The second day of BIWC wine competition starts in good humor. We are eager to start the day with a selection of white wines from the Balkans made from local varieties such as Grasă de Cotnari, Smederevka, Župljanka. Wines made from indigenous varieties are by no means inferior in quality to wines made from international grape varieties. Slowly, Turkish autochthonous varieties line up in front of us as well, followed by Vranac from North Macedonia, Bosnia and Montenegro, and then international grape varieties from Bulgaria... During three days of judging, the wine judges will evaluate almost 1000 wine samples from all countries of the Balkans.

A short break after the tasting session, and then we head to Chateau Sopot winery where lunch awaits us. Could there be a nicer setting for lunch than the terrace of the winery and restaurant, offering a splendid view of the vineyards at an altitude of 220 meters with the constant Povardarac breeze which brings freshness during the hot summer days. The menu includes gastronomic pearls of Macedonian cuisine, such as Pastrmajlija of Veles and Ohrid trout. They were accompanied with Vranac and Chardonnay aged in French oak. Macedonian semi-sweet Tamjanika under the label Temjanika Desire 2019 perfectly paired with the dessert.

Then we continue our journey and reach Lazar winery. This winery breaks stereotypes regarding white wines from North Macedonia. Graševina, which we tasted, looks more like Graševina/Grašac from the north of Croatia and Serbia than white wines from the warm south which tend to lack freshness and have high alcohols. Crispy freshness, persistent impression on the palate, complex aromatic profile. At Lazar winery, we could also taste ice wine (a blend of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon).

Countryside roads in the interior of North Macedonia are difficult to navigate even when using google maps, so with some unplanned wandering, we eventually reached Popov winery. In the winery, we had the opportunity to compare wines from two micro-locations: Vršnik and Smolnik. Certainly, Vršnik has great potential owing to more sandy soil, 300 meters above sea level. Pinot Gris and Syrah that we tasted at the winery confirmed it. 

While the sun is already setting over the vineyards of Tikveš, we arrive at Tikveš winery where we have the opportunity to taste contemporary gastronomy of North Macedonia paired with the well-known wines of Tikveš winery.

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