Prokupac Day- Step Further

Establishing wines from Eastern Europe in the high quality range ones together with wines from well known world wine regions, has been one of the challenges the wineries from this part of the world have been facing for the past few years. Putting a certain grape variety into perspective, especially a local or a regional one, enables creating a variety brand that will easily help those wines be recognized by the wider wine audicence and find their place in the on or off trade.

Prokupac Day, the brain child of Igor Lukovic, owner & editor-in-chief of Vino & Fino magazine and Tomislav Ivanovic, editor-in-chief of Vinopedia http://www.vinopedia.rs/sr/, celebrated its fifth anniversary this year. The idea behind the project is to bring attention to the indigenous Serbian grape variety Prokupac and the creators have managed to do so due to several reasons. Firstly, they’ve put their focus on celebrating the grape variety and strengthening it’s brand as such firstly in Serbia & the local winemakers just had to follow the idea. Many of them would be sceptical when Prokupac was in question due to their struggle with the grape variety either in the cellar or the vineyards, depriving it from the splendor the wines from this variety can be obtained & rather planting international varieties on the expense of local ones. Finally, after five years, they have either started planting (rather replanting) more of it, investing in the cellar, and were finally convinced that the results this local variety can give can be quite rewarding.

Prior to the Prokupac conference held on 14th October, a wine trip was organized through some of the wineries producing Prokupec in the regions of Shumadija & Tri Morave so to taste the different styles of this variety.  
Grabak Winery, located in Zhupa region, on one of the hills surrounding Vrnjachka Banja, is well known for winning this year’s first golden award for Prokupec variety for their Vivak Prokupac 2017 which so much reminded me of some Piedemont reds. My first encounter with Prokupac variety (waaaay back in 2012) was with Ivanovic’s. It is no surprise that this Serbian winemaker, so many years later, still stands on the top of Serbian Prokupac producers. His Prokupac 2017 (on the market within a year), can only be considered as a superior wine & one to be regarded as a style to follow. 

Budimir winery owns some of the oldest Prokupac vines in Zhupa, the 100 year old bush vines at Gubovac location and their Prokupac Boje Lila 2013 is definitely to be admired. Moving further north in the region of Shumadija, Temet winery offered a range of Prokupac wines in different styles ranging from the highlights would be their Prokupac 2019 that underwent spontaneous fermentation & is currently being aged in 850 L amphoras since (they also have the same vintage put in 500 L French oak). And though I preferred the first as it was fresh, vibrant & fruity, the second one was another proof that Prokupac marries better with higher liter barrels. In addition to modern styles of Prokupac we tasted at Temet, a special attention was given to pairing the wines with carefully prepared amuse bouche for each of them. One more winery that offers good Prokupac is Despotika winery and their Zmajeviti Prokupac is fruity, easy quaffable wine for every occasion. Virtus winery ahowed to have one of the best roses from predominanlty Prokupac variety that has married well with Cabernet Sauvignon & Marselan. Their Prokupac 2016 won 91 points at this year’s Decanter Awards 2020 & Prokupac 733 2017, elegant & big wine, offerring fruity with dark chocolate notes, ripe orange skins, silky tannins and gripping acidity is another example that Prokupac can give high quality wines. 

Prokupac Conference- Taste the Difference, Taste Prokupac

The one day conference on Prokupac, held at Radisson Collection in Belgrade, brought carefully selected lecturers and topics that kept changing from serious ones such as Viticulture of Prokupac by Dr. Slavica Todic & Genetics of Balkan vines by Dr. Natasha Shtajner, Faculty of Agronomy in Ljubljana, to interesting & funny ones such as Prokupac Mythbuster- History, Myths & Legends by Tomislav Ivanovic. The master class Prokupac on the International Wine Scene by Thomas Curtious MW (given online), gave clear directions on all concerning matters from how to label to where to market the wines from this variety.

For me the highlights were Creating Wine Region Identity through Indigenous Varieties by, as always, the marvelous Robert Gorjak, owner of WSET school Belvin in Slovenia & long time lecturer, asking all the right questions to the winemakers present and rather than giving answers, asking additional spot on questions on the positioning of Prokupac wines in the on or off trade, blended with other varieties or not, the difficulty the wine consumers will find in pronounication of Prokupac or lack thereof etc. More was said during the master class & wine tasting Step Further given by Igor Lukovic & Tomislav Ivanovic where as Lukovic put it: Prokupac has earned the reputation of a legitimate wine!

