The Balkans International Wine Competition & Festival 2016 is open for registration
5TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
INVITATION FOR THE BALKANS INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION & FESTIVAL 2016
SOFIA, BULGARIA, MAY 26-29, 2016
Dear Wine Producers,
We would kindly like to invite you to participate to the 5th ANNIVERSARY edition of THE BALKANS INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION, which will be held in Sofia from 26– 29 May 2016 in Grand Hotel Sofia. The BIWC is open to wine producers from the Balkan Peninsula, Central and Eastern Europe, Black Sea region, as well as to wine producers from any other wine region.
Why participate in BIWC 2016?
• THE BALKANS INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION is a venue for world wine experts, Masters of Wine, wine merchants, and wine journalists and bloggers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, Italy, the Scandinavian countries, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, among others.
• THE BALKANS INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION will host representatives of the global wine connoisseur elite. Some of the world’s most qualified and demanding palates will taste and judge the best wines of the Balkans, and discover their unique character, richness, and regional complexity.
• THE BALKANS INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION proves to be the most important step in the promotion of the Balkan wines, to help them find their way to the tables of the world’s wine-loving community and earn their due share of the global wine market.
• Great media coverage – TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, web, social networks from Bulgaria, the Balkans region and globally will cover the 5th anniversary edition of THE BALKANS INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION and the Competition’s results
4 world-renowned media will be media partners of BIWC 2016: CHEERS magazine – USA (most famous magazine in the US with on-Trade direction), BEVARAGE DYNAMICS – USA (most famous magazine in the US with off-Trade direction), WINE KINGDOM – JAPAN (most famous magazine in Japan with off-focus Trade) and WINE IN CHINA magazine – CHINA
JUDGES 2016
Chairman of the BIWC – Konstantinos Lazarakis MW – The first Master of Wine in the Balkans and South East Europe
Kenichi Ohashi MW – Japan, opinion leader in Japan, wine consultant/distributor
Robin Kick MW – United States/Switzerland – buying & cellar consultant
Yiannis Karakasis MW – Greece, the second Greek Master of Wine, wine consultant and journalist
Alessandro Griccioli – Italy
Lin Gold – Israel
Igor Lukovic – Serbia
Burcak Desombre – Turkey/France
Sasa Spiranec – Croatia
Horia Hasnas – Romania
Vili Galabova – Bulgaria
Djurdja Katic – Serbia
Ivana Simjanovska – Macedonia
Julia Kostadinova – Bulgaria
and many more.
Medals
All wines will be scored out of 20 and could claim Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals. All Gold Medal wines (of the same styles/categories) will be served against each other at the final session of the competition, for selecting Trophies and Grand Trophy.
BIWC Trophies 2016: New!! Best Orange wine
Trophies will be given for the following categories:
Dry White Wine
Dry Red Wine
Dry Rosé Wine
Sparkling Wine
Dessert Wine
Best Wine from Indigenous Balkan Variety
NEW!!! Best Orange wine
Best Label Design
We encourage you to take advantage to be a part of the 5th ANNIVERSARY edition of the BIWC to ensure the future success of your business and look forward to welcome you on the BALKANS INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION & FESTIVAL 2016 in Sofia.
Konstantinos Lazarakis, MW
BIWC Chairman
Eng. Galina Niforou, Wine MBA
Managing Director
