Zornitza Family Estate wines at The Balkans International Wine Competition (BIWC)

Zornitza Family Estate wines from harvest 2017 took part in the seventh consecutive edition of Balkan International Wine Competition and Festival (BIWC) from May 18 to 20, 2018 – an event that has become a common name for the prestige and popularity of the wines from the region, including Bulgarian ones. On May 18th, during a special gala dinner, members of the international jury tasted four of the iconic red wines from our cellar paired with an excellent menu prepared by the hosts and partners of the event, Cinecitta restaurant in Sofia. The chief sommelier of Zornitza Family Estate Relais & Châteaux, Alexander Skorchev (a certified WSET lecturer, currently a WSET Diploma student and certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers) presented the wines from the new harvest. The tasted wines were: Melnik & Marselan 2017, Syrah 2017, Cabernet & Petit Verdot 2017 and Syrah Fifty / Fifty 2017.
The members of the international jury, including 4 Masters of Wine and 1 Master Sommelier, gave excellent marks, given that the wines are yet to develop and still very young (this is the second harvest for the cellar) and the limited quantities. The wines of Zornitza Family Estate have the potential for ageing, yet they are still enjoyable to drink at the moment.

For the first time in the jury of the Balkan Wine Competition and Festival (BIWC), there was a real nobleman, Count John Umberto Salvi MW, one of Bordeaux’s wines best specialists in the world.

Zornitza Family Estate Relais & Châteaux would like to thank the organisers of the Balkan Wine Competition and Festival, and especially Galina Niforou for the opportunity and the wonderful evening, to all that were present, and the hosts from the Cinecitta restaurant. The owners of Zornitza Family Estate Relais & Châteaux – Zornitsa and Marko Stoichevi also attended the dinner.

We present the members of the international jury who attended the special dinner at Cinecitta Restaurant.

Konstantinos Lazarakis MW
Chairman BIWC, a sommelier at а Michelin-awarded restaurant in Athens.

Count John Umberto Salvi MW
Count John Salvi is a British Master of Wine.

Isa Bal MS
He won “The Best Sommelier of Europe” award in 2008 in Sofia, Bulgaria. His focus largely has been in the in trade field focusing on fine dining.

Igor Lukovic
Serbian wine critic, writer and journalist, еditor in chief in “Vino & Fino” magazine.

Hing Cheng
One of the leading wine specialists in China, he works in the wine industry at key positions in various organisations and companies.

Elias Macovela
Author of a wine blog, wine tour company and a postgraduate from a Wine Business course at ISEG / ISA.

Dimitar Nikolov
Sommelier, wine buyer, wine judge, wine writer and educator, co-founder of Wine and Spirits Academy Bulgaria (WSAB) where he is teaching WSET courses.

Ivana Simjanovska
An international wine writer, critic and wine judge, having participated at some of the most prestigious wine competitions in Europe.

Evangelos Beris, Ph.D.
He holds a Ph.D. in Viticulture, M.Sc. in Biology and WSET Advanced. He is teaching in the Department of Oenology & Beverage Technology.

Peder Larsen
Larson is an examined Sommelier and holds WSET Advanced and also acts as wine educator and communicator of the wine culture.

Martin Smid
А holder of International taster certificate (ISO) and an experienced wine-taster.

Klearchos Kanellakis
Head Sommelier in the 5-star hotel Aquila Elounda village in Crete, Greece.