The country’s wine giant is a company called Tikveš. Tikves winery is owned by M6, a Macedonian investment group whose portfolio includes joint ventures with international corporations such as Coca Cola, Heineken, Amstel, and McDonald’s. Its members have extensive experience in the beverage industry. Tikveš Winery ranks as the leading wine company in Macedonia with a production output of over 3.500 hectares of controlled grapevines, as well as 500 hectares of their own vineyards situated in the Tikveš region. They produce more than 20 million bottles per year. Located in Kavadarci, the winery currently employs 350 people. It has a diverse product portfolio of still wines with principal varieties being the local Vranec, Temjanika and Smederevka, as well as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Traminer and Riesling. There is also a production of distilled wine-based spirits, sparkling wines and non-alcoholic beverages.

Lately, there has been an invasion of self-supporting producers, specialising in up-market wines. One of the most famous is Chateau Kamnik, a winery located in the capital city Skopje. This winery is part of the well-known restaurant Kamnik, which is perceived as being the favorite place of the diplomatic corps, as well as foreign business entrepreneurs and cultural, political, and sporting delegations that pay official visits to the country. Along with the traditional Macedonian cuisine, the restaurant serves some of the highest-quality red and white wines in the country. According to Ilija Malinkovski, the owner of the winery, the first Chateau Kamnik wines were produced in 2004 by him and his partner Goran Milanov. The latter is the only person in the country with a PhD in enology and is currently the director of the local Wine Institute.

“We have decided to use the traditional way of wine-production, without adding any preservatives, and therefore keep the wine purely natural”, says Mr. Malinkovski.

At Chateau Kamnik, the wine is placed in French oak barrels for a patient aging of two years, after which the wine is bottled. In the meantime, the empty barrels are sold out or given away as presents, and new ones are being ordered. This cycle repeats itself over and over. The wine at Chateau Kamnik is made of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah with an annual capacity of 50.000 liters.
“We also produce small series of extra quality wines, which are kept for special occasions and special guests”, says Mr. Malinkovski. “According to my knowledge, the most important part of the production of wine is the place where the wine is being kept, as well as the grape base, where you would have to reduce the yield and separate the best quality. The grapes we use are exclusively from a vineyard near the city of Veleš, which is located at 550 meters above sea level and is tilted towards the south - which is also very important.”

The wines of Chateau Kamnik are starting to be more and more acknowledged internationally. At the Kast Fair in Croatia, their wine received the first place in all categories, in a competition with 600 other candidates. The same happened in Novi Sad, Serbia, and at the Muscats du Monde in France, it made second place. The restaurant Kamnik is also the residence of the Macedonian Consul of the European Order of Wine Knights.

The Macedonian wine producers are full of hope. Their wine cultivation has lately seen a true revolution in enology, and they are now ready to win over the European continent.



**The European Commission does not accept or recognise in whatever form or content a denomination other than “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. All references, direct or indirect, to this country used in this article are those of its author.