The rising stars of CEE

How do people really choose their wine? Is it on the basis of style (rich and full-bodied vs lighter and more acidity driven), fashion (Italian Pinot Grigio and Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc have done well here) or is it by country or region or variety? The question has particular resonance when considering Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) – a vast, geographically ill-defined area comprising more than 25 very different countries. Aside from Central Europe proper, it incorporates the three Caucasus countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia; plus Ukraine, Moldova, Greece and its islands, Cyprus, Turkey; and the Balkan nations: including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, and tiny former Yugoslav republics like Montenegro and North Macedonia (home to red Vranac and white Temjanika, two very distinctive varieties). Even Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina are now raising their viticultural profiles with both making a splash at last year’s CEE tasting in central London, where the hundreds of wines offered by dozens of producers and importers somehow just scratched the surface.