A golden phiale replicating an item from the Panagyurishte treasures of Ancient Thrace will, from this year on, be the trophy awarded in the annual Best Sommelier competitions of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale. In 2008, the contest for Best European Sommelier is being held in Bulgaria from May 15 to 20; it is the first time in the 20 years of its existence that the competition will be held outside of France.

Dimitar Hadjinikolov, a member of the governing board of the Bulgarian Association of Sommeliers (BAS), explained at a news conference held at Bulgarian news agency BTA on May 7 that the golden phiale had become an emblem of sommeliers worldwide. It demonstrated Bulgaria's historical roots as a wine-producing country.

A phiale is, according to artlex.com, a bowl or wide cup without a handle, traditionally used in ancient Greece and other ancient Mediterranean cultures for libations (ritual offerings of wine or olive oil to the gods), ceremonies in which the liquid would be spilled over an altar or a burial site to satisfy the souls of the deceased. At its centre, a phiale would typically have an omphalos, the mythic navel of the universe.
The one being used as a model for the award dates to 1318 BCE.

ASI's annual general assembly and title-granting competition will take place mainly at the Kempinski Hotel Zografski in Sofia. It is expected to welcome more than 300 sommeliers, wine makers, oenologists, industry professionals and guests from 45 countries.

Also present will be ASI's current president Kazuyoshi Kogai from Japan, who is the first non-European to head the association.

The event officially opens on May 16 with a lecture by Bozhidar Dimitrov, director of the National History Museum, on the history of wine in Bulgarian lands. That evening, there will be a wine tasting featuring Bulgarian producers, including Bessa Valley, Domaine Menada, Enira, Gumza Vidin, Katarzyna Estates, Leventa, Miroglio, Terra Tangra, Villa Lyubimets, and VinProms Rousse, Svishtov, Turgovishte and Yambol.

On the same day, the first round of the best sommelier competition starts, with 30 sommeliers from the 30 European countries represented. Lyubomir Stoyanov of Varna, named Bulgaria's top sommelier for 2007, will stand for his country.

On May 17, there will be a series of lectures and seminars, along with degustations of wines from the Old and New Worlds, Maria Yordanova, BAS president, said.

A trip to Perperikon is organised for the 18th, with the help of the State Agency for Tourism.

On the 19th, there will be held the final round of the competition at National Theatre Ivan Vazov. There, the top three contestants will undergo a series of tests including decanting red wine, serving Champagne, tasting and characterising two white and two red wines and giving food recommendations for them, suggesting appropriate beverages for a menu presented by the jury, recognising hard alcohols in dark-coloured glass glasses, and cigar serving.

The jury comprises the top 10 sommeliers in the world, their ages ranging from 30 to 60. Yordanova said that there were no Bulgarians on the jury, as they did not yet have the highest peak of qualifications.

The event is organised by BAS and ASI, along with support from the ministries of Agriculture and of Culture, the Bulgarian Association of Professional Chefs, the State Agency for Tourism, the National Wine and Vine Chamber, the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association and commercial partners. President Georgi Purvanov will be patron to the event.