Vranac

Vranac is the flagship red wine grape of Montenegro and North Macedonia and one of the most important native varieties of the Western Balkans, yet it is still little known outside the region. Its name comes from the South Slavic word for "black" — a nod to the near-opaque, inky colour of the wine — and Vranac lives up to it, pouring a deep, dark ruby-to-purple that stains the glass. Full bodied and firmly tannic with brisk acidity, it leads with ripe blackberry, dark cherry and dried plum wrapped in a savoury edge of herbs, tobacco, leather and warm spice. Rustic and powerful in its old-school form yet increasingly polished with modern winemaking and oak, it is the bold, Mediterranean-souled face of Balkan red wine, built to stand up to grilled meats and the hearty cooking of its mountainous home.