Bulgaria's domestic wine sales have increased by 16.7% in the first nine months of 2011 year-on-year, the Executive Agency on Vine and Wine has announced.

According to its data based on information from the Bulgarian wine producers and distributors, a total of 58.5 million liters of wine were sold in Bulgaria in January-September 2011, up from 50.1 million sold in the same period of 2010, an increase of 8.4 million liters.

At the same time, Bulgaria's wine exports grew by 2.6% year-on-year in the first three quarter of 2011, the Agency said.

Bulgaria's wine exports in January-September reached 34.2 million, an increase of almost 900 000 liters compared with the 33.3 million liters of wine exported in the first nine months of 2010.

Russia remains the top destination for Bulgaria's wine exports, with 15.5 million liters, or 45.3% of the total amount.

Romania comes in second with 6.5 million liters in the reporting period. Poland, the UK, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, and Mongolia are other primary destinations for Bulgarian wine exporters.