The Balkans International Wine Competition (BIWC) started nine years ago, but this year the Serbian capital has been given the opportunity to host the competition for the first time. At the competition, almost 200 wineries from the Balkans competed with their wines for the title of the best.

The Best of Show awards were first established last year. The organizers of the competition realized the importance of presenting the best wines in each of the Balkan countries at the national level.

The winners of the Best of Show awards per country are the following:

Albania – Belba winery, Chardonnay, 2019
Bosnia & Herzegovina – Vinarija Jungić, Tamjanika Premium, 2018
Bulgaria – Villa Melnik, Rare Varieties Melnik 13 Jubilee, 2017
Croatia – Vinarija Carić, Plovac Ploški Barrique 2013
Greece – Estate Argyros Vinsanto 20 years Barrel Aged, 1996
Montenegro – Plantaže, Stari Podrum Marselan & Petit Verdot & Merlot, 2013
North Macedonia – Chateau Kamnik, Terroir Vranec Grand Reserve, 2015
Romania – Familia Vladoi, Ravak White, 2019
Serbia – Vinarija Veritas, Momentum Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Turkey – Suvla winery, Karasakis Reserve, 2017

The competition was founded in 2012, when Galina Niforou and her team personally visited winemakers in the Balkans region to convince them to take part in the competition. The name of Konstantinos Lazarakis MW, has also influenced reputation of this event as he has been at the forefront of the competition from the very beginning.

This year's panel of judges consists of the following wine experts: Rod Smith MW (UK/France), Katia Iontcheva (Bulgaria),  Đurđa Katić (Serbia), Horia Hasnas (Romania), Ivana Simjanovska (North Macedonia), Tomislav Ivanovic (Serbia), Dashamir Elezi (Albania), Prof. dr Vesna Maras (Montenegro), Fabiola G. Rios (Mexico), Alexander Matejić (Serbia), Zvonko Herceg (North Macedonia), Michaela Kapickova (Czech republic), Róbert Csévári (Serbia), Vihren Velkov (Bulgaria) and Vuk Štefanovic (Serbia).

Apart from Bulgarian team of the competition led by Galina Niforou, the partner of the competition in Serbia was Igor Luković and magazine Vino & Fino.

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