Was the Vranec Selection a wine competition that really did select the world’s best wine made from vranec (also spelled vranac)? There are many wine competitions focused on a single grape variety. The Syrah du Monde, the Chardonnay du Monde, the Sauvignon Selection by the CMB and others. They never really select the world’s best because there are simply too many wines out there, and many producers don’t participate. (And the competitions rarely pretend to have the aim to select “the world’s best”.) But if there is one wine competition that could have a good shot at selecting the “world’s best” from a single grape variety, then it is probably the Vranec Selection by the CMB. Here’s the story of this world’s first vranec/vranec competition.
There aren’t that many vranec/vranac wines out there, of course. But let’s first deal with the naming. Vranec or vranac? Well, both are correct; it just depends on which language you use. Vranac is best known, and the spelling used in, for example, Montenegro. Vranec is the spelling in North Macedonia, the country with the most extensive acreage of the grape. I’ll use both spellings.
This is a longer version of an article published on Forbes.com.
My own experience of vranec is very extensive, but who could claim that? It is a grape that basically only exists in the Balkans. Historically, I have probably tasted a handful of vranac. But then I was there two years ago and tasted a fair number of wines, vranec and others. In December, I was back in Macedonia to be one of a handful of international judges in the Vranec Selection by the CMB competition (one of the cousin competitions to the big Concours Mondial de Bruxelles). It was an audacious step by the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles into unchartered territory to organise this competition. Thanks must be given to Zvonco Herceg, the initiator and Macedonian wine educator and president of the Macedonian Association of Sommeliers, without whose enthusiasm and drive this would probably never have happened.
The jury tasted around one hundred wines in total, of which I tasted half (there were two panels). It might not sound much, but the number of wineries in the countries where it is grown—North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia—is modest, so I think it was a pretty good turnout for the first edition of the competition. Hopefully, it will be even more the next time.
It is a grape variety that, in most cases, gives intense wines. They are usually very dark, with a serious amount of tannins and acidity. It is not the type of wines you want to drink before doing a smiling photo shoot (they put a distinct colour on your teeth…). But it is precisely the wines you would like with a steak on a barbecue or – why not? – a charcoal-grilled cheeseburger. They often have aromas of dark fruits (blackberry, black currant…), violets and a bit of spice. But they can also be light and refreshing. Oak ageing is quite common, but we had very few examples of where it was over-done.
A little bit more background in a minute, but first, I will give you my own favourite wines as well as those that were judged best in the competition.
My favourite vranec wines from the Vranec Selection
My own personal favourites from the tasting were, in no particular order (scores of 90 or above):
Agrostratus Dooel Vranec, 2021, Agrostratus Dooel Winery, North Macedonia, Tikves region
Very dark, intense nose with ripe dark fruit, blackberries. Good fresh fruit, full-bodied on the palate, very intense with lots of acidity and tannins. Well-balanced. Supposedly unoaked, although it gave me some hints of oak.
Monolog, 2017, Vinarija Prica Winery, Montenegro
It is a very dark colour, with a nice nose with blackberries and black currants. Lots of fruit on the palate that is quite ripe and a bit of spice and ripe cherries. Full-bodied. Long finish with good fruit and some chocolate.
Vranec Aristokrat, 2021, Popova Kula Winery, North Macedonia, Tikves region
Quite dark, as vranec is. Very expressive nose, almost flowery with violets and ripe cherries. It’s a charming wine with a very good balance. Cherries and spices on the palate, and some chocolate. Quite a lot of tannins, but they are well under control.
Vranec Luda Mara, 2021, Tikves Winery, North Macedonia, Tikves region
Dark, yes. Very nice fresh cherries on the nose. A bit shy with some crunchy blackberries. On the palate, it is full-bodied with hints of chocolate and plenty of blackberry fruit. Good balance. A lovely wine although a bit shy on the nose.
Vranec Todor, 2021, Old School Winery, North Macedonia
Very dark. On the nose, it has plenty of ripe dark fruit with blackberries and a touch of chocolate. Powerful on the palate with very intense tannins, but that will go well with some types of food—concentrated and very solid body.
