Owner Count Stephan von Neipperg officially presented Bessa Valley Winery at a press conference in front of the public. He shared some details around the execution of the project and demonstrated the making of Enira wine. Count von Neipperg also spoke about the art of wine –making.

“The sole purpose of our wine is delight – it is served with the food or after meals”, Count von Neipperg said. “I am a specialist in red wine making in Bordeaux – we just transferred our know-how to Bulgaria, adapting it for Bulgarian climate. I chose Bulgaria because of its lovely teroir. If we compare Bulgaria to Italy, for example, we will find out that 40-50 years ago Italy had a much worse teroir. Your teroir is far better and good wine is made from a good fruit. The important thing is that afterwards someone shows it at the international market in order to attract investors. This process was initiated in Italy 20 years ago. The popularization of Bulgarian wines will not take more than 15 years. We are trying to sharpen the image of Bulgarian wines again thorugh Enira. I, personally, consider Enira unbeatable on an international scale.

Marc Dworkin, general manager of Bessa Valley and chief consultant of Enira wines, together with Ivaylo Antonov, head executive of the winery, presented Bessa Valley’s export policy and its business development plans.

One of the main points in Bessa’s development plans is the closing of the deal with Enira’s new exclusive distributor – Avendi. Jan Skvaril – head executive of Avendi, announced that he is a fan of high-quality wines and it will be a real pleasure for him to work with Bessa Valley. “I’m a Czech by origin and when I was little, my mother used to work in a brewery”, said Skvaril. “However, it was only after I came to Bulgaria and tasted Enira, that I understood what a really good wine is called. I am a fan of Enira and I can assure you that Avendi will be a worthy partner.”

Bessa Valley project was initiated in 2001. The region around Ognyanovo village was chosen after multiple examinations and a special analysis of the soil, conducted in French laboratories in Bordeaux. The annual production amounts 650 000 bottles, 300 000 of which are intended for export. Marc Dworkin and Ivaylo Antonov reveled that Asia was the biggest market for Enira. 40 000 bottles are exported to Japan, 30 000  - to China and 20 000 to Hong Kong. “It’s again all about image”, says Dworkin, “Bulgaria is less known in Asia and Bulgarian wines are easier appreciated. It’s harder in Europe, even though we have a solid breakthrough.We are exporting 20 000 bottles for Sweden, 20 000 to Germany and 20 000 for Great Britain. We are working with Denmark, Belguim and next year we are expecting to enter US market next year. You’ll be surprised to find how many things depend solely on the image of the country. Fortunately, count von Neipperg is a renown wine specialist worldwide and that makes leveraging Enira considerably easier.

“It is indeed image that matters” Count von Neipperg adds, “Yet, teroir is very important, too. When I was choosing the place, it was teroir and history that drew me to the place – the ancients Thracians used to make wine here! What’s more, you can see how people gradually “escaped” from the teroir and started planting grapes in the lowlands – the process can be observed at the mountain terraces. We are rediscovering teroir and that’s why I am greeting you: “Welcome back to the future!”.