Although the wines of North Macedonia are not particularly well known outside the Balkans, wine production in the region has a history going back some 4,000 years and the country produces some high quality wines from a range of indigenous grape varieties such as Vranec, Stanušina and Kratosija for red wines, and Žilavka and Smederevka for white wines.
The Tikveš region in central North Macedonia is home to the Kratosija grape. Genetically similar to the Primitivo grape associated particularly with southern Italy, and the Zinfandel grape grown in the United States, the Kratosija grapes produce intensely fruity, high alcohol wines with medium tannins.
The Tikveš Kratosija Crveno Macedonia (2019) wine is produced by the Tikveš Winery, one of the biggest and oldest wineries in the Balkans. Founded in 1885, the winery has benefitted from massive investment in the last twenty years and if you are looking for a fine example of wine from North Macedonia, this fits the bill perfectly.
This is a dry, full-bodied wine with medium (+) acidity and medium tannins. It has aromas of raspberry, blackberry, plum and blueberry on the nose and flavours of blackberry, cherry and plum on the palate, with overtones of vanilla and spice. A well-balanced wine with a long finish, it is a perfect match for roast lamb.
Available from Slurp (£8.95)