As delicious and unique as this wine is, none of us anticipated the reaction it got when we originally offered it several vintages ago.
We’re talking about an obscure red wine from a Serbian Orthodox monastery in southern Herzegovina—so our expectations were somewhat muted! But, lo and behold, our Somm faithful have always been savvy and adventurous. Case after case of Vranac from Monastery Tvrdoš flew out the door and the rest, as they say, is history.
Tasting the 2020 vintage was like seeing an old friend who come back for a visit. Loaded with dark fruits and lots of Old World soul. It’s easy to forget that the wine cultures of places Hungary, Georgia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina are just as deep as those of Western Europe, if not deeper, but modern history has been less kind to these areas.
The Vranac grape was planted in this region during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Had things worked out differently for Bosnia-Herzegovina, we might all have been celebrating Vranac as one of the world’s ‘noble’ reds for the last century. We’ll never know, but we’ll tell you this: This is a delicious and expertly crafted red that we’re thrilled to have back at SommSelect. If you missed it during a previous offer, don’t let it pass you by this time!
The Tvrdoš monastery dates to the 13th century and its rustic stone cellars contain barrels that look as if they were constructed at the beginning of time. The area surrounding the monastery’s home village, Trebinje, dates to the earliest Greek colonies on the Adriatic coast, and the monastery itself was widely known for the quality of its wines as early as the Middle Ages. Although there’s still wine being aged in the original cellar, the modern-day operation has expanded to include a state-of-the-art winemaking facility and a newer aging cellar (containing newer barrels). In terms of place and grape variety, this is as ‘ancient’ as wine gets, but its crafting is modern and clean.
Why You'll Love It:
- For all its inky intensity in appearance, nearly opaque ruby-black in the glass, this is a very bright, medium-weight wine with crisp acidity and fairly mild (but present) tannins.
- Situated about three hours southwest of Sarajevo, Trebinje is just 20 miles from the Adriatic coast, with a rocky, limestone-rich soil composition known as karst lending firm structure to whites and reds alike.
- The nose is powerful and perfumed, leading with notes of crushed blackberry, cranberry, wet rose petals, dark chocolate, cedar, and exotic spice notes galore. It is deep, rich, and tangy up front then firms up into something tangy and refreshing, with lots of floral notes on the finish.
How To Serve It:
- Give it 30+ minutes in a decanter before service, as well as a cooler temperature (60 degrees) to accentuate its fruit character and moderate its acidity.
- Accessible now but has the structure to age, should you want to grab a few bottles for conversation-piece drinking over the next 5-7 years.
- Try it with the classic Greek casserole, moussaka—not a Herzegovinian dish but a great pairing! Don’t miss this inimitable red!