Vranç Reserve, 2018, Labi Wine Winery, Kosovo
Quite a light colour (in comparison). Brownish tinge. Some smokiness, cigar box, elegant. The palate is relatively light and elegant (unusual for vranec), with a very nice balance—an unusual vranec.
Vranec Elixir, 2015, Brzanov Artisan Winery, North Macedonia, Tikves region
Dark. The nose is dense and intense with some chocolate and dark, ripe blackberries. Also intense on the palate, with quite a bit of acidity and tannins and a certain chalky feeling. A compact, intense wine with clear marks of oak, but kept in check by the fruit.
Bela Voda red, 2021, Tikves Winery, North Macedonia, Tikves region
Dark. The nose is a bit smoky, a bit of matchstick- could it be some hints of sulphur or reduction? Not at all unpleasant, though. Promising well. Also, the palate has a slightly burned or smoky style with concentrated blackberries and black currants. A decent level of tannins. Well-made.
Some more vranac wines that I particularly liked at Vranec Selection
(Almost 90 points.)
Podrum Paradzik Vranec 2022, Podrum Paradzik Winery, North Macedonia, Tikves region,
Very dark with a touch of blue. Nice cherry nose with good fresh fruit. A good body with lots of fruits and quite spicy. The tannins are very present but are ripe. Good length.
Monolog 2017, Vinarija Prica Winery, Montenegro
Very dark, almost black. A nice nose with cherries and some chocolate. Well-balanced on the palate with ripe dark fruit. Quite high acidity, some spices. Good fresh finish with cherries and blackberries..
Stup Barrique 2021, Rade Rajkovic Winery, Montenegro
Medium colour with a brownish tinge. A very different style, quite smoky nose, but still good fruit. Some oak character, tannins may be seen as a bit rough but that adds a certain freshness.
The “winners” of the Vranec Selection
And then the wines that convinced the full jury the most of their excellence, the wines that received the total highest scores in the Vranec Selection.
Best in show wine: Stari Podrum Vranac 2015 from Plantaže, the Montenegrin company that makes more than 90% of the wines in the country.
The other top five wines, as evaluated by the jury, were:
- Croatia: Grabovac Vranac Riserva 2016 from Vinarija Grabovac
- North Macedonia: Constellation Vranec 2020 from Imako Vino
- Serbia: Vranac Potrkanjski 2019 from Vinarija Jovic
- International Blend: Kamnik Cuvée de Prestige 2020 from Château Kamnik
- Kosovo: Bucina Superiore 2021
You can find the full official results here: Selection Vranec by CMB medal winners.
The joys of discovering vranec
One of the joys of wine is making new acquaintances, both people that you happen to meet over a glass of wine but also new wine regions and new grape varieties. So, diving in on the deep side to taste so many wines from a grape variety that I knew little about was exciting.
The Vranec Selection competition actually put together the world’s biggest-ever collection in one single tasting of wines made from this grape. It was fascinating to be judging wines from this grape that certainly merits more attention from wine lovers. It was an illustration of how rare this grape is that this “world’s biggest collection of vranec wines” comprised no more than around a hundred wines.
It is a grape variety unique to the Balkans in South East Europe. It is grown almost exclusively in North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia. The total acreage is estimated to be around 15,000 hectares, the size of Alsace in France or slightly less than the Napa wine region. The most internationally well-known name is vranac, used in most of these countries. But North Macedonia has the most extensive acreage and here it is called vranec, with an E.
More than half (estimated is around two thirds) of the vranac/vranec vineyards are in North Macedonia, just north of Greece, so it was a natural choice to host the competition here and to call it Vranec Selection, with the Macedonian spelling. The jury comprised 15 wine professionals from countries all over the world, tasting and evaluating the vranecs.
So did we discover and crown “the world’s best vranec”? Probably not. There are always more good wines to be discovered and not everyone wants to take part in competitions. What is “best” is also very much a question of personal style preferences. Wine cannot be measured with a neutral yardstick. But I think the lists above will give you a very good starting point to find some excellent vranecs, or if you prefer vranacs.
2 Responses
Great report Per!
Wished I was there with you.
To make Vranec a little more International, I would mention it’s the son of Kratošija. Which is the first step of Tribidrag>Primitivo>Zinfandel.
A great source on viticulture and grape-varieties and ancestors is: vivc.de/
Thank you Paul Robert.