The Prokupac week ended with Prokupac Wine Salon where 30 Serbian wineries showcased their wines made from Prokupac which was followed by concert by the fenomenal Vasil Hadzimanov band.

Prokupac wines have gone far from what they were few years ago- the styles have obviously changed ranging from the old good rustic one still cherished mostly in Zhupa & old traditional barrel aged ones to more fruity ones undergoing spontaneous fermentation, amphoras are more and more used and the barriques are less or only partially used at the expense of bigger barrels (where apparently Prokupac shows better results). The Serbian winemakers have finally started to appreciate the variety instead of avoiding it like they did in the past- and finally it paid of. Proof for this is winning the first gold at Decanter this year. Prokupac Day, which today is a sort of a movement in Serbia, has allowed this grape variety to be praised not only in Serbia, but also world wide.

My top Prokupec wines ( ones not to miss) would be Ivanovic Prokupac 2017 (on the market within a year), Temet Tri Morave Reserve 2017, Grabak Vivak Prokupac 2017, Doja Breg 2017, Prokupac – Zachinak 2018 by Matalj winery, Chokot Radovan Prokupac 2017, Despotika Zmajeviti Prokupac 2017 & Prokupac White 2019 by Milanov Podrum (one of the very pleasant suprises for me).

Overall success for the Balkan wineries was noted at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards thus proving, once again, not only the potential & the rising quallity of Balkan wines, but also the unstoppable strive to create superb wines.

Serbian winery, Erdevik, wins platinum award for their amazing Omnibus Lector 2015 at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards– the highest award for a Serbian winery at this wine competition. 

The DWWA 2020 judges described this wine as “A fantastic, multi-layered wine, characterised by a real intense profile. On the nose there is a powerful expression of chalk and smoke, followed by green melon, peach and nectarine flavours. It’s well integrated and finishes lengthily. Really impressive.” 

In addition, three more Serbian wineries win gold thus marking the step forward the wineries from this country have achieved in the last year- Matalj Kremen Kamen Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 (95 points), Matalj Kremen Kamen 2017 (95 points) i Vivak Prokupac 2017 vinarije Grabak (95 points).  

Bosnia & Herzegovina wins two gold medals for Jungic Winery & their Premium Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 & Podrum Vilinka Zilavka 2019, 11 silver and seven bronze ones.

Bulgaria gets gold for Stallion Classic 2018 by Angel’s Estate as well as 16 silver medals & 30 bronze ones.

Croatian wineries are awarded three Platinum medals: Nono 4 Terre 2015 (97 points), Kozlovic winery Selekcija Malvazija 2017 (97 points) & Grashevina de Gotho by Kutjevo winery (also 97 points) as well as additional 11 golds, 68 silvers and 88 bronzes.

Greece gets five Platinum awards- three of them go the same winery- Estate Argyros for Vinsanto 12 years barrel aged 2004 (98 points), Cuvee Monsignori 2018 (97 points & Vinsanto 4 years barrel aged 2012 (97 points), Kthima Biblia Chora Ovilos 2019 (97 points) & Volcanic Slopes Vineyards Pure (97 points) for their amazing Assyrtiko. They als get 10 golds, a whopping 107 silver ones & 133 bronze.

Macedonian wineries win 30 medals in total- nine silver ones and 21 bronze medals. Venec wins, for three years in a row, silver for their Koria Temjanika 2018. Dalvina wins two silver medals for their Touch Premium Syrah 2017 & Hermes Vranec 2017 (in addition to the six bronze ones), Stobi wins one silver for their Rkaciteli 2018 & Tikves is awarded five silver medals for Barovo Red 2017, Bela Voda 2019, Cuvee Cyril 2019, Kratosija 2019 & Special Selection Temjanika 2019.

Montenegro wins one gold for Plantaže’s Pro Corde Vranac 2016 (95 points)  as well as eight silver and three bronze medals.

Slovenia wins four Platinum medals for Cuvee Prestige Extra 2015 Brut by Bjana winery, Krapež Malvazija 2018, Marc Pinela 2019 i Ščurek Up Rebula 2016 as well as seven gold ones, 60 silver and 114 bronze medals.

