Macedonia to Produce Wine According to EU Standards

Macedonia has started to make and analyse wine in line with European standards.

The Macedonian Agricultural Institute began operating an oenological, or wine-making, laboratory, which was renovated and modernised with the EU’s financial assistance of 205,000 euro.

The oenological laboratory is an important element in the wine industry, since it guarantees the Macedonian wines’ quality to the European and the world community, Boshko Mukaetov, head of the Agricultural Institute, told local media.

With the growth of the number vines and wine cellars in Macedonia, the need to strengthen control of the wine quality and to invest in analytical capacities is also growing, the agriculture minister Atso Spasenoski told media. In the last two years, 6,000 hectares of new vines were planted, while the wine cellars in the country have increased from 23 to 72 in the last five years, he added.

Macedonia, as a country with a strong wine-making tradition, deserves a modern laboratory, which would contribute to an improvement in the Macedonian wine’s quality, the EU Ambassador to Macedonia, Ervan Fuere, commented.

Macedonian wine has had a good international reputation, so the new technology could only improve it. As BalkanTravellers.com reported last month, one of the best-known and liked Macedonian wineries, Tikvesh, was elected among the top 30 global wine brands by one of the world’s leading food industry shows, SIAL, which took place in Paris between October 19 and 23.