The Balkan Wines Series: Who won a 2022 "Balkan Wine Oscar"?
Balkan wines is the kind that is lesser-known outside the Balkans, despite some popular international varieties, such as Chardonnay, may have originated in the Balkan Peninsula. Yet, a number of producers deserve attention by producing high-quality wines, although in limited quantities. One of such wines is Bela Voda white blend from Tikveš in North Macedonia.
ðChardonnay, Grenache Blanc
ð 2017
ð TikveÅ¡, North Macedonia
â RP 92
Tikveš is both, a prominent winegrowing subregion in southern central North Macedonia, accomodating 80% of the country's wineries, and the oldest and largest winery in North Macedonia and in southeastern Europe, and at times the two are confused.
The estate was founded in 1885 and boasts more than 130 years of winemaking history. Based in the town of Kavadarci in southern central North Macedonia some 90 km south of Skopje, that belong to Povardarie, one of the three wine-making regions, being the largest and the most important in North Macedonia in terms of quality and quantiy of wine produced in it, the winery produces wines with classic, international grape varieties as well as less-known varieties indigenous to southeastern Europe including Vranac, Plavec, Belan (Grenache Blanc), Rkatsiteli, Smederevka, Kratošija (also known as Zinfandel) and Ŝilavka.
Bela Voda is a rare white blend of Chardonnay and Grenache Blanc (known as Belan in North Macedonia). It's a full-bodied white, fresh with pleasant acidity, yet quite soft. Peach, melon, vanilla and bit of wet stones on the nose. The clay soil of Bela Voda estate and the typical Mediterranean climate with 270 sunny days a year make this wine's aroma quite intense. Five years in new French barrique and bottles bring butter and vanilla on the palate with a complex long, a bit chocolate finish.
In June 2022, at the eleventh edition of The Balkans International Wine Competition and Festival (BIWCF), called "Balkan Wine Oscarâ, Bela Voda White 2021 received Best Dry White Wine Trophy â the most presigious award in the competition.
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