Vranac and kratošija: the child is stronger than the parents
The shorter one is older and lighter, the crow is its descendant who took all the color. They do not do the same job with lamb, and you can see it in the glass.
Pour them next to each other and the first thing you see is not the taste but the light — more precisely, how much it does not pass.Vranacis thick to opacity, its edge is purple and the glass below it remains dark.Kratoshiyais a shade more open, ruby instead of ink, and through it you can see a finger on the other side. It's not cosmetics. It's the thickness of the skin, and everything else follows from it.
Genetics made a nice story here: DNA analyses areconnected the cratošica with the crater as one of the parentsand at the same time with the Dalmatian crljenka kaštelanski, a variety that has become a zinfandel in America. An older, softer variety gave birth to a descendant who took all the paint and tannin and became a trademark of Montenegro.
How to recognize them in a glass
Vranachas a thick skin, and a lot of anthocyanins and tannins. It smells of ripe cherry and prune, has a note of tobacco and dried herbs when it is aged, and ends up tight — tannin that is felt on the gums, not only on the tongue. Alcohol most often ranges between13 and 14.5 percent. The one from the barricade gets vanilla and chocolate, and it's a style you either love or bypass.
Kratoshiyais more fruity and drinkable. Raspberry and pomegranate instead of plum, tannin softer, acid more lively. She drinks younger and does not ask you to wait five years for it to open. If the crow has always been "too heavy" for you, kratoshiya is probably the wine you were looking for and did not know its name.
| Vranac | Kratoshiya | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | almost opaque, purple edge | ruby, more transparent |
| Flavouring | cherry, prune, tobacco | raspberry, pomegranate, fresh fruit |
| Tannins! | high and tight | moderate and soft |
| When to drink | 3-8 years since harvest | 1-4 years from harvest |
| Temperature | 16-18°C | 14-16°C |
Why does the crow go with the lamb and the kratoshi go with everything before it
Fatty, salty meat from smoke or under the honeycomb looks for wine that has something to cut it with. Tannin binds to fat and protein and literally cleanses the palate between bites — that's why after a sip of sparrow, the next piece of lamb tastes the same as the first. Kratoshi, with softer tannin, works half as hard and stays in the background with this kind of meat.
Genetics made a nice story here: DNA analyses are connected the cratošica with the crater as one of the parents and at the same time with the Dalmatian crljenka kaštelanski, a variety that has become a zinfandel in America.
Table rule:kratošija goes with appetizers— prosciutto, cheeses with a young flavor, grilled curd and everything that is easier than baking.Vranac comes with meat, and at 16-18° C, not warmer. Vranac served at 22° C is a wine where alcohol comes out in front of the fruit, and this is the most common mistake with this variety in our houses. We went through the entire schedule of such a dinner in the text ona crow with a lamb under the bell, and the baking technique itself in the guide abouthow to match the embers above and below the honeycombs.
Which labels to look for
Most of what reaches the shelves in Serbia comes fromĆemovsko polje near Podgorica, from one of the largest rounded vineyards in Europe — there is also an underground cellar in the former tunnel, which is sold under the name Šipčanik. It is a reliable, uniform crow and the best starting point for someone who is just getting to know the variety.
The second, more interesting source isCrmnica— a belt of villages above Skadar Lake, where vineyards climb against the stone and where small cellars sell their own. Such a crow is uneven from cellar to cellar, but in a good edition there is something that industrially does not have: the taste of the place. If you are traveling there, in the text aboutLake Skadar in Septemberstands and how to visit these cellars.
You look for three things on the label:vintage(warmer years are better for the crow with enough cold nights), the wordbarriqueor its absence — because it changes the style more than the vintage, and, if any, the designationindividual vineyard. Variety and region names on the label are worth more than any medal printed next to them.
Questions & answers
short and to the point- What is the difference between a cormorant and kratoschia?
- Vranac has a thick skin, almost opaque color and high tannin, with aromas of cherry and prune. Kratošija is more open, fruity and softer, you drink younger and it goes easier with appetizers.
- At what temperature is the crow served?
- At 16 to 18°C. At room temperature of 22°C, alcohol breaks out in front of the fruit — twenty minutes in the refrigerator before opening solves this.
- Is kratoshia the same variety as zinfandel?
- It is not the same, but it is genetically related. DNA analyzes have linked kratošija to both the Dalmatian crljenka kaštelanska, known as zinfandel, and the crow, one of whose parents.
