One of the largest and most modern wineries in North Macedonia, Stobi Winery has become one of the country’s major international brands. Although technically located in Veles, most of the wines are bottled and labelled as Tikveš wine district.
Stobi Winery, located in Gradsko, is one of the key players in Macedonia and one of the most recognisable Macedonian brands now found in international markets. With six hundred hectares of vineyard and a brand new state of the art winery that boasts a production capacity of four and a half million litres a year, Stobi is the producer most likely to set the bar for accessible, value driven wines from both international and local varieties.
Although Stobi only released their first vintage in 2010, it’s a well funded venture that is likely to make an instant impact with consumers. Stobi’s wines are clean, modern and well packaged, with vivid references to Macedonia’s ancient archaeological and cultural heritage. The famous Stobi ruins, which lie almost next door to the winery on what was once the main road from the Danube to the Aegean Sea, feature a mosaic peacock, an image that has been cleverly incorporated into the company logo and is proudly embossed on the labels.
The majority of vineyards are also situated in Gradsko, 65% of which are given over to red varieties such as Vranec (200ha), Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Prokupec and Kadarka. The white varieties planted are Zilavka, Zupjanka, Rkatsiteli, Smederevka, Chardonnay, Muscat Ottonel, Italian Riesling and Rhine Riesling. Unlike many other wineries in Macedonia though, Stobi only produce wines from their own vineyards and as such the first. With an average age of twenty years these vineyards are now at an optimum age for producing a good healthy crop of fruit capable of producing good quality wines at all price levels.
