The President of the producers association, Mr Svetozar Janevski, expressed his satisfaction with this opportunity to present the diversity of the country – which exports 85% of its production, mainly to neighbouring countries but also to Western Europe, Russia or China – to professionals and to the press.
The Director General of the OIV, Mr Jean-Marie Aurand, praised this initiative and the revival of this country's wine market thanks to the investment in vineyards and wineries for the last fifteen years or so, which has enabled the specific characteristics of traditional vine varieties to be expressed through modern techniques that have been developed.
With 24,000 hectares of vineyards, the majority of wineries are located in the central part of the country, along the Vardar valley and especially in the Skopje, Tikves and Gevgelija-Valandovo regions.
90% of the 84 wineries for which information was compiled produce less than 50,000 hl, 5 have a production of between 50,000 and 150,000 hl and only 4 produce over 150,000 hl.
Of a total production of nearly 1.2 million hectolitres, 60% is red, based predominantly on local vine varieties (Vranec, Kratosija, Prokupec, Kavardaka) or international varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir). White wine is made from varieties such as Smederevka, Temjanika, Zilavka or Rkatsiteli, enabling the production of fresh and fruity wines that perfectly complement the country's Mediterranean gastronomy.
