Vintellectual 07
21:07 Sat 31 Mar 2007
Dear reader, In vino veritas, they say. We don’t know about truth, but there is certainly a lot of pleasure and history in wine, and that is what Vintellectual is here to talk about – everything from Bulgarian wines, wine rituals and wine glasses to great restaurants and movies. When asked whether she drinks champagne, Lily Bollinger replied: “I only drink champagne when I’m happy, and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it read more 
more from Vintellectual 07
21:23 Sat 31 Mar 2007
If you see Georgi Ganchev having a conversation over a glass of wine, you need not wonder whether it is a matter of business or pleasure. Where there is wine, the man is bound to find both. As head of the Bulgarian Wine Society, he stands comfortably amid wine’s path from producers to consumers, and he has something for both. Through the Together to Europe initiative, the society is helping wine producers read more
21:25 Sat 31 Mar 2007
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 read more
21:28 Sat 31 Mar 2007
A graduate of the Music Conservatory and the man behind Todoroff Wine Cellar, Ivan Todoroff simply doesn’t want to choose between art and wine. Although he has not taken up a career as a flautist or conductor, he has remained close to his background. Todoroff Wine Cellar is a sponsor of the Bulgarian Talent Gallery fund (www.bulgariantalents.com), which awards stipends to 12 young read more
21:43 Sat 31 Mar 2007 - Desislava Leshtarska
Wine holidays and rituals mark the turning points in the cycle of wine.
The special relationship between man and wine is deeply rooted in tradition. In antiquity, wine was the sacral beverage of rituals, symbolic for the connection between the earthly and the divine. Even back then, people believed wine had the power to touch the human soul, and its intervention was Godly. Today’s Bulgaria includes the land that once was Thrace. Various sources, from Homer’s Illiad to contemporary read more
21:59 Sat 31 Mar 2007
American House – Bar & Diner is the new pearl of the Kempinski Hotel Zografski. It combines the luxurious elegance, tranquillity and cosiness of its interior with the beautiful Japanese garden and the seduction of America’s eclectic cuisine. The signature style and comfort of the furniture made of genuine leather and solid wood will help you discover your home in American house. The view of the garden, where exotic read more
22:01 Sat 31 Mar 2007 - Vanya Rainova
The first thing that strikes me at La Capannina is a sense of comfort. It is not the homely comfort of a family-owned cafeterria seating less than 20 people or the lose-yourself-in-the-crowd comfort of a popular spot packed with undemanding jubilant guests. La Capannina exudes the understated classiness of those who need not show off their sophistication or fine dining tastes; they are a matter of lifestyle, not read more
22:04 Sat 31 Mar 2007
If the two locations of La Capannina were sisters, the one in Fitness Club Maleevi would be the younger hipster sibling. She would wear free-flowing linen pants and white fitted cotton shirts, not suits; her hair would be sun-dried, not coiffed; she will prefer to have a picnic with fresh bread, cheeses, tomatoes and wine on Vitosha Mountain, not an urban lunch. By night she would swoon with romanticism. But the read more
22:05 Sat 31 Mar 2007 - Vanya Rainova
Crossing the threshold of Ex’use me is a bit of an Alice-in-Wonderland experience – the world changes unexpectedly in sound, shape and proportion. Hushed conversations take over the sound of cars hooting on Vassil Levski Boulevard. The interior’s bold statement in black and white slices away the colour of the street. The striking two-tone elegance makes one think of Audrey Hepburn displaying an exquisitely read more
22:08 Sat 31 Mar 2007
Pear and walnut salad: Mustard 10g; walnut oil 10g; vinegar 15g; blue cheese 30g; Sunflower oil 15g; lettuce 100g; pears 100g; walnuts 20g.
Avocado with mozzarella: Avocado 150g; red onion 100g; dried spices 10g; baslamic vinegar 20g; worchester sauce 20g; tomatoes 80g; mozzarella 60g. Norwegian salmon fillet with vegetables: Asparagus 30g; cream 100g; carrots 100g zuccini 50g; peppers 100g; white wine read more
22:11 Sat 31 Mar 2007 - Vanya Rainova
There are days when you just can’t deal with yet another meal that has a paragraph-long description on the menu and sounds oh-so-French or exotic. You crave a wholesome delicious home-cooked lunch in a clean, cosy and comfortable place where you can take your time and forget about your mobile phone while someone serves you with a casual politeness, not stiffness. On such a day, go to Noble House. Located in read more
22:13 Sat 31 Mar 2007 - Vanya Rainova
A vintage French poster for Tattinger hangs next to a painted silk Japanese fan. Burgundy-and-gold textile wallpaper meets the worn hardwood floor. A large pop-art red blob of an ashtray rests next to a fine porcelain sugar bowl with blue and gold ornamentation. Japan meets Morocco on a wood-and-leather ethno tray for tea. Bottles of all shapes and origin line a wall. Welcome to Vinobar, a place that creates read more
22:15 Sat 31 Mar 2007 - Magdalena Rahn
It may be in the neighbourhood, but Vino Bar Trovatore is not the average neighbourhood hangout. The bar serves mostly quality Italian and Bulgarian cuvees, in an intimate, chic setting. It’s not a place for organised wine tastings or flowery language. Trovatore would be easy enough to miss, on a quiet residential street in Lozenets. A path windes through a small grass lawn, a rectangular wooden sign on a post the read more
22:17 Sat 31 Mar 2007 - Vanya Rainova
To those of us who drink wine for pleasure, tasting a wine is an emotional experience, not a scientific experiment. That is why our attitude toward a wine is not determined entirely by its inherent qualities, but by the context of our encounter. Imagine having a bad fight with a loved one over a glass of an exquisite Zinn. Chances are that the events will taint your experience of the wine, and you might read more
22:19 Sat 31 Mar 2007 - Nina Basica Finci
With the ceremony just a couple of weeks behind us, the 2006 Oscars are so old news. And what to say about those of 2005. I wouldn’t even dare bring them up, had they not included what became the wine motion picture of recent history: Alexander Payne’s Sideways (2004). At the time, American audiences and critics alike asked, is it a “wonderful new movie” or the “most overrated film of the year?” Most read more
22:23 Sat 31 Mar 2007
Many people readily associate the name Miroglio with one of the world’s largest textile producers. But in Bulgaria, it is also synonymous to one of the finest wine makers, Eduardo Miroglio winery, operating since 2004. The name might evoke notions of Mediterranean romance and the stone-built chateau could house the winery’s French-inspired wine-making technology, but the building and equipment spell high tech. read more
22:24 Sat 31 Mar 2007
