Yesterday, in the town of Saedinenie (near Plovdiv), the Agricultural Minister Mehmed Dikme officially opened the new ?wine cellar? facilities of the Peshtera Winery JSC. According to the minister, that is the largest and most successful investment for the region of Southern Bulgaria, of 6 million USD from the SAPARD Program. Creating the new and almost fully automated facilities cost 9 million USD altogether. The new winery will produce 14 billion litres of wine annually, using a staff of only 60 people. In April this year, for sixth time in a row, the awards from the contest ?Taxpayer of the Year? organized by the Regional Taxation Office were given in Plovdiv. In the ?Big Taxpayers? Category, the ?Golden Rose? prize was given to the Peshtera Winery. That is the second award of the Winery for being a diligent taxpayer. According to Ivan Papazov, Executive Director of the Peshtera Winery JSC, the Winery exports high-alcohol beverages to many countries. The ratio between the exported wine and high-alcohol beverages is almost equal at the moment. The famous Merlot and the Cabernet from the Bacchus series is exported to Japan and Denmark. The latest winery facilities opened yesterday disposes of oak barrels, where 1000 tons of the best wine will mature. Specialists explain that the wooden barrels are made of Bulgarian oak, specially selected from the region of the Strandzha Mountain and the valley of the Kamchia River, and seasoned for 5 years. This year, the best wine of the sorts Merlot and Cabernet has been bought out for 0.50 leva per kilogram. At the opening, the Agricultural Minister announced that the state would not only allot low-interest credits (3%) for vines-planting but also would thoroughly subside the land cultivation and fertilizing.