Montenegrin wine is wine made in the Balkan country of Montenegro.[1] Many Montenegrin vineyards are located in the southern and coastal regions of the country. Montenegrin wines are made from a wide range of grape varieties including Krstač, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Vranac. Other indigenous cultivars include Bioka, Čubrica, Krstač, and Žižak.[2]
History
Viticulture in Montenegro dates back to the Illyrians; relics of wine-making and wine-trading have been found in the necropolis of the coastal city Budva dating back to the 4th century BCE.[2] Tombstones found in Montenegro were decorated with grapevines and wine motifs related to the Dionysian cult.[3] Montenegro is considered the origin of the Kratošija (better known as Zinfandel) and Vranac grape varieties.[4][5] The earliest reference to the Montenegrin variety Kratošija comes from the medieval statute of Budva, written in Italian, and dated 1426-1442 CE.[6] Grape-growing and wine-producing regulations were introduced under the reign of Nicholas I of Montenegro.[citation needed]
Production
In Montenegro, the Vranac and Kratošija varieties are primarily used for making red wines, whereas Krstač is the dominant variety for white wine.[3] Kratošija was the predominant variety until the phylloxera epidemic.[7] The most prevalent variety, Vranac, represents more than 70% of domestic wine production.[citation needed]
The amount of land in vineyard cultivation has increased significantly throughout the Balkans since 2000, including in Montenegro. Grapes are grown on over 2,800 hectares (28 km2) with a gross production of 22,200 tons in 2017.[2] Per European Union regulations, the Montenegrin wine-producing area is divided into four wine regions and fifteen sub-regions, the most important of which is around Lake Skadar. The other principal region is along the coastal area on the Adriatic Sea.[7]
Trade
Counterfeit Montenegrin wine brands have circulated in Eastern Europe and the western Balkans; a group of researchers from Serbia, Finland, Montenegro, and the Netherlands have described a system using smart labels to identify genuine bottles and screen out imposters.[8]
Shortly before the Montenegrin parliament ratified the NATO accession treaty, Russia banned imports of Montenegrin wine from the state-owned wine producer Plantaže under claims of elevated levels of metalaxyl, pesticides, and particle plastics.[9] Previously, one-fifth of the country's wine exports went to Russia.[10]
