Resilience, wine and IPARD support

In Dobrsko Selo, near Cetinje, sea winds from the Bay of Kotor meet the cold mountain climate. There you will find the Marković winery. Plenty of sunshine and cool nights are favourable for vine cultivation. According to the winery owner, Vesko Marković, in the drama “Gorski vijenac”, verses mention the brandy from this village as the finest in Montenegro. He further adds that there is evidence that wine from this village was served at the court in England.

However, in order for this estate to grow into a successful business over time, it required a lot of sacrifices and external support. Thanks to the support of the European Union under the IPARD programme, the Marković winery now owns an impressive 22 hectares of land and around 7 thousand vines.

“The support of the EU has meant a lot to us. We used the IPARD funds for everything, from planting vines, irrigation, and trellis to the winery equipping project. We have also installed solar panels for electricity production and panels for hot water to complete the technological process of wine production,” emphasises Vesko. 

The Marković family cultivates three grape varieties in their vineyard, but a rare variety called Crna Tamjanika, is the one they cherish the most.

 “It is the rarest grape variety in the world. Working with it is very challenging and it is difficult to grow in the vineyard since it is not a self-pollinating variety and requires a pollinator nearby. Due to climate change, it is hard to predict if other vines will bloom at the same time as this one. However, we take pride in our winery’s determination – INAT,” says Marković.

The Marković winery is one successful IPARD story. It is the story of a family, hard work, and even defiance. Like Crna Tamjanika, the Marković winery testifies that perseverance, dedication, and love will always bear fruit.

The text and video are taken from the European House. You can watch the video here.