Vranec, or vranac, is a grape that almost only exists in the Balkans. It has an intense colour, intense fruit with blackberries and other dark fruit and very present tannins. Wines made from vranec are usually full-bodied and intense. It is a wine that goes very well with hearty food, grilled meat, stews, roasts, and cheese, but also with many other types of food. In this article, you’ll discover the essence of this genuinely Balkan grape variety that deserves more international attention.
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This is a longer version of an article published on Forbes.com.
This is an article in our series of presentations of the world’s most popular and exciting grape varieties. Read other articles here:
The name “vranac”, or “vranec”
Vranec appears under several different variations of its name. The best-known version is vranAc, the spelling used in Montenegro. That is perhaps because the biggest producer of vranac is the Montenegrin winery Plantaze, which, according to Wikipedia, has around 1500 hectares of it. Vranac is the spelling that is most used internationally. Montenegro is also generally considered to be the origin of vranac.
However, the country with the most extensive plantations of the grape variety is North Macedonia (used to be called FYROM for some time, “the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). The Macedonian spelling of it is vranEc.
To make things simple, I will use both spellings, and I will mainly use “Macedonia” for the country (without intending to cause any political offence to anyone).
Sometimes, it also appears with other spellings, such as vranç in Kosovo.
The pronunciation of it is “vranets”, so not with a “-k” at the end but a “-ts”, at least in Macedonia. (If you listen to the videos below, you will notice that I hadn’t entirely adopted that pronunciation. But hey, it’s the quality of the wine that matters, isn’t it?)
Vranec means “black stallion”. A black horse is sometimes used as a symbol for the wines of vranac, an iconography that can sometimes feel a bit dated.
Where is vranec grown?
Vranec is a uniquely Balkan grape variety. However, exact and reliable figures of how much it is planted can be challenging to find. Here’s an estimation, from a presentation by Caroline Gilby:
- Macedonia, 10.800 ha (of a total of 33,000 ha in the country)
- Montenegro, 3,600 ha (around half of the total area)
- Bosnia-Herzegovina, 480 ha
- Kosovo, 478 ha
- Serbia, 120 ha
There are also plantings in Croatia. As far as I know, very little, if any, is planted outside the Balkans.
The worldwide total is estimated to be around 15,000 hectares. This is about the same size as the area planted with vines in Alsace or Switzerland or the Medoc in Bordeaux.
The vranec grape
Vranac is a dark-skinned grape with white juice. It has medium to small berries. The relatively thick skink contains a lot of anthocyanins — colour and tannins. It is a late ripener. It can be very productive, giving big quantities of grapes, so it needs to be kept in check.
It is an ancient grape variety in the Balkans. Research has shown that the parents of vranac are kratosija (=tribidrag = zinfandel = primitivo) and duljenga, two old varieties tracing their roots back to Montenegro.
Some sources consider that the characteristics of vranec in Macedonia are quite different depending on which country it comes from, although they are still the same variety. That may be so. Of course, all wines vary in character depending on the climate, soil, grape clone, vineyard aspect, etc. But I believe that differences in winemaking, the winemaker’s choices, play a more significant role in defining the characteristic of the wines. There is undoubtedly a common vranac style.
The vranec characteristics and taste
The first thing that strikes you when you have a vranac in the glass in front of you is the very dark colour. It is often almost opaque, dark red towards black, with a blueish edge. This is also very evident when you swirl the wine or if you have a few drops left in the glass until the next day. There are exceptions, though, although they are few.
The nose has intense aromas of dark berries, blackberries, blueberries. You can also find plums and cherries, maybe cassis. It can also have hints of spices, herbs and chocolate. Sometimes there’s also an oak character, vanilla, toffee; many vranec get a bit of oak ageing.
On the palate, they are usually quite powerful. Here, you can really feel the intensity of the fruit, the tannins, and the acidity. Despite this acidity, they are generally very well-balanced and also very fresh. One should perhaps not over-emphasise the tannins, though. They are always present but sometimes quite soft. It can be easy to be fooled by the dense colour and intense fruit that there is more tannins than there actually is, so don’t let it scare you off.
A vranec wine is, in my experience, rarely over-ripe or jammy. Instead, they often give you spices and herbs. It usually has a level of alcohol around 14.5%, which is quite common in many red wines today, although sometimes a bit more. It is not light-bodied wines.
