Bulgaria bemoans falling wine exports: LIWF 2008

Published: 23 July, 2008

Bulgarian wine makers are blaming a lack of government funding and no single generic body to represent their interests for plummeting export volumes to the UK.

Stoian Kuchoukov, the chief executive officer of Vinprom Svishtov revealed that six years ago his winery was exporting over three million bottles to the UK; now the total Bulgarian wine industry is only exporting a total of 200,000 bottles.

Speaking at the London International Wine Fair 2008, he said: "There is not only the New World to contend with, there is also far more competition from other Eastern European countries such as Moldova and Georgia as well as Romania."

Kuchoukov said that state assistance was vital to help raise the profile of Bulgarian wine and challenge the commonly held perception that Bulgarian wine is poor quality.

However, Kuchoukov said he believed a new generation of wine makers will help to change that. "A lot of new vineyards have been planted in recent years, with more fashionable grapes such as Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Syrah," he concluded.

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