It is hard to think of a name that resounds with greater political and historical intrigue and conflict than the Balkans. Happily there was no such conflict – other than healthy debate and re-tasting – among the judges for the Fourth Balkans International Wine Competition in May in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia.
My picture, taken in the National Archaeological Museum in the city during an hour's respite from the tasting room, shows one of the most stunning objects I have ever seen – a gold tripartite vessel found in the 1920s in Pleven by brothers working in their vineyard (part of...