Petar Lekovic's Vineyard Vranac 2006

Lake Skadar, Montenegro, €9.00, cork

Dinner in our Sveti Stefan apartment was very much a tribute to the Lekovic family. Pasta was prepared with a sauce that used tomatoes, chillies, onions and herbs from their roadside stall and to accompany it we cracked the bottle of their wine we'd purchased. There's very little about Montenegrin wine out there, but apparently the country has two main wine producing zones; the coastal region adjacent to the Adriatic and 'Podgorica' an area around the capital that shares same name and includes Lake Skadar. This of course comes from Lake Skadar.

This is dark, dark stuff; it's purple and is actually a similar shade to the cherry brandy that Mrs Lekovic made me scull. The nose isn't over the top, but what I can smell is a rich and indulgent mix of aromas: rum n raisin, plum jam, spice, port and just a sprinkle of Christmas. This wine offers up one massive wallop of flavour; syrupy, sweet and intense it tastes of plum jam, preserved cherries and Ribena. To say this is full bodied is an understatement; creamy and thick this is rich, ripe and sweet. Probably too sweet and over the top to drink too much of this, this is very much a wine for those who love the style. Petar Lekovic's Vineyard Vranac 2006 is also interesting as it's very different from the other examples of Vranac I've tried. Richer, riper and intense it certainly deserves the title of the literal translation of Vranac - 'black stallion'.

Plantaže 'Pro Corde' Vranac 2007

Lake Skadar, Montenegro, €4.19, cork

I’m sitting drinking this perched on the side of Lake Kotor; Montenegro, a fishing rod trails in front of me and life is good. Vranac is a ancient grape that is found throughout the Balkans and is the main variety used in Montenegro; its name translates as black stallion which refers to its colour and intensity. Plantaže, one of the countries biggest wine producers, is famous for transferring the barren Ćemovsko Field into vineyards and one of Europe’s biggest gardens.

It’s dark so I can’t really see the wine, but I can certainly smell it. It’s got a bold nose with plenty of sweet red fruit and fragrant dried herbs. The palate has a seductive sweetness too it and tastes of red fruits, especially raspberry, fresh herbs again, honey and green olives. It’s a medium bodied wine that’s not overly complex, but has decent palate length and mild tannins. What is so good about Plantaže 'Pro Corde' Vranac 2007 is that it is such a drinkable wine; it's balanced and would be good with or without food. To borrow an Aussie expression, this would be a great “barbecue wine”; good stuff.

Visit winery website.