The vineyards of Chateau Sopot are located between the valley of the Vardar River and the Veles Lake Mladost, in the heart of the Veles Wine District, part of the Central Wine Region (Povardarie) of Macedonia, where the Mediterranean climate and the moderate continental climate meet.
Locations
The vineyards of Chateau Sopot stretch on two hills, one on the west side towards the Vardar river, dominated by the Kamenjata microloaction, and the second to the east towards Lake Mladost, dominated by the Ridot microlocation. Google Earth
The vineyards extend over 94 hectares, on which Chardonnay, Temjanica, Rhine Riesling and on the other side Cabernet Sauvignon are represented. The vineyards were planted in 1995, with the exception of Temjanika, which was planted in 2007. Chateau Sopot cooperates with three partner wineries from which it supplies the rest of the varieties.
The vineyards are between 210 (south) and 260 (north) meters above sea level. The soil composition of different microlocations ranges from vertisol to redstone. There are about 270 sunny days per year. The average temperature is 12.5°C, with an average maximum temperature of 19°C, and the highest recorded temperature is 42.5°C, while the average minimum temperature is 6°C with the lowest recorded temperature of -18°C. The Povardarets or Vardarets wind blows along the valley of the Vardar River, from the north of the Shar Mountain to the south of Thessaloniki and the warm Aegean Sea. He has the character of a maestro. Vardarec is mostly a winter wind and its average speed is about 21.6 km/h.
Virtual tour
Harvest
The harvest starts depending on the climatic conditions from mid-August to the beginning of September with Chardonnay, and ends in the first half of October with Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvesting begins at dawn and ends around noon, before the highest temperatures. As the picking is done by hand, the length of the picking depends on the number of hired pickers. Harvesting in Chateau Sopot is done by hand, and for optimal harvesting, about 50 pickers are needed. The varieties and vineyards of Chateau Sopot are of limited vintage. One picker can collect up to 300 kilograms of grapes per day, which depends on the crop, weather conditions, etc.
