Grape

Bulgaria ranks 22nd in the world in terms of wine production with 1.3 million hectolitres, showed a report of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine.

In spite of the bad year for several of the biggest wine producers in the world, Bulgaria is one of the few countries that reported growth.

The vast vineyards of businessman Lucien Arkas are located close to the antique city of Metropolis near İzmir in western Turkey. During a recent business trip to İzmir, at a lunch in Arkas' vineyards, I thought once again about how valuable the grape is for these lands, where grapes and mythology coexist. 

During a Chinese company’s party, a group of smartly dressed men with their hands tied bend over to gobble the grapes from their female colleagues breasts. Footage from the party was leaked and viewers enjoyed a sexy activity, where the men munch on the tiny fruits as fast as they can, hoping to be the first to finish.

"If your tastes are complex, have a Pythagoras," said the waiter. "If you want more of a fresh, fruity taste, go for Bias."

Bulgaria will host in parallel the 40th World Congress of Vine and Wine and the 15th General Assembly of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) next year, the country's Agriculture Ministry has announced.

The decision was taken by a vote of OIV member states at a meeting of the organisation's Executive Committee in Paris on Saturday.

Wine is a product which can tell the whole story of a region, its climate, the lives of its inhabitants, their taste and their ingenuity.

Therefore, many people are choosing wine tourism which includes the tasting, consumption or purchase of wine at or near the source.

The wine cellar of LA Mahzen, a Turkish vineyard located close to the ancient city of Ephesus, has been listed as one of the greatest in the world in a new book, "Sommeliers Heaven - The Greatest Wine Cellars Of The World," by Switzerland's Braun Publishing.

The wines made by Cotnari SA have added three more medals to their tally, this time at the 2015 summer edition of Concours Mondial, the world competition of wines in Brussels.

Grasa de Cotnari 1984 won gold, while Tamaioasa Romaneasc? 2014 won silver.

UNESCO’s scientific symposium in Santorini from November 5 through to 7 will focus on the heritage and development of wine regions and their role in tourism.

A brief history of Bulgarian and Romanian wine industries has been provided by the article, published in The Guardian daily online edition.

The positive review of the industry comes merely days after alarming data has been published in Bulgarian media regarding the reduced wine exports over the course of 2014.