Record number of samples for the 12th edition of The Balkans International Wine Competition 2023 in Transylvania, Romania
Sofia, 8 May 2023 – The 12th edition of The Balkans International Wine Competition will visit Romania, between 1 and 3 June, in the city of Bistrita-Nasaud, Transylvania, and the Balkan Wine Festival, which will give all visitors the opportunity to taste the wines awarded during the competition, will be held again in the open air in front of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, Bulgaria between 15 and 17 June 2023.
In recent years, The Balkans International Wine Competition has gone beyond its regional significance and attracted more and more participants and wineries from outside the Balkan countries. This year there is a record number of samples from Italy who find the Balkans International Wine Competition an excellent platform to enter one of the largest markets in Europe, namely the Balkans with its 82 million inhabitants.
The number of wineries entering the competition has been growing organically and steadily, with over 1,000 sample wines submitted in the last year. Compared to the first edition of the competition in 2012, this is an increase of over 180% in the number of samples, and the number of wineries entering the competition has increased by nearly 5 times in the last 10 years.
In the Best of Show category, the wines from each country compete separately, but the focus remains on the Balkan wines and only they can compete for trophies in the individual categories and for the grand trophy for the Best Wine of the Balkans
The awards ceremony and gala dinner, which will be attended by over 250 guests this year, known as the Balkan Wine Oscars, will take place on 3 June in the 17th century Teleki Castle, Transylvania, where the competition itself will be held. At the gala dinner, the Best of Show trophies for the individual participating countries will be awarded, while the remaining 15 trophies in the various categories will be announced at the opening of the Balkans International Wine Festival, on 15 June at 9 PM in front of the National Palace of Culture in the capital city of Sofia. This year the dates of the festival are from 15 to 17 June inclusive, and tickets are already on sale – direct link here and here.
The best wine in the Balkans will be selected by a prestigious jury of 25 people, which this year includes 5 winners of the title “Master of Wine” and “Master Sommelier” from Germany, USA, UK, France, Switzerland and famous wine personalities from the Balkans and Europe. After the competition, a commercial tasting will be organized in the courtyard of Complexul Muzeal Bistrita-Nasaud, to which business representatives, sommeliers, distributors and wine lovers worldwide are invited.
The Balkan region is becoming the subject of increasing interest from global producers due to its size of 82 million people. “The Balkans International Wine Competition & Festival” is the platform that gives the different parties in the wine business – producers, distributors, and importers – the opportunity to get to know each other and start new trade relationships. Each year the competition is held in different country in the Balkans, which helps to promote the country – the focus is where the competition is held. So far the event has been held in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece, Serbia and is visiting Romania this year.
Detailed information about the competition, the festival and the jury is available on The Balkans International Wine Competition & Festival website.
