Rakija, Liqueurs and the Wines Next Door
Rakija is the region's fruit brandy and its most social habit: poured at celebrations, offered to guests and argued over between villages. At the hacienda we make our own from fruit grown on the farm, along with homemade liqueurs, and tasting them is one of the activities guests ask about most.
The tasting is informal. It happens in the bar and cellar of the retreat, usually in the evening, and it is as much a conversation about the land as a line-up of glasses.
What you taste
The house pour comes from our own fruit, distilled on the farm, alongside liqueurs made in the same kitchen tradition. Because the fruit is ours, the batch in front of you is the batch from this year's harvest, not a bought-in blend.
Guests who want to go further can browse the organic shop, where house-made products from the farm are sold, and take a bottle home. Wine is served by the glass and the bottle throughout the retreat.
The wider wine country
North Macedonia's wine heartland is the Tikves plain around Kavadarci and Negotino, roughly 98 km or about 105 minutes from Gabrovo. Its flagship red grape is Vranec, deep and tannic, and the region's largest winery, founded in 1885, still works in Kavadarci.
Across the border in Bulgaria, the town of Melnik about 67 km away built its 17th- and 18th-century wealth on wine exported to England and Austria, and cellars there still pour the local Melnik grape family. Both make excellent day trips with a driver.
How the evening fits the week
The tasting sits best after a day outdoors: a morning on the waterfalls, an afternoon by the pool, then the cellar before dinner. It also works well the night before a vineyard excursion, when a little context makes the visits more interesting.
Because tasting and driving do not mix, we would rather you book the wine day trips with our transport than hire a car for them.
Why visit
- Rakija distilled from the hacienda's own fruit
- Homemade liqueurs in the same tradition
- An evening in the cellar with the people who made it
- House-made products to take away from the shop
- Wine day trips into the Tikves region and Bulgaria
Good to know
When
Evenings, usually before dinner. Let us know at booking and we will set a date during your stay.
Who it suits
Anyone curious about the region's drinking culture, from enthusiasts to guests who simply want to try one glass and understand it.
Getting back
You are already home. For vineyard excursions, use our arranged transport rather than driving.
Frequently asked questions
Is the rakija made on site?
Can we buy bottles to take home?
Which wine region should we visit?
More to explore
Stay at the hacienda
Reserve a tasting evening during your stay, then let us arrange the vineyard day that goes with it.