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OpdotEd - Around the World of Wine by André Drobotoff

Balkan Wines 12 June 00, vol. 1. no. 14

Bosnia - Herzégovina
They produce red Blatina and white Zilavka wines but the interest, nevertheless, is limited.

Croatia
The vineyard of Croatia is divided in two distinct areas. The continental Croatia that expands to the southeast along the Drave until the Danube, produces essentially white wines with grape varieties such that Traminer, Welschriesling, Muscat Ottonel and Pinot Blanc. Vines are often arranged in terraces. Hillsides of Baranja are considered  to give the best wines.
On the strip of ground  that constitutes the Maritime Croatia, the sun, the sea and rocky grounds conjugate to favor the production of good red  wines to stem from Plavac Mali, a grape variety  of quality. The most known wines are Postup and Dingac, come from the peninsula of Peljesac, as well as Faros from the Hvar island. All along the Dalmate coast , the wine from Plavac, dry or sweet, is of a very variable quality. Westward Split, it is an other indigenous grape variety, Babic, that is planted on rocky terraces of Primosten. The Istria peninsula is famous for its Motovunski Teran, a dry white wine, relatively little alcoholized. Malvazija, Pinot Blanc, Merlot, Gamay and Cabernet Sauvignon are equally well known.
Croatia is the lone country of the region equiped with a system for managing quality wines. Since 1986, there exists a label of origine that consist of three categories : S for selected vintages, B for quality wines, C for table wines.

To known more about Croatian wines, visit the site : Croatian Wine Page

Kosovo
Kosovo benefits from a karstic soil containing bauxite. Red wines predominate with grape varieties such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Prokupac, Merlot and Gamay. The principal white grape varieties are Welschriesling, Riesling from Rhine and Zilavka.

Macedonia
The best wine is the Kratosija from the homonymous vine and Vranac.

Monténégro
Vranac with aromas of cherry has all favors. Most considered as vineyards are planted on barren and stony lands of hillsides that circle the Skadar lake. Vranac is sometimes compared to Merlot and  Cabernet.

Serbia
Red grape varieties dominate, notably Prokupac, an indigenous variety often compared to Pinot Noir and to Gamay. Some of the best wines from Cabernet Sauvignon come from the Morava valley, to the east of Serbia. Vineyards of Zupa, in the region of Krusevac, count among majority of former of  Yugoslavia and produce classy wines. To the north-east of Serbia, Vojvodine, with its cold winters and its hot summers, is very comparable to Hungary and to Romania.

Slovenia

In 1968, the Slovenia republic was endowed with a system of classification of quality wines : the best vintages have a right to a gold coloured label, fine wines for a silvery label and table wines coming from a defined geographical area, to a black label.

Slovenia has three wine-growing areas.

   - Primorski region of the coast, lining Adriatic Sea around Koper, then spreads to the north the long of the Italian border (Vipava 1894 Winery, Movia, Vila Marija). Wines are comparable to their Italians neighbors from Frioul and Venetia, the grape varieties are often the same : Teran, Rebula, Tocai Friulano and Pikolit. Other vines are known as Malvoisie, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc , Pinot Gris, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Barbera.

  - Posavski, valley of the Save product wines that a lot of people consider as the best white wines of the country. The Metlika area produces Eiswein (Merkator-KZ Metlika). Vineyards, generally situated on steep hillsides, are planted with Laski Rizling, Traminer, Sauvignon, Pinot Blanc, Sipon and Sylvaner.

  - Podravski, valley of the Drave, cultivates the same vines that the valley of the Save, but its vinicoles traditions allow fresh white wines to drink young, relate a lot to those of the Austrian Steiermark, the other side of the border (Ljutomercan Winery). The most famous wine, Ljutomer Laski Rizling, known, for a certain period as very  fashionable

across the Channel, while Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and especially Sauvignon are incomparably best. The region produces furthermore a white wine half - sweet, baptized "Milk of Tiger" based on Ranina.

To known more about Slovenian wines, visit the site : The Wines of Slovenia

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