From Bohula to Marena: Building Our Winery

In the world of Kajak.mk, you will come across many small family-owned wineries, which, unlike some other promoters, are given equal importance by the Kajak.mk team. For us, every small winery deserves to be seen, experienced, and promoted. As our wine experts say, the large wineries in Macedonia are the promoters and ambassadors of Macedonia around the world, but the small wineries are the soul of Macedonian wine.

Today, we are happy to enrich our "Gastronomy" base with yet another small family winery, located in the beautiful Tikvesh village of Marena.

The Kajak.mk team spoke with Mr. Sashko, the man who opened the doors of his winery to us and welcomed our world. Sashko shared the story of the winery's creation, telling us about the path his family has walked.

Originally from Bohula, a village located on the right side of the Boshava River at an altitude of 900 meters, his father Duško, at the age of 6, moved with his family to the village of Marena, where he built a house and started a new life. After 30 years of working in viticulture, Duško decided to transform his village house in Marena into a small winery, where he would grow and process grapes. With the change in the law for wineries, today, the "Eros" winery is registered as a small family winery.

The family winery is managed by Sashko and Duško, who make an excellent combination of father and son, or a blend of many years of experience and a desire for experimentation. The "Eros" winery has a production capacity of 12,000 liters of wine per year.

Part of the vineyards is owned by Sashko's family and is organic, while the other part is leased. They cultivate and process all the vineyards in the same way. For Sashko, the most important thing is to preserve and improve biodiversity. He says that they do not treat the weeds; they are in symbiosis with the vine, which contributes to an increased number of insects and microorganisms in the soil. A rich soil is a healthy soil, and thus, a healthy product.

They officially started operations in 2005, although previously they were producing wine for domestic use.

Today, the "Eros" winery is proud of its wine portfolio, which consists of 10 wines, including "Stellar Temjanika," "P'na Mesečina Muscat Ottonel," and "Pilgrim Sauvignon Blanc," with harvesting taking place in the evening. Also in the lineup are "Talisman Žilavka," "Chardonnay Dry and Semi-Sweet," "Eva Bela Stanushina," "Rosé Eva Stanushina," and "Adama Crvena Stanushina," as well as "Vranec" with 16.5% alcohol. The production method is based on minimal interventions, and each wine has its own unique signature.

In the production process, Sashko works alongside his father, which for him is the perfect combination of old-school experience and a desire for experimentation.

Sashko says that anyone interested in an extraordinary wine tour is welcome.

If you want to contact the winery, click HERE.