(FocusFen) - Concours Mondial de Bruxelles wine competition will be held at the International Fair – Plovdiv in the second-biggest Bulgarian city of Plovdiv from April 29 to May 1, the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported.

This is the first time the competition will take place in Bulgaria.

Nearly 9,000 wine samples from 55 countries will be presented at the event.

Such a high number is considered to be unprecedented, according to the organisers, in the 23-year history of the most prestigious independent international competition.

A record-high number of Bulgarian wines will also take part in the competition.

Over 260 samples of Bulgarian producers will be tasted by the international panel of judges at Concours Mondial de Bruxelle 2016.

Their number stood at 80 last year, when 42% of them were awarded gold and silver medals, establishing a record for the Bulgarian wine sector.

Some 320 leading wine journalists, sommeliers, wine traders, and oenologists from 52 countries will take part in the wine tasting commissions at the prestigious competition