I am a wine amateur, I will never have the palate of Louis de Funès in the "The Wing or the Thigh” (L'aile ou la cuisse) or the abundant knowledge of a wine expert. I have always been proud to be a member of the spirits drinking popula- tion, but suddenly, about a decade ago, a new, in nite world emerged before my eyes. The world of wine! Since then, I have been trying to explore it with an insatiable thirst not only for knowledge but also for the satisfaction of my exasperated Epicurean instincts. This endeavour in Bulgaria is impossible without the attractive and comprehensive guide of Tzveta Tanovska and Katia Iontcheva. I would easily admit that for the last ve years when at a wine fair, I look for Tzveta and wait for her to take out the BOOK from her bag. Then I read it at once, and throughout the following year I re-open it again to check on something or to see if our opinions about a certain wine are the same. Certainly, this guidebook does not pretend to describe in full detail everything that can be found on the Bulgarian wine market that is lled with enthusiasm and love, but it gives you enough information so you can nd everything you need. Bulgarian wine is still underestimated at pretentious Bulgarian restaurants, that are ready to introduce you to everything from the Old and the New World, and the guide could certainly change that. Let it be that change as wine producers in Bulgaria deserve it not only because of the medals they are constantly winning at prestigious wine exhibitions but because they put a great deal of e ort not just to survive but also to be modern, innovative and up-to-date with wine trends and even set them rst. They deserve respect, recognition and high sales, and this is one of the instruments to achieve that. An invaluable tool that o ers even laymen like me all the necessary information. So let's raise our glasses for Tzveta, Katia and all of those who made it possible to hold in our hands the Bulgarian wine guide for the sixth year in a row!

Cheers!

Kamen Alipiev