Montenegro

Overview

Montenegro is a small Adriatic wine country with fewer than 3,000 hectares of vineyards, concentrated in the karst basin around Lake Skadar in the south. Production is dominated to a degree unusual anywhere in Europe by a single company: the state-controlled 13. Jul Plantaže, which farms about 2,310 hectares in one continuous block on Ćemovsko polje near Podgorica, one of the largest single-plot vineyards in Europe, and holds more than half of the national vineyard area. The country has two official wine regions, the Skadar Lake Basin, which accounts for the great majority of vineyard area, and the Coastal region. The signature grape is the red Vranac, supported by Kratošija and the white Krstač.

History

Viticulture on Montenegrin territory dates to the Illyrian tribes and was continued under Rome; winemaking persisted through the medieval period, notably around monasteries. The Crmnica district, an amphitheater of hills between Lake Skadar and the coastal range, built the historical reputation of Vranac and remains the country's most prestigious traditional zone. The modern industry is a Yugoslav creation: Plantaže was established in 1963 and planted the Ćemovsko polje complex on the stony plain southeast of Podgorica. In 2007 the company converted Šipčanik, a Cold War underground aircraft hangar built by the Yugoslav army, into its main cellar, a 356-meter tunnel about 30 meters below the surface. Montenegro restored independence in 2006 and is a candidate for EU membership, which will bring its wine legislation into the PDO/PGI framework.

Terroir & Climate

The Zeta plain around Podgorica has a Mediterranean climate with very hot, dry summers; the Podgorica basin records some of the highest summer temperatures in Europe. Ćemovsko polje is a deep bed of skeletal, gravelly alluvial soil, free-draining and heat-retentive. Lake Skadar, the largest lake of the Balkan peninsula, and the nearby Adriatic moderate the vineyards on the surrounding hillsides; Crmnica combines lake and maritime influence on terraced slopes. The Coastal region is a narrow strip of small vineyard sites between the mountains and the sea.

Grape Varieties & Wine Styles

Vranac accounts for about 70 percent of Plantaže's plantings and is the national flagship: deeply colored, full-bodied dry reds with firm tannin and dark berry fruit, made in both stainless-steel and barrel-aged reserve styles. DNA profiling identifies Kratošija as a parent of Vranac. Kratošija itself shares the genetic profile of Tribidrag, the Croatian variety known as Zinfandel in California and Primitivo in Puglia, and is bottled varietally in small quantities. Krstač is the leading native white, grown almost exclusively in Montenegro, chiefly around Podgorica, giving light, fresh dry whites. Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and other international varieties are also planted.

Notable Producers

13. Jul Plantaže defines the category: about 11.5 million vines on Ćemovsko polje, annual sales above 16 million bottles, and exports to more than 40 countries. The remainder of the sector is smallholder-based, centered on Crmnica family cellars. Sjekloća makes a few thousand bottles a year of traditionally aged Vranac; Mašanović, a family winery in Crmnica, works Vranac and Kratošija alongside French and Italian varieties.

What to Know

Spelling distinguishes origin: Vranac is the Montenegrin form, Vranec the North Macedonian. Most Montenegrin wine on export markets is Plantaže production, so vintage and bottling tier (standard Vranac versus reserve labels) matter more than producer choice. Kratošija's identity with Zinfandel and its parent relationship to Vranac give the country a genuine ampelographic claim on the Tribidrag family. Crmnica bottlings from family estates are produced in very small volumes and rarely leave the domestic market.