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That Useful Wine Site

  Wine explained, clearly and helpfully, including critic-recommended specimens of each variety.

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The Vranac Grape


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About Vranac

(Synonyms: Vranac Crmnichki, Vranac Crni, Vranac Prhljavac, Vranec.)

Background

Map showing Montenegro

Vranac is a red-wine grape originating in Montenegro, and still primarily produced there, though there are also significant amounts made in Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo; it is (obviously) one of the most important varieties in that wine-conscious region. (Montenegro is a small but interesting country in the Balkans, fronting on the Adriatic Sea across from Italy.) It seems to be a quite ancient variety, and is involved genetically with several other notable grapes, from Zinfandel to Plavac Mali.

Vranac wines are big boys: full-bodied, deep colored, quite tannic, and with high alcohol levels—but, interestingly enough, rather soft acidity. The palate is typically a mix of dark-red and black fruit flavors, usually intense. Because there are numerous clones of the type (owing to its long history), work is still in progress—as modern winemaking techniques have taken hold—to identify the best of those clones.

There does seem to be some differentiation in winemaker styling as between Vranecs made in Macedonia and Vranacs (note the spelling difference) made in Montenegro: the former tend to be bigger and rich, rather like some American Zinfandels; the latter are less aggressive and more disciplined, rather like many of the reds made just a hop and a skip across the Adriatic, in Italy.

Factoid: The name Vranac translates to “black stallion”.

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Some Descriptions of Vranac Wines

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Some Vranac Bottlings to Try

(About this list.)

  Wines with a critics’ consensus score of 91:
Ezimit Vino Vranec   [or search Cellar Tracker for this wine]

  Wines with a critics’ consensus score of 88:
Jordanov Vranec   [or search Cellar Tracker for this wine]
Tikves Winery "Special Selection" Vranec   [or search Cellar Tracker for this wine]

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This page was last modified on Sunday, 8 December 2024, at 9:46 pm Pacific Time.