Prokupac Day – Vol 6.
What began as an idea to raise awareness of the potential and uniqueness of the Serbian grape variety Prokupec in the country, has crossed borders over the last six years. Today, the name of this variety, at times difficult to pronounce, resonates with bigger appreciation and Igor Lukovic and Tomislav Ivanovic, have to be “blamed” for it.
Having arrived in Belgrade in the afternoon, I & my colleagues from around the world had the chance to be part of a very special private premiere of Ivanovic Gaga Prokupac 2017 by the late genius winemaker, Dragoslav Ivanovic-Gaga, who has unfortunately left us last year. However present his absence, his presence is more than noticeable in the print he left on the wine scene & enormous legacy with his wines and his children who have carried on with the winery’s works and future.
Prokupac & pizza?!? Have no doubt about it! Majstor & Margarita, voted one of the top 50 pizzerias in Europe, was the venue that welcomed us after the wine tasting. Special pizzas made to pair excellently with Prokupac wines flowed through the evening.
Wine Salon and Conference: Prokupac- Born in Serbia
The wine salon dedicated to Prokupac, was held at the Event Center Promenada in Belgrade, at Beton Hala, a lovely place overlooking the Sava River. Twenty five producers showed their wines made only from this variety and the guests had the chance to enjoy all versions of it- Blanc de Noir, roses, everyday & top notch Prokupac wines. Not to mention the excellent Prokupac ice-cream made by Crna Ovca brand and Doja winery.
The wine conference themed “Prokupac – Born in Serbia” was held the next day at Radisson Collection hotel where an array of wine experts, Richard Pfister, Miroslav Nikolic, Dejan Vranic to name just a few, gave master classes on the Ageing Potential and Development of Aromatic Profile in Prokupac Wines, Terroir & Prokupac, Prokupac on the World Wine Map, giving an insight into the potential and the vision of this variety.
On the Prokupac Trail
Following the conference, we visited a few wineries in the course of two days. The first stop was Temet winery in the village called Lozovik in Jagodina. Temet produces one of the more intriguing Prokupac wines (usually blended with other international varieties), including, yet not on the market, Prokupac 2019 from a microlocation called Beli Kamen (White Stone) a wine that is balanced, concentrated & with a good structure and aged partly in amphoras and partly in oak barrels. The following morning we visited Chokot winery in the village of Starci (the literal translation is “Old people”), near Aleksandrovac – a truly pleasant surprise. The winery, mostly built by the owner & winemaker Radovan Djordjevic, is located on the top of a hill overlooking the town of Aleksandrovac. Radovan, who’s got a Phd in enology, led us through a wine tasting of Prokupac blends with Cabernet Sauvignon (Experiment 2017), Cabernet Franc (Experiment 2018, my favourite), with Petit Verdot, as well as Radovan 100% Prokupac. And the latter is, in my vision, the style that the Serbian should follow.
The next stop was at Braca Rajkovic winery who welcomed us in their pleasant family home in Zhupa, showing us the full array of wines they produce including Prokupac 2018 & Prokupac 2019, for which they claim it’s from a clone called R’skavac (another synonym for the variety). Doja winery, located in Toplice (Prokuplje subregion) is well known for one of the finest & elegant, equally big & boisterous, examples of Prokupac- their Breg Prokupac, currently 2017 vintage is on the market.