site.btaBTA Director General Says Bulgaria's Accession to Iter Vitis Comes on Day of Beaujolais Nouveau's Arrival

Bulgaria is completing the process of joining the prestigious European wine route Iter Vitis on a symbolically significant day for winemaking – the arrival of the new Beaujolais, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev said at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia on Thursday.

Tourism Minister Miroslav Borshosh, Agriculture and Food Minister Georgi Tahov, Iter Vitis European Federation President Emanuela Panke, Bulgarian Organization for Wine Tourism Chair Petya Minkova, and Bulgarian Association of Wine Professionals Board Member Emil Koralov took part in the event marking Bulgaria’s official accession to the European cultural wine route.

The European cultural route Iter Vitis has been a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2009, Valchev noted, emphasising that the accession process began during Bulgaria’s hosting of the 9th UN Tourism Global Conference on Wine Tourism in Plovdiv. He pointed out that the process is concluding on the third Thursday of November, when in one of Europe’s wine-producing regions the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau is traditionally celebrated.

"Personally, I have often said that I wish we in Bulgaria would welcome our new wine in the way it is done in France. And here we are today, marking Bulgaria’s accession to the European Wine Route," the BTA Director General said. He called on Bulgarian media to begin using the names of wineries and brands in their reports, instead of avoiding them as if they were advertising.

Valchev announced that anyone wishing to find out where the wine route passes through Bulgaria can do so from a special issue of BTA’s LIK magazine, including in its English-language edition which Valchev presented to Panke. It contains news from this autumn from more than 100 Bulgarian wineries, the BTA Director General explained.