Stonecastle Vineyards and Winery

The Rahoveci valley in Kosova, surrounded by high mountain ranges, offers possibly the best terroir in the whole of the Balkan region.

Founded in the 1950s as a state-owned enterprise. New winery built in the 1980s, with 50 million litre capacity. Privatized in 2006, since when huge investments have been made to modernize the winery and vineyards. NWWS advised the current owners prior to privatization and David Rowe is now consultant winemaker.

Background Kosova (or Kosovo, the Albanian-speaking majority prefers the Kosova spelling): population 2.1 million (2007 est.) Ethnic groups: Albanians 88%, Serbs 7%, other 5% (Bosniak, Gorani, Roma, Turk, Ashkali, Egyptian) Religions: Muslim (88%), Serbian Orthodox (7%), Roman Catholic (2%) Languages: Albanian (official), Serbian (official), Bosnian, Turkish, Roma Wine consumption: 0.1 litres per capita (officially, but there is a lot of home-made wine consumed) Retail price of wine: €1.50-€5.00 per bottle Labourer’s wage: €200 per month (£180/month) Famous people from Kosova: Lorik Cana (captain of Olympique Marseille); Valon Behrami (West Ham midfielder)

Kosova produces excellent beer (Birra Peja, from the town of Peja) and this is the preferred drink, especially among younger people. Wine is also popular, but the official per capita consumption figure is misleading as much home-made wine is consumed, even in bars and restaurants. Muslims in Kosova are generally “moderate” in their religious observance; many consume alcohol, though many also observe the fast during Ramadan.

The story Wine has been produced in what is now the Republic of Kosova for more than 2000 years. Until the 1950s, production was mostly home-made wine produced by subsistence peasant farmers, for their own consumption and sale to their neighbours.

The Yugoslav regime recognised the potential for industrial wine production in Kosova in the 1950s and created three large wineries, including the Rahovec winery in 1953. These continued to be supported and updated until the middle of the 1980s. Today only one survives.

Much of the wine produced during the period from 1950-1990 was sent to Belgrade, for blending with other Yugoslav wines. Importantly, however, some “pure” wine from Kosova was exported to Germany, in bulk, for bottling as Amselfelder, a medium-sweet red wine brand marketed by the Racke company (now part of Grands Chais de France). In the 1980s, the Rahovec winery was exporting 32 million litres of wine annually to Germany. This trade was interrupted for several years during the war, but is now thriving once again.

All the grapes processed at Stonecastle are handpicked. Farmers are paid a premium for delivering the grapes in small plastic crates.

The winery now called Stonecastle was built during the 1980s, a few kilometres outside the town of Rahovec where the original winery had been built in 1953. The huge investment in the 1980s created a 50 million litre vinification facility with 5 million litres of underground storage in Slovenian oak barrels.

With the collapse of Yugoslavia, and the removal of Kosova’s autonomy, the wine industry fell into decline in the 1990s. With the war in 1998-1999, all wineries ceased production – except for the Rahovec winery which was to become Stonecastle a few years later. Large areas of vineyard were abandoned or destroyed during the conflict and the total vineyard area fell from 9000ha to less than 4000ha.

The NATO bombing campaign in 1999, and the subsequent UN Security Council resolution 1244, was welcomed by the majority Albanian population in Kosova, and Bill Clinton in particular is highly regarded by the people. The main street in the capital Pristina is named “Bill Clinton Boulevard”.

Resolution 1244 put Kosova under UN administration. During the conflict it had not been possible to export wine to Germany for Amselfelder, and Racke had been forced to source wine from elsewhere to fulfil demand for the brand. Once the UN took control, however, Racke started buying bulk wine from Kosova again, providing vital funds which ensured the survival of the Rahovec winery. The problem remained as to which producer country to put on the label. Amselfelder is probably the only wine in history to have been labelled “Bottled under the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 1244”. Since February 2008, it can be labelled “Wine of Kosovo”, at least in the 56 countries to have recognised the country’s independence so far.

Under the UN administration, the Kosovo Trust Agency was established and charged with privatization of former state-owned enterprises. Many of the resulting privatizations have had mixed results (the original buyers of the privatized electricity company are now in jail) but the privatization of the Rahovec winery is widely considered to be a model of success. The buyers were real-estate developers who had made their fortune in the Bronx, NY, after having left Kosova in the 1950s.

The new owners chose the name Stonecastle Vineyards and Winery, and in 2006 a new era began for the Kosova wine industry.

Before and after: the winery was in need of investment in modern winemaking equipment.

David Rowe first visited the winery before privatization, to advise the eventual buyers on what investment would be necessary to upgrade to international best practice. While it was clear that the winery had not benefited from investment for the past 20 years, David was impressed with the quality of the wines produced and convinced that world-class wines could be produced given the right equipment and know-how.

A multi-million euro investment plan was put in place, covering both winery and vineyards. A new bottling line was installed in 2007. In the winery, the first step was to install new stainless-steel receival bins, destemmers, must pumps, pneumatic presses, heat exchangers and cooling systems. Priority was given to the white wine facility, where gentle grape processing and temperature control are more important. This year will see similar investment in the red winemaking facility.

Stonecastle owns 2200ha of land in the Rahoveci Valley, of which just over 500ha is currently planted to vines. An ambitious project to plant 600ha of new vineyards over the next ten years is starting next month, with an initial planting of 60ha (Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Carmenère and Chardonnay) in collaboration with Groupe Mercier, France.

In addition to its own fruit, Stonecastle buys grapes from several hundred private farmers in the Rahoveci Valley. The winery is an important direct and indirect provider of employment in the town of Rahovec.

Grape varieties Kosova has some interesting grape varieties indigenous to the Balkans. Red varieties include Vranac, Prokupa, and Frankovka while Smederevka is the most widely planted white variety. It is hoped that a clonal selection programme can be put in place in the near future, to identify the best clones of Vranac.

International varieties currently planted include:

Red varieties White varieties Gamay Riesling Italico Pinot Noir Rhine Riesling Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Merlot Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

At present 70% of plantings are of white varieties and 30% red. The new vineyard plantations starting next month will include Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Carmenère along with a small amount of Chardonnay.

Technicians from Stonecastle (left) visit Mercier’s nursery in France to select vine plants.

Wines produced

Stonecastle produces an entry level red and white (only for the domestic market).

The wines available for export are:

Elena (white) a blend of Riesling Italico with local varieties Amphora (red) a blend of Gamay, Frankovka, Vranac and Prokupa and a range of single varietals:

Rhine Riesling Chardonnay Vranac Premium Pinot Noir Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

Stonecastle Winery is located a few kilometers outside the town of Rahovec, 80km from the capital Pristina

Climate data

Maximum and minimum temperatures (°C) in Rahoveci Valley (20-year average).

Average monthly rainfall (mm) in Rahoveci Valley (23-year average). Contact details

Winery General Manager: Mr Shani Mullabazi [email protected]

Stonecastle Vineyards and Winery Bërnjaka n.n Rahovec 20010 Kosova Tel: +381 (0) 2976053 Fax: +381 (0) 2976051 Web: http://www.stonecastlewine.com/