The Macedonian wine story dates back to the 13th century BC.
Excavations have shown that already a few thousand years before our era began, grapes were cultivated on a large scale to eventually produce wine. Macedonia has a very rich wine history, which until now has remained hidden from many Western Europeans. The ancient Macedonians made wine from grapes that were grown and mixed with honey, as the sugars helped preserve it. They stored the wine in amphorae, into which they poured olive oil to stop the wine from airing. Afterwards, they buried the amphorae in the ground and so they remained cool and could age at the right temperature.
During the Roman Empire, the Romans were responsible for spreading wine throughout Europe. They believed that wine was a source of wealth. During this period, Macedonia was one of the most famous grape-growing areas in the empire.
The wines from Macedonia are also known as the 'forgotten wines'. Macedonia has a temperate continental climate with Mediterranean influences. Generally speaking, Macedonia has warm summer days, but fortunately for the finesse of the wines, it also has cool nights. In addition, Macedonia has a long autumn. This allows the grapes to ripen nicely. Macedonia is originally a real wine country. Wine is therefore inextricably linked to Macedonian culture.
Macedonia has 24,000 hectares of vineyards and every year Macedonian wineries produce around 236,000 tonnes of grapes, which equals 220 million litres.
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