BANSKO AUTUMN FESTIVALS
World-renowned wines from South America (Chile and Argentina), Australia, South Africa and Europe (Italy, Spain and England) will compete with Bulgarian products at the Fourth Wine Festival in the ski resort of Bansko. The event will take place on December 1-2. The organisers, the Bulgarian Association of Sommeliers, told a news conference on November 28 that the six-member judging panel of leading sommeliers would sample 180 wines. The winners would be chosen not so much from the point of view of their technological parameters but as from the point of view of restaurateurs. Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena in Bansko was hosting the festival. The wine awarded first price will take part in the Wine Masters Challenge 2008-X World Wine Contest in Portugal. The Seventh International Mountain Film Festival was also scheduled be held in Bansko, from November 29 to December 2, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported. The hosts announced that this year there was a big cinematic representation from Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France. Debutants from South Africa, Mexico, Turkey, Norway and the Netherlands were also taking part in the event. A key aspect of its programme was the expected visit of legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner, who, in 1986, became the first man to conquer all fourteen of the world's highest mountain peaks, which are all above 8000m.

PEOPLE'S VIEWS
According to a survey by the Bulgarian Academy of Science, among the most serious problems facing Bulgarian nature, according to the responses, was the number of trees being felled. Some of the other significant problems were the over-construction in Pamporovo winter resort (for 72 per cent of those polled), the construction of the project Super Borovets in Rila Mountain (67.8 per cent), construction of more ski slopes in Pirin National Park (66.4 per cent) and the project to expand the Panichishte ski zone, including into part of Rila National Park (62 per cent).

RHODOPE'S FIRST
The profit of the operator of the Bulgarian ski resort Pamporovo decreased by 62 per cent to 2.53 million leva for January-September 2007 in comparison to the same period in 2006, showed the company's consolidated report, filed with the Bulgarian Stock Exchange on October 26. Revenue fell by 30 per cent to 9.5 million leva, while revenue from financial operations decreased by 72 per cent, or 1.6 million leva. Pamporovo expenses were 6.9 million leva by the end of September 2007. For the same period in 2006 they were 6.6 million leva. The ski resort operator's assets had increased by 32 per cent since the beginning of 2007, reaching 57.8 million leva. Pamporovo has plans to build a three km cable car between the southern village of Stoykite and the Pamporovo resort. The lift would be able to carry 2400 skiers an hour.