Winemakers in Bulgaria Allowed to Add Sugar to Boost Alcohol Level
Wine producers in Bulgaria will be allowed to add sugar to boost the level of alcohol, according to Krasimir Koev, Director of the Executive Agency on Vine and Wine (EAVW).
Fifty percent of the producers of alcoholic beverages in Bulgaria operate in the grey sector, according to Plamen Mollov, Chair of the National Vine and Wine Chamber.
Mollov attended Wednesday the opening of the 2013 edition of the Wine and Vine Expo Vinaria.
Speaking at the opening of the wine expo, he told journalists that a large portion of the alcohol consumed in Bulgaria was produced in an unregulated environment.
He suggested that over 150 000 tonnes out of a grape harvest of over 350 000 tonnes disappeared, with no information as to whether it was consumed at home or offered on the market illegally.
Mollov, as cited by the Focus news agency, declared that the unaccounted-for alcohol went to village pubs, local pubs and all inclusive systems, or was sold at highways and roads.
The Chair of the National Vine and Wine Chamber emphasized that sellers of illegal alcohol provided no guarantees for the safety of their product, given that home-distilled alcohol carried a risk of methanol poisoning
He went on to stress the need for planned and systematic inspections to ensure proper control over the production of alcoholic beverages.
Mollov told journalists that cauldron manufacturers could supply information about producers of illegal alcohol.
He claimed that homemade alcohol was misconstrued in Bulgaria as some sort of social assistance program allowing people to get extra incomes.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has officially renamed Sofia Airport
Courier service prices in Bulgaria are set to rise from March 1, with some deliveries increasing by nearly 10%
Tourism in Bulgaria is increasingly shifting from traditional hotel stays to more experience-focused offerings
Interest in newly built properties is on the rise, driven by factors such as increasing prosperity
A stabbing attack in the Austrian town of Villach left one person dead and five others injured on Saturday
In Krivodol, a municipality in Northwestern Bulgaria, local authorities are taking steps toward the eurozone transition well ahead of the February 20 deadline
Bulgaria's Perperikon: A European Counterpart to Peru's Machu Picchu
Bulgarians Among EU's Least Frequent Vacationers, Struggling with Affordability