Aleksandrovic Winery Awarded the Grand Trophy at BIWC 2020 & Macedonian Wines win Impressive 46 medals

At the gala ceremony held in Sofia this Thursday, the trophy for best wine on the Balkan was awarded to the Serbian winery Aleksandrovic for their Trijumf 2019. The traditional award ceremony, called “The Balkan Wine Oscars”, was held outdoors for the first time and was open to all visitors to the wine town in front of the National Palace of Culture.

No surprises in the category for Best sparkling wine on the Balkans as it rightfully goes to Edoardo Miroglio from Bulgaria for their EM Brut Rose 2009.  Epic rose 2019 from the Bulgarian winery Staro Orahovo wins trophy for Best Balkan rose and Vinsanto 2013 from the Greek winery Domaine Sigalas is awarded Best sweet wine on the Balkans. The greek wineries sweep away also the trophy for Best Balkan white for Santorini Skitali 2017 by Hatzidakis Winery and Best Sweet wine from indigenous variety for Malvasia 2012 by Monemvasia Winery. 

Macedonian wineries win impressive 45 medals in total and among them some of the most important ones- Tikves Chateaux & Domaines 1885 wins trophy for Best Indigenous Red Variety Trophy for their Barovo Red 2017 and Chateau Kamnik wins Best of Show for their Terroir Vranec Grand Reserva 2015.

However, the biggest surprise comes from some of the smallest wineries in the country that have participated for the first time at BIWC- Eros winery wins double gold for their Vranec 2019 ( and gold for their Chardonnay Late Harvest 2019) and Markov winery wins gold for their Vranec 2019. Both wines show Vranec in a different style, a young expression of this variety, without too much intervention and one that is more and more appreciated. Another winery that surprises is Chateau Sopot for winning gold for their Raspberry Fruit Wine, thus becoming the first Macedonian winery to win such medal at this competition.

Badi winery wins silver medal for their Cabernet Sauvignon Badi Love 2019.

Bovin winery wins five silver medals for their Disan 2017, Alexandar 2018, Muscat Temjanika 2019,  New Symphony Cuvee 2019 & Imperator 2018.

Chateau Kamnik wins nine medals in total– three double golds for their Terroir Vranec Grand Reserva 2015, Kratošija 2017 & Chardonnay Barrel Fermented 2018, four golds for their Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserva 2016, Merlot Single Vineyard Reserva 2018, Cuvee de Prestige 2018 & Monte 2019 as well as silver for Single Vineyard Pinot Grigio 2019 and one bronze for Pinot Noir Clos Vineyard 2018.

Chateau Sopot, in addition to the gold medal for their Fuirt Raspberry Wine win one silver medal for Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot & Shiraz 2017 and three bronze medals for Vranec 2017, Chardonnay Grand Reserve 2015 & Riesling & Chardonnay & Temjanika 2018.

Stobi wins three golds for their Vranec Veritas 2017, Aminta 2017 & 2015, four silver medals for Axios 2015, Aura 2016, Vranec Veritas 2016 & Stobi Cuvee White 2019 and two bronze medals for Rose Allegro 2019 & Rkaciteli 2019 & Rkaciteli 2018. 

Tikves Chateaux & Domaines 1885 win eleven medals in total– two double golds for their Special Selection Vranec 2017 & Barovo Red 2017, gold for their Special Selection Temjanika 2019, Barovo White 2019 & Bela Voda Red 2017, four silver medals for Alexandria Red 2018, Alexandria Cuvee 2018, Alexandria White 2019 & Domaine Lepovo Grand Cuvee Red 2015 as well as four bronze medals for Alexandria Cuvee Rose 2019, Alexandria Rose 2019, Special Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2019 & Domaine Lepovo Rose 2019. 

All results available here http://www.balkanswine.eu/en/pages/competition/Results2020/

BIWCF 2020, Interesting Times, Successful Wine Competition, Powerful Message

They say it’s a curse to live in interesting times and we have definitely been living them to the fullest for the past few months. Organizing a wine competition in times like these is by all means a challenge which was successfully pulled off by Galina Todorova Niforou, Managing Director of the Balkans International Wine Competition & Festival & Igor Lukovic, this year’s BIWC Co-organizer & Konstantinos Lazarakis MW, chairman of the jury, who was impeded to attend the long-awaited event due to the coronavirus situation.   

