Bulgarian wine

The search for export is on. This year's London International Wine Fair saw the participation of eight Bulgarian wineries eager to present their products to the world - and specifically, the English market.

The trade-only event, which took place on May 17-19 2011 at ExCel in London, drew more than 1500 producers, importers, distributors and wine industry players from all around the world, including India, Uruguay, Brazil and Virginia, US.

Bulgaria remained a bit on the fringe. Over the three days of the event, interest was moderate, Vinprom Svishtov winemaker Lyudmil Roussanov told The Sofia Echo. "We're getting some interest from small (UK) distributors, but not really from importers," he said. The winery, best known for its Gorchivka Rosé, had been in the UK a decade or so ago, but the market since closed, he said, citing "a thousand reasons - for example, national politics". The hope here in London was to re-enter.

The experience was similar for Light Castle Winery, where trade director Petya Angelova said that she would not understand if anything came of the fair before the end of the year. Building trade relations "takes time", she said, and attendance overall in London seemed much lower than at Prowein (Düsseldorf) or VinExpo (Bordeaux). This is the first time for the Ivailovgrad winery to participate at LIWF. But, Angelova said, "what's important is to participate, to be present - especially for Bulgarian wine"