Macedonia produces all styles of wine - dry and sweet, still and
sparkling, red, white and rosé.
Well-known international varieties such as
Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as indigenous grapes like Vranec,
are used to produce wines that are always uniquely Macedonian.
When experts are asked to describe the wine style nurtured by Macedonian
winemakers from their specific terroir, the most frequent answer received is
‘fruit-forward style'. Macedonian wines are inviting, pleasant and delicate, with
a flavour that lingers on the palate. They are a living proof of our
winemakers' progress towards balance and a sense of moderation.
Macedonian wines abound in concentrated fruit and aroma. The wonderful
climate of warm weather and sunny days, and the excellent harvest conditions,
allow us year after year to have ripe and healthy grapes to make our wines
from.
VRANEC
Vranec is
the most important grape variety of Macedonia. The dark red berries
grow on moderately vigorous and very productive vines. The variety is
cultivated throughout the country, primarily on small family owned vineyards.
Hand harvesting begins in mid-September and reaches into October in cooler
regions.
When young, Vranec-based wines have a bright
purple hue and a nose full of strawberry jam, tree fruit, and berry. The firm
tannin structure supports a remarkable crispness. With a year or two of ageing,
the purple turns to a darker ruby colour and the nose develops a more complex
aroma that often includes notes of chocolate and liquorice. The mouthfeel
softens and the wine develops a longer and smoother finish.
Vranec merges well with other
grape varieties, often producing well-balanced wines when blended with Cabernet
Sauvignon or Merlot.
Vranec is best served at cellar temperature and
can accompany the entire range of Macedonia's varied cuisine,
including tomato-based salads, smoked or grilled meat, and aged cheese.
STANUSINA
Stanushina is indigenous Macedonian variety
- grown nowhere else in the world - that is not very well-known but is
nonetheless capable of producing high-quality wine. It is mostly grown in the
Tikvesh wine district. With the introduction of international grape varieties
to Macedonia,
Stanushina started to disappear from the country's vineyards. But with the
current initiative to make quality wine from domestic varieties, it looks as
though the star of Stanushina will shine again.
Stanushina ripens very late but gives good
yields. In a good year, it can provide the base for a red wine of high
quality and medium strength, with 11-12% alcohol. Although
characteristically pale in colour, it is rich in extract. The high level of
acid gives the wine remarkable freshness.
Best enjoyed at a
temperature of 10-16°C, Stanushina typically has a light strawberry and
raspberry aroma. This fruity and subtle wine is best when drunk young. It
goes well with deserts that are light and creamy such as pannacotta or various
types of puddings and as aperitif with lettuce or rocket based salads (Cesar's
salad).
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Cabernet
Sauvignon is the classic red grape variety of Bordeaux,
but it is equally well-suited to Macedonia's climate and soils. This
is a late-ripening vine that is considered by some Macedonian winemakers as
difficult to grow but always worth the effort.
Macedonian Cabernet is
sometimes blended with Merlot or Vranec to make more complex wines, but even on
its own it's a savoury and juicy red wine, with chewy tannins and a pronounced
blackcurrant flavour. The depth of colour and flavour is always noticeable.
Cabernet is best served at a temperature of 18°C and always drinks well with
strongly flavoured food, such as grilled red meat and game.
The best examples of Macedonian Cabernet can be
aged for up to five years. Cabernet is also used in Macedonia to produce light and
charming rosé wines from a gentle pressing of the grapes. These wines often
taste of soft red fruits.
MERLOT
Macedonian Merlot is all about fruit and
delicacy. It is sometimes blended with Cabernet or Vranec (or even both
together), as Merlot is capable of softening the sometimes tough Cabernet and
Vranec tannins.
An earlier ripener than Cabernet or Pinot Noir,
Merlot is a productive vine that produces a softer, more fruity and less tannic
red wine than the forceful Cabernet and Vranec styles found in Macedonia. It
doesn't age as long, either.
Merlot is a plummy, juicy and sometimes earthy
red that is best served at room temperature (16-18°C) and goes well with
full-flavoured dishes of meat and richer fish, such as grilled tuna.
CHARDONNAY
Widely-grown
throughout Macedonia,
Chardonnay does particularly well in the central Vardar
wine region. It is very easy to grow and to make into different styles of white
wine.
Although it adapts well to barrique ageing,
Macedonian Chardonnay can be oaked or unoaked, with the oaked styles suggesting
aromas of butter and bananas. The unoaked Chardonnay is made in a very fruit
forward style. It usually has tropical fruit flavours, though some examples
taste more of green apples. The acidity can vary from soft and fruity to crisp
and steely. Chardonnay is also used in the production of Champagne,
so not surprisingly it is used in Macedonia to make excellent
sparkling wines.
Macedonian winemakers
occasionally blend Chardonnay with other grapes, such as Muscat. It should be served chilled at 8°C
and is best drunk with fish, white meat, and anything in a creamy or buttery
sauce.
SAUVIGNON
BLANK
Macedonian
Sauvignon Blanc is recognisable by its piercing herbaceous and grassy aroma.
Sometimes it is blended with Semillon, as with the dry white wines of Bordeaux in France.
Sauvignon has much higher acidity than
Chardonnay, and in Macedonia
it is never oaked - this is not a variety suited to barrique ageing. It is best
drunk young and fresh, and rarely has the capability of Riesling and Chardonnay
to age.
A dry and refreshing white wine,
Macedonian Sauvignon Blanc often has a pronounced taste of tropical fruits
and white flowers.
It is most enjoyable chilled to 8°C with salads,
shellfish and lighter fish dishes.
TEMJANIKA
Also
known as Muscat
de Frontignan, Temjanika has a pronounced smell of thyme, hence its name -
‘temjan' is the Macedonian word for ‘thyme'. The nose often suggests spicy
aromas, too, as well as fresh grapes, apricot, dried plum or orange rind.
A dry to off-dry white wine, Temjanika has a
striking green and yellow colour. The taste is full and long-lasting, with
intense freshness.
Like Traminec, it is best
served at 10-12°C and is excellent with desserts or even drunk by itself.
ALEXANDAR
Alexandar is a superior dry red wine from BOVIN. It is a proprietary blend
of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Vranec. Its color is intense purple. The nose
is full of red fruit and berries with a wonderful complex aroma and a rich and
full taste. Its herbal fruity tones make this wine unforgettable. Alexandar is
best served at 15-17°C with beef, roasted pork, veal, lamb, and grilled meats.
PREMIER
Premier is a unique semisweet Cabernet Sauvignon produced only by
BOVIN. Acquired from an unirrigated and ecologically farmed hillside vineyard,
the grapes for Premier are carefully picked very late in the harvest. The
extremely low yields (2,400 kg per ha) and high ripeness of the fruit (28%
sugar) give this exclusive wine abundant alcohol and dry extract. Premier has a
rich red color and an inviting complex aroma of raisins, grapes and
honey. With a full and rich mouthfeel this special wine has the taste of
nectar and a lingering fruity aftertaste. Served very lightly chilled,
Premier can be its own dessert or as an accompaniment to cookies or delicate
pastry. It is a real elixir of life.
Republic of Macedonia
is a sunny, mountainous country in the heart of the Balkans. Many say
that Macedonia is the pearl of the Balkans owing to its beauties. The
climate is influenced by the Mediterranean Sea and north-west mountains.
Warm periods of time and sunny days characterize the favorable climate
that creates good conditions for breeding the vine and producing the
wine.
