Dalia Splet Gamay Vranac 2024
Dalia Splet Gamay Vranac
Region: Timok, Serbia
Vintage: 2024
Bottle size: 75cl
Grape: Gamay Vranac
ABV: 15.5%
Deep ruby with hints of purple in colour, this Gamay and Vranac blend displays aromas of dark cherry and liquorice, with a hint of earthy notes. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied, with elegant acidity and fine tannins.
The fruit is sourced mostly from Vinarija Raj’s organically farmed, nine-hectare vineyard, in the village of Rajac. Vinarija Dalia also rent one hectare of Gamay vines in the village of Smedovac. The region enjoys a dry, sunny, continental climate, moderated by the Deli Jovan Mountain to the west and the Danube River to the east. The Gamay and Vranac varieties grow at 150-200 metres above sea level, on soils predominantly composed of clay and limestone, which contribute to the flavour intensity and freshness of the grapes. The vines are mostly Guyot trained and farmed using only copper, sulphur, and natural treatments to combat fungal diseases and shallow ploughing to improve the soil structure.
The grapes were hand picked, allowing for careful selection in the vineyard. After arrival at the winery, the grapes were destemmed and crushed, and underwent two weeks of pre-fermentation maceration with several punch downs per day to enhance the red fruit aromatics. Fermentation took place with indigenous yeasts in open top stainless-steel tanks. The wine was then aged in old Serbian and French 228 litre oak barrels for 10 months prior to bottling without fining or filtration.
Dalia (derived from the Arabic for ‘grapevine’) was founded in 2021 as a collaboration between Kristina and a winery she’d previously consulted for, Vinarija Raj, in the Negotin Valley (Negotinska Krajina) of Eastern Serbia. A subregion of Timok, the Negotin Valley is close to the borders of both Bulgaria and Romania. The valley, described as a ‘treasure trove of modern Serbian wine’ by Caroline Gilby MW, enjoys a dry, sunny continental climate moderated by the Deli Jovan Mountain to the west and the Danube River to the east.