I can compare it to two other grape varieties, or rather, a combination of them: nebbiolo and syrah. Take the tannins and intense, sometimes sharp acidity of nebbiolo and combine it with the dark colour, loads of fruit and spices of a syrah. Add to that the solid structure and backbone both of these grapes usually have, and you can get a pretty good idea of what to expect from a vranac.
But there is a lot of stylistic variation. I have even encountered some vranec that have been both light in colour and body with a flowery perfume almost reminiscent of a Beaujolais. But that’s unusual.
Vranac is often vinified as a single grape variety but is sometimes also used in blends. It can be useful to include vranec to increase the depth, colour and backbone of a wine.
Here’s a short video where I describe my impressions of vranec after my first in-depth encounter with the grape in 2021 when I visited both North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro:
Wine experts’ impressions of vranec
A while back, I was one of fifteen international wine tasters invited to take part in the world’s first competition for wines made from vranec or vranac, the Vranec Selection organised in North Macedonia by the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. The competition included almost one hundred vranac wines from most of the countries in the Balkans that make them, probably the biggest ever collection of vranec wines in one place. You can read more about the competition and the wines that were given medals, as well as my personal favourites, in this article.
Few people outside the countries producing these wines have had the opportunity to taste so many wines from this grape. So I took the opportunity to ask a few of the tasters – who now must be considered to be vranec experts – what their impressions were, all members of the Vranec Selection jury. Here are their comments.
Valentin Ceafalau, Romania
Valentin Ceafalau is editor-in-chief for the Romanian wine magazine Connaisseur and Vinul.ro and a communication and marketing consultant. Here’s Valetin’s take on vranec:
It is a very interesting type of grape with personality. It can be very hard, very powerful, a bit like barolo. But it has its own personality, showing the identity of the place from where it comes. Yes, an interesting, powerful variety; a grape with a lot of force and with good acidity and big tannins. And a lot of fruit that ties it all together.
A very good ambassador for the Balkans.
Izabela Kaminska, Poland
Izabela Kaminska is a wine educator, journalist, and wine judge. She is on YouTube as “Ale wino” and has a podcast called Dzikie Drożdże. Author of the book “Dzikie drożdże. Historie o winie”.
Izabelas impressions: It’s a really interesting grape, not least because it is an autochthonous local grape that is exciting to discover. It makes “thick” black wine with loads of tannins, blackberries, and blueberries. It is sometimes aged in barrels of Macedonian oak, Hungarian oak or French oak, which gives it some sweetness and vanilla. It can have some spiciness, like cloves or liquorice. It is a big giant but with a lot of freshness.
To understand vranac one should also remember that wine is not only about taste, but also about history and context. These wines come from a really hot climate, and when you drink them, you can feel that climate in the wine.
It is also perfect with some kinds of food, for example a big steak or a leg of lamb is excellent.
Liza Vintzilaiou, Greece
Liza Vintzilaiou is a wine consultant & journalist, chemist, and oenologist from Greece.
Here’s, in short, Liza’s take on vranec: It’s full of fruit and intensity. It is very fruity with aromatic black fruit, black currants, blackberries, and modest acidity. Mellow tannins. Sometimes, a lot of oak.
It does come in many different levels of ambition, and it has a lot of potential.
Marco Sciarrini, Italy
Marco Sciarrini is an Italian journalist at Cronache di Gusto Magazine.
Here’s Marco’s take on vranec:
This was an impressive full-immersion. It is a very interesting grape, with lots of substance. Maybe there’s sometimes some progress to be made in the vineyards and winemaking; sometimes, it’s a bit like Italian wine from the 80s. In character, there is, above all, lots of fruit, very fruity. Sometimes, there’s a bit of residual sugar; perhaps a bit earlier harvest could be good; the wines seem often to be harvested late, which gives a very ripe fruit.
In terms of gastronomy, it’s a wine that goes well with food with strong tastes. For example, with very spicy food, the wines could work well with Asian food.
So, now, the only thing that remains is that you get a few vranac wines and decide for yourself what you think about this unusual and exciting grape variety.
Vranec quick facts
The name:
It can be called either vranac or vranec, pronounced at the end with “-ts”.
Where it grows:
Vranec is almost exclusively grown in the Balkans. The biggest country is North Macedonia, followed by Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Serbia.
How it tastes:
Wines from vranac are very dark, black-purplish. They have aromas of dark fruit like blackberries, blueberries, and cherries (the more acidic kind). They are often a bit spicy with dried herbs. The acidity is intense, as are the tannins, but above all, they are very fruity. Many examples are aged in oak.
