Vranec is a red grape that makes deep purple wine. It tastes of spicy blackberry, black cherry and dried herbs, with firm, grippy tannins. Drink it with roast lamb, grilled dishes or ripe cheese. The name means black stallion. We stock two wines made from it. Vranec Luda Mara is pure Vranec, dry and structured. T'ga za Jug is a semi-dry Vranec from a late harvest. You can find both in our Vranec collection.
What Vranec tastes like
Start with the colour. Vranec Luda Mara pours deep purple, almost black at the centre.
On the nose and palate you get spicy blackberry first. Then black cherry and blueberry. There is a bright edge of pomegranate, and a savoury note of dried herbs underneath.
The tannins are firm and grippy. You feel them as much as taste them. They give the wine its shape, and they are why it works so well with food.
Picked late, the same grape gives you something quite different. T'ga za Jug is intense ruby, with overripe sour cherry, raspberry and raisin. It is semi-dry, full bodied, with a long finish. It is softer and richer, and still unmistakably dark fruited.
How to spot Vranec
Here is what to look for in the glass. Deep colour. Black fruit with spice. Dried herbs. Tannins with real grip. Pour a glass of each side by side and see which you prefer.
There is one familiar name in our range. Barovo Red blends Vranec with Kratošija, and Kratošija is genetically identical to Zinfandel and Primitivo. So if those grapes are already in your rack, Barovo Red is an easy way into Vranec.
What to eat with Vranec
Those firm tannins want protein and fat. With Vranec Luda Mara, try:
- Roast lamb
- Veal or pork
- Anything off the grill
- Ripe cheeses
Serve it at around 16°C. That is a little cooler than most rooms, so a short spell in the fridge before dinner helps.
For a slow Sunday roast or a cheese board after dinner, this is the bottle to open.
Our two Vranec wines
We keep both because together they show two sides of one grape. One is dry and grippy. The other is semi-dry and rich.
Vranec Luda Mara is 100% Vranec. It is the clearest way to taste the grape on its own: dark fruit, dried herbs and a firm grip. If you want to know what Vranec is, start here.
T'ga za Jug is made from Vranec picked late. It is semi-dry, full and long. The name comes from a poem, Longing for the South, and the wine was created in 1973 for the Struga Poetry Evenings.
You can also find Vranec Luda Mara in The Luda Mara Pair, alongside Temjanika Luda Mara, a dry, crisp white. Both Vranec wines sit in The Reds, our six-bottle red case.
Vranec in a blend
Vranec also leads or shares the stage in several of our other reds.
- Alexandria Premium Cuvée Red is 70% Vranec, with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is soft in tannin, with red and black cherry, sweet spice and vanilla.
- Babuna Red blends Vranec with Plavec and Shiraz. It is bold and full, with blackberry, baked plum and violet.
- Barovo Red is a field blend of Kratošija and Vranec, grown and picked together. Expect prune, sour cherry, chocolate and pepper, with a long, juicy finish.
If you like what Vranec does on its own, these show how it behaves with company. Browse them all in our reds.
Where our Vranec comes from
Both of our Vranec wines are made by Tikveš, a winery founded in 1885. The vines for Vranec Luda Mara and T'ga za Jug grow on alluvial and rendzina soils. For T'ga za Jug, that is between 350 and 550 metres.
The climate there is a mix of Continental and Mediterranean, and mountains shelter the region on three sides. You can explore more from the same place in our Macedonian wine collection.