The 9th edition of The Balkans International Wine Competition as of this year started rotating countries, and Belgrade, the Serbian capital, was the first one were it landed. And, rightfully so as what Decanter is for the Western countries, that is BIWC for the Balkans and especially for Serbia. A medal from the Balkan International Wine Competition is praised among the Serbian winemakers. 

“Who could tell that I wasn’t with you this week?”, the chairman of the judging panel Konstantinos Lazarakis MW said at the beginning of his recorded video message for the BIWC participants. 

“Remember – go back home and just think about  your experience in Serbia. The Serbian wine producers and some of the most amazing ones in Europe”, he added.

Having been following the Balkan wine scene as far as from 2012, I couldn’t agree more. The overall wine industry on the Balkan Peninsula has changed enormously since then and has been changing ever since. The level of quality of the wines went up as much as the investments in the wine sector as both the producers and the institutions in the sector realized how much potential the Balkan wines can offer. 

 This year’s judging panel consisted of renowned experts: Rod Smith MW  (UK/France), Katia Iontcheva (Bulgaria)  Đurđa Katić (Serbia), Horia Hasnas (Romania), Ivana Simjanovska (North Macedonia), Tomislav Ivanovic (Serbia), Dashamir Elezi (Albania), Prof. dr Vesna Maras (Montenegro) , Fabiola G. Rios (Mexico, Czech Republic), Alexander Matejic (Serbia), Zvonko Herceg (North Macedonia), Michaela Kapickova (Czech Republic), Róbert Csévári (Serbia), Vihren Velkov (Bulgaria) and Vuk Stefanovic ( Serbia).  It was my first time to be panel chair at BIWC this year after having participated every year since its inception.

The Best of Show awards were given for the first time last year at the 8th edition of the Competition. Their national value was regarded as important and therefore this year BIWC awarded again the best wine per country.

Here are the awarded Best of Show wines by countries:

●        Albania – Belba winery, Chardonnay, 2019
● Bosnia and Hertzegovina – Vinarija Jungic, Tamjanika Premium, 2018
● Bulgaria – Villa Melnik, Rare Varieties Melnik 13 Jubilee, 2017
● Croatia – Caric winery, Plovac Ploski Barrique 2013
● Greece – Estate Argyros Vinsanto 20 years Barrel Aged, 1996
● Kosovo, Labi Wine, Vranç Reserve, 2017
● Montenegro – Plantaze, Stari Podrum Marcelan & Petit Verdot & Merlot, 2013
● North Macedonia – Chateau Kamnik, Terroir Vranec Grand Reserve, 2015
● Romania – Familia Vladoi, Ravak White, 2019
● Serbia – Vinarija Veritas, Momentum Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
● Turkey – Suvla winery, Karasakis Reserve, 2017

During our stay in Belgrade, visits to several wineries took place- Vinum winery, a small winery located in Sremski Karlovci, producing amazing Frankovka & crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Revelation of the evening was the first sparkling wine from Grashac– the first winery in Serbia to produce sparkling wine from this variety. Erdevik winery, located in the village of Erdevik on Frushka Gora, was the following one we visited that apart from the well crafted wines it also offered one of the best professional services I’ve come across not only on the Balkans but for surely wider. Their Grand Trianon 2015 as well as Grand Trianon 2015 both the same wine, a blend of Merlot, Syrah & Cab Sau, with the only difference that the latter was submerged underwater at the Adriatic Sea for 6 months at 30 m depth. 

Aleksandrovic & Despotika were the following wineries to visit on the second day. Aleksandrovic, located in Topola, Oplenovac on Frushka Gora is well known for an array of excellent wines but I would say they stand out for their sparkling ones, especially Trijumf Rose Sparkling 2018 as well as their powerful reds- an outstanding Rodoslov Grand Reserve, a blend of Cab Sau, Merlot & Cabernet Franc. We had the unique chance to taste the 2016 & 2005 vintages from this wine. The day was completed with a visit to Despotika winery in Shumadija. An impressive build with an amazing view of the Jesenica river valley. Having arrived there just as the sun was going down, it very much added to the whole unique experience. Their Prokupac Zmajeviti (zmaj is dragon in Serbian) is one of the best expressions of this variety that Serbia has to offer. 

