Top 20 Bulgarian wines announced in Bacchus magazine's contest

After three days of seeing, swirling, smelling and sipping, the evaluation panel for magazine Bacchus' Bulgarian Wine of the Year 2008 competition has announced the top 20 wines from among the top 50, themselves selected from the more than 250 submitted for consideration over the past 12 months.

From October 21 to 23, the jury evaluated the 50 Bulgarian wines from the first round, for overall impression of a given bottle, individual character and price-quality ratio. In this second round, wines were rated using a three-tasting panel process: 50 per cent of the rating came from a panel comprised of oenologues and sommeliers, 25 per cent came from wine merchants and restaurant industry representatives; and 25 per cent from vinophiles who were not connected to the wine industry, but who possessed specific knowledge of the field.

The top 20 comprised 16 reds, three whites and one dessert wine.

For the final round, to be held October 30 and 31, the international jury led by British wine guru Steven Spurrier will classify these 20 wines, also taking into account what could be called the X-factor of a given wine. According to Emil Koralov, special projects director at Bacchus, the X-factor is a way to describe the individual character of a certain wine, its complexity, its ability to excite and its memorability. This consideration could also mean that the top-preferred wine would not be the one with the highest number of overall points.

The top 20 wines for the Bulgarian Wine of the Year 2008 were (in alphabetical order):

Chateau de Val Cuvee Trophy 2006 (Chateau de Val)
Encore 2007 (Katarzyna Estate)
Enira Reserva 2006 (Bessa Valley)
Levent Grand Selection chardonnay 2007 (VK Rousse)
Levent Grand Selection 2006 (VK Rousse)
Maxxima Private Reserva 2003 (Maxxima Cellars)
Minkov Brothers Cuvee 2007 (Sis Industries)
Nobile Rubin 2006 (Logodaj)
Question Mark 2007 (Katarzyna Estate)
Roto 2006 (Terra Tangra)
Rubaiyat chardonnay 2006 (Vinex Preslav)
Santa Sarah BIN41 merlot 2007 (Santa Sarah)
Santa Sarah Privat 2006 (Santa Sarah)
Santa Sarah Snow Wine 2005 (Santa Sarah)
Solitaire Elenovo merlot 2006 (Domaine Boyar)
Terra Tangra Cuvee 2006 (Terra Tangra)
Terra Tangra Grand Reserva 2006 (Terra Tangra)
Uniqato Rubin 2006 (Damianitza)
Via Diagonalis 2007 (Kastra Rubra)
Vinissimo American Barrel 2006 (Rachev & Son).