bulgaria’s wine production and trade, with foreign diplomats and foreign people living and working in this country who have already learned to appreciate its wines, as well as improve your knowledge of the history of wine and its journey from the producer to the end consumer.

Vintellectual comes to you less than three weeks before the Vinaria 2006 exhibition, which will be held in Bulgaria’s second largest city of Plovdiv from March 15 to March 18. Hosted by the International Plovdiv Fair, the largest trade fair in the Balkans, Vinaria is the most prestigious and largest specialised exhibition in its field in South East Europe. It brings together exhibitors in the field of vine-growing and wine-producing.

And if Vintellectual whets your thirst for wine knowledge, remember that just tasting the heavenly drink will give you a flavour of all the history, myths and legends that are inseparable ingredients invested in its making. Try what Bulgaria has to offer.