The history of the Competition began in 2012, when Galina Niforou and her team met in person the wine producers to convince them to participate. They were also attracted by the name of Konstantinos Lazarakis – the first Master of Wine in the Balkans who took over the chairmanship of the jury. It has been a long run since and today, BIWC is a guarantee of quality, and wine makers highly value the medals and trophies awarded by the prestigious international jury.

Тhe Festival, the ninth edition, will take place in Sofia, and will be opened on September 17 and will run until September 19. Then the awards in the other categories will be announced, the grand trophy for the best wine in the Balkans and the country that will host the jubilee tenth edition will be announced.

Sofia is preparing to host The Balkans International Wine Festival for the ninth time, between September 17th and 19th. For the second year in a row, the wine town will rise in the open space in front of the National Palace of Culture, where Sofia residents and guests of the capital will be able to describe the most impressive Balkan wine varieties. For the first time in the heart of the festival site a Golden Tent will rise, where visitors will find the award-winning wines from the competition, scheduled for September 9-11 in Belgrade.

The lavish three-day event will be held entirely outdoors, providing entertainment in a comfortable and safe environment. The competition judges president – the world-famous Master of Wine Konstantinos Lazarakis – will greet the guests of the event with a pre-recorded video.

On September 17th at 8 p.m. the organizers of The Balkans International Wine Competition and Festival (BIWCF) will announce the trophies by category and the grand trophy for the best wine on the Balkans and the best winery in the region at a luxury event at the club “Peroto” in Sofia. It will be preceded by an art event – painting barrels by students from the National School of Fine Arts “Iliya Petrov” and famous Bulgarian artists under the motto “Faith, hope, love for the Balkans”, which will be in unison with the feast of Sofia.

Another special highlight this year are the national pavilions in the wine town. Their tents will gather winemakers from different Balkan countries, who will present a selection of their most exotic and quality wines. Of course, the wine is not recommended with an empty stomach, so the festival visitors will be able to taste delicious food, emphasizing the flavour of the wine tasted. In this special corner you will be able to relax, spend time with friends and meet new ones. One of the super strengths of wine from the Balkan region is that it unites us!

“The preparations for the festival are in full speed and the whole team is working to make the ninth edition of The Balkans International Wine Competition and Festival unforgettable. We did not give up in the most difficult part of the year, now we are even more ambitious to do our best in the name of offering this long-awaited glamorous event to Sofia residents and guests of the city. The festival and the competition provide invaluable support to the wine industry, which has suffered serious losses in the current difficult year, but still has something to surprise and delight us! ”, says Galina Niforu, Director of BIWCF.

The competition will take place on September 9th – 11th in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. The registered wineries have a record number and are almost four times more than the first edition of the competition in 2012 – as many as 230. Belgrade will also host master classes led by proven professionals in the wine industry, as well as the announcement of the Best of Show handed out to distinguished wineries from each country.

The Balkans International Wine Competition And Festival 2020 is taking place with the support of Sofia Municipality, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bulgarian-Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SAVEZ – Association of the Serbian Wine Producers, SERSA – Organization of the Serbian Sommeliers, as well as with the media partnership of БНР, our main partner in Serbia – Vino & Fino magazine, Oinohoos magazine, Manager magazine, Moto Pfohe Rent a Car, Exporter.bg, Мама Нинджа, Hit-bg.com, WineBG.info, списание Твоят бизнес, b2b media.bg, Exporter.bg, InFoodVeritas.com, ExpoWorld.bg, Agro TV, Стандарт, PROGRESSIVE magazine, Аз чета, Жената днес, Winetours.bg, Wineo.bg, Bulgaria Wine Тours, Арт Идея Бг, Bulgaria Wine Тours, Fresh Cuts of Life, предаването “Винена одисея” on  Balgare TV, wineo.bg, WineTourMaker.com, Autentika, Turističke priče, Vinopedia, In your pocket, Visitskopje, Sofiaadventures, Vino.mk, Exotic Wine Travel, Vin2.ro, Winepeople.ro.

