Distillation

The metro at Syntagma offers commuters a chance to sample traditional Cretan products from February 16 through to 21. The metro’s conference hall will be filled with kiosks offering Cretan cheese, bread, honey, raki, wine, marathopites and a number of other local products served with a smile.

The know-how of cultivating mastic, the aromatic resin of an evergreen that grows on the eastern Aegean island of Chios, has been included by UNESCO on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

MELBOURNE - Lonely Planet, the world's the largest travel guide book publisher, has named Serbia one of Top 10 most attractive countries to visit in 2015, saying that "this astonishingly inexpensive country is one of Europe's best-kept secrets."

The second edition of the Balkan Rakia Fest will take place in Hall 6 of Sofia's National Palace of Culture (NDK) between October 23 and 26.

More than 200 rakia brands and spirits beverages from Bulgaria and the neighbouring countries will be presented. The ticket, costing BGN 7, includes tastings of fruit, grape and anise brandies, as well as other Bulgarian and imported spirits.

A third night of U.S.-led air strikes late targeted ISIL-controlled oil refineries in eastern Syria as ISIL fighters have accelerated their campaign to capture Kobane

Ten tons of toxic tar was discovered on Wednesday after being dumped on a side road in Koropi, east of Athens.

The containers were spotted by an Attiki Odos employee who notified authorities.

They believe that the substance is what was left over from fuel smugglers’ efforts to convert bunker fuel into heating oil.

Prices of wine and rakia (fruit brandy) could increase by 10-15% in winter, reports the national Darik radio. 

The reason is the low yield due to the inclement weather in Bulgaria this spring and summer. 

Rositsa Kyuchukova, vineyard owner, told Darik that she expects 60% lower yield than last year. 

The famous apricot rakia (brandy) from region around the town of Silistra, in north eastern Bulgaria, this year will be in short supply, reports the Darik national radio.

BELGRADE - The International Wine Fair BeoWine will be held in Belgrade from February 27 to March 2 and it will gather over 140 presenters from 13 countries famous for their rich wine production tradition.