​At this year’s 26th Grand International Wine Award Mundus Vini 2020 (Spring Tasting) ​almost 7500 wines from all over the world were presented and tasted by 268 wine experts from 54 countries. The six-day tasting, that took from 18th to 23rd February 2020 at the Saalbau in Neustadt, Germany, proved that the wines from all over the world demonstrated excellent quality level as it ended with the award of 43 Grand Gold, 1,546 Gold and 1,406 Silver Medals. Italy won the most awards exactly 658 medals, followed by Spain with 631 medals, third place goes to France with 325 medals, 286 medals for Portugal and Germany with 239 awards. 

The six-day tasting, that took from 18th to 23rd February 2020 at the Saalbau in Neustadt, Germany, proved that the wines from all over the world demonstrated excellent quality level as it ended with the award of 43 Grand Gold, 1,546 Gold and 1,406 Silver Medals. Italy won the most awards exactly 658 medals, followed by Spain with 631 medals, third place goes to France with 325 medals, 286 medals for Portugal and Germany with 239 awards. 

The Macedonian wineries won an impressive 28 gold and 13 silver medals- 5 Gold medals & one silver for Chateau Kamnik, one gold for Chateau Sopot, one gold for Venec, 4 golds & one silver for Dalvina, one gold & one silver for Domaine Lepovo, 2 gold & 2 silver for Popov, 6 gold & one silver for Stobi, 3 gold & one silver for Tikves, one gold for Lazar, 2 silvers for Imako Vino and 4 gold & one silver for Touch Wines, who also won Best of Show for their Premium Merlot 2017. In addititon, Stobi Winery received the award for best Macedonian producer.

Being my third time to judge at this prestigious competition, my notion is that the success in the competition lies in the impeccable organization by the Meinenger family and their team, the excellent programme of the event that involves presenting wines from little know countries in the world and of course the quality of the samples. 

During the upcoming ProWein in Düsseldorf to be held March 15-17, 2020, around 650 winning wines from the Mundus Vini Spring Tasting will be presented to the specialist public at the world’s largest and most important wine trade fair. On the first day of the fair, the Mundus Vini board honors the wine producers whose wines has been awarded a “Best of Show” at an award ceremony.

In addition, the full list of medals won by the Macedonian wineries:

Gold Medals: 

Chateau Kamnik
Ten Barrels Syrah 2017Ten Barrels Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Signature Merlot Grand Reserva 2017Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Cuvee de Prestige 2017
Chateau Sopot
Vranec 2017
Dalvina
Ar-Makedon 2016
Dioniz Vranec 2017Hermes Vranec 2017Hermes Merlot 2017
Domaine Lepovo
Grand Cuvee 2016
Lazar
Erigon Kratoshija 2017
Popov
Vrshnik Pinot Gris-Gewurtztraminer 2018
Cuvee Prestige 2017
Stobi
Private Reserve Vranec Veritas 2017
Private Reserve Vranec Veritas 2016 
Private Reserve Vranec Veritas 2015
Private Reserve Axios 2015
Stobi Cuvee White 2019
Rkaciteli 2019
Tikves
Barovo Red 2017
Special Selection Vranec 2017
Alexandria Cuvee Red 2018
Touch Wines
Premium Shiraz 2017
Premium Merlot 2017- Best of Show
Premium Cuvee Superior 2016
Grand Cuvee Red 2017
Venec
Orle Vranec 2017

Silver Medals:
Bovin
Alexandar 2018
Vranec 2017
Chateau Kamnik
Winemaker’s Selection 2018  
Dalvina
Dionis Merlot 2017
Domaine Lepovo 
Rose 2019
Imako Vino
Constellation Vranec 2018
Black Diamond Vranec 2017
Popov
Smolnik Vranec 2018
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2017
Stobi
Vranec 2018
Tikves
Barovo White 2019
Touch Wines
Merlot 2017

Vojvodina Wine Show 2019

Vojvodina Wine Show was held 21st September at the beautiful Villa Stankovic ​on Fruska Gora. The villa, with an amazing view on the Danube River, was opened for public for the first time and it was the place where more than 40 wineries from the region gathered to showcase their wines.

A lovely display of wines from indigenous grape varieties to Serbia- from the elegant Sedusa, produced only by Sijacki Podrumi Winery and some other wines gems- Sauvignon Blanc ( the label reads Sаувињон Блејк), named after Carrington Blake from, anyone remember, Dynasty? by Chichetau Winery, a very fine crispy rose’ by Vista Hill Winery, Grafitti 2-16, e blend of Merlot & Marselan, by Bjelica winery- a frutiy wine with lots of young red-berry fruit aromas.
The day was rounded with two masterclasses on Serbian wines given by Darrel Joseph & Igor Lukovic.

Following the Vojvodina Wine Show, a press trip was organized for the wine journalists and international wine judges (including yours truly) to some of the wineries in this region. The first stop was the family owned winery called Vinum, located in Sremski Karlovci, known for their Sauvignon Blanc, Grasac and an amazing Frankovka. The intriguing thing about this winery is that they will be the first ones in Serbia to release the first sparkling wine made from Grasac variety. The second stop was Kovacevic winery, where we had a rare opportunity to taste some of their archive wines like Riesling 2009 & Merlot 2012 as well as their Morava Orange 2017, macerated for seven months in amphoras & aged for one year in barriques. As it is the trend around the world to focus on organic grape & wine production, Kovacevic has fully dedicated to producing organic wines in the future as their vineyards are under conversion.

Fruskogorski vinogradi winery welcomed us at their vineyards overlooking the Danube river where we had an epic lunch & a vertical tasting of Grasac 2017,2015 & 2012 (my favourite). One of the most interesting things about this variety is that once you taste young Grasac is that you wouldn’t expect that it’s a grape variety with an ageing potential but the 2012 showed marzipan, almonds & smokey aromas, more of that marzipan flavours on the palate and a gripping acidity that will keep it going for a long time.

The picturesque setting of Deuric winery was the last stop on the press trip. And while enjoying the endless vineyards surrounding the winery, one also enjoys the plantings of apples around the winery. Fine, elegant, clean wines were presented- the sparkling The 2015 (only 2000 bottles made) produced only in exceptional years, Morava 2017, another indigenous grape variety to Serbia- young yellow fruits & flowers, gripping acidity all in all, a lovely wine, Probus 2017 showing lots of peony flower aromas.

The evening ended with a wine tasting of wines from Fruska Gora & mingling with the winemakers from this wine region at the Sheraton Hotel in Novi Sad. All in all, I really enjoyed discovering local Serbian varieties & the location of the vineyards, most of them overlooking the Danube River, the beautiful mountains as well as the lovely wines from this region.

Best Macedonian White Blends to Drink This Summer

Summer’s long underway & the days are getting hotter in the city. Check out some of the best white Macedonian blends to refresh you during the hot days whether that be at home, in one of the restaurants throughout the country or at the beach for the lucky ones.

Popov Domaine Vrshnik 2017
A blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc & Gewurtztraminer from the family boutique winery Popov located in the Tikves Wine District.  The nose gives away aromas of citrus fruit, white lilies and subtle hints of vanilla. On the palate more citrus fruits and ripe peaches giving you an impression of mild sweetness unexpectedly followed by a mineral & spicy finish. The wine was aged on the lees (sur lie) for two months hence the toast and nutty flavours and full body.
Available in the bigger supermarkets, specialized wine stores & restaurants around the country.
Retail price: MKD 480

Chateau Kamnik Winemaker’s White 2018

Tikves Alexandria Cuvee White 2018A blend of Chardonnay 80% & Rhein Riesling 20% from Tikves winery, the oldest winery on the Balkans. Floral & fruity wine with the nose showing abundance of yellow flowers and citrus fruits. The palate follows the nose with additional lime and white pear flavours. A full-bodied wine with good acidity and a prolonged aftertaste ready to be enjoyed during these hot summer months. Available in the bigger supermarkets, specialized wine stores & restaurants around the country.
Retail price: MKD 400

Tikves Bela Voda 2018
Another wine by Tikves winery- a blend of Chardonnay 50% & Grenache Blanc 50% obtained from grapes grown at the micro locality known as Bela Voda in the Tikves Wine District where the soil composition is clay & rendzina. The nose shows abundance of melon, white flowers and subtle hints of vanilla. The wine was fermented in new French barriques & aged on the lees for six months giving it additional complexity and lovely prolonged buttery, freshly ground hazelnuts and subtle mineral taste all accompanied by a crispy acidity. Available in the bigger supermarkets, specialized wine stores & restaurants around the country.
Retail price: MKD 1000

Please note that the prices may vary