Vineyard Earns Federal Recognition for Basic Balkan Grape Selection, Releases Inaugural Bottling from California’s First Verified Planting
Could 22, 2025 (Paso Robles, CA) — Opolo Vineyards immediately introduced the discharge of the America’s first official varietal bottling of Vranac—a traditional Balkan grape selection prized for its darkish coloration, deep textures and intense taste profile. Vranac is essentially the most extensively planted grape in Montenegro and can be standard in Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia and elsewhere.
“We’re excited to introduce Vranac to California and Paso Robles,” mentioned vineyard co-owner Rick Quinn, whose grandfather was from Montenegro. “Contemplating its standing as a beloved grape in a few of the Previous World’s most established wine areas, its debut in California might be lengthy overdue. As soon as wine lovers get a style of it, I feel they’ll be hooked as a result of it’s distinctive, scrumptious and totally different.”
Opolo’s 2021 Vranac Reserve ($60; 50 instances produced) is a 100-percent varietal wine from an authenticated planting of Vranac on the vineyard property within the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles. Pronounced “vrah-nuts,” the title Vranac is derived from a phrase signifying “black stallion,” a nod to the grape’s signature darkish coloration and flavors. The wine is out there on the Opolo tasting room, or by calling the vineyard for direct order, restrict two bottles.
Permission Granted
Opolo’s first try and label the wine was rejected because the federal authorities’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Commerce Bureau (TTB) didn’t have Vranac in its listing of authorized grape varieties. This prompted Opolo to petition the TTB for Vranac to be acknowledged as an official grape selection with authorized standing on American wine labels—commensurate in standing with many different European grape varieties which have discovered a house in the US.
Greater than a 12 months after the unique submitting, approval was lately granted for Vranac to be acknowledged as an “acceptable grape selection designation for American wines,” paving the best way for the discharge of Opolo’s inaugural bottling of Vranac. Moreover, any vineyard in the US could now use “Vranac” as a varietal title on wines produced from this grape.
An Property-Grown Marvel
Opolo’s 2021 Vranac Reserve comes particularly from 1,000 Vranac vines that have been planted on the Opolo property in 2018, and the vineyard has since planted a further 1,000 vines to broaden this system. The Vranac vines have been sourced from UC Davis by their Basis Plant Providers, which identifies and certifies the authenticity of the choice.
The 2021 Vranac Reserve is darkish and practically opaque within the glass, with saturated darkish fruit flavors, expansive textures, hints of spice and agency tannins that promise longevity within the bottle.
Born of Balkan Roots
Based in 1999 by Rick Quinn and David Nichols, Opolo is a family-owned vineyard specializing in Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rhône varieties and different wines from its property vineyards within the Willow Creek District and elsewhere in Paso Robles.
Opolo has lengthy celebrated Quinn’s Balkan heritage—proper right down to the vineyard title itself, which references rosé wines from the Dalmatian coast. The vineyard gives Balkan-style pairing dishes on the property and options conventional dancing teams at its annual Harvest Dinner & Grape Stomp. Quinn grew up in a Serbian and Croatian neighborhood in Minnesota and was a touring musician with a gaggle known as “The Balkan Strings” that he fashioned along with his cousins. Quinn and Nichols additionally lead an annual wine journey that takes friends to Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia.
“Vranac is such a becoming addition to our portfolio,” Nichols mentioned. “It means loads to us personally, and it grows very nicely right here within the Willow Creek District. This wine is a knockout, and it reveals how we’re nonetheless innovating and exploring after 25 years in Paso Robles.”
About Opolo Vineyards
Opolo Vineyards is a family-owned vineyard based mostly within the coastal mountains of the Willow Creek District. Famend for its Mountain Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and different Paso Robles wines, Opolo was based in 1999 by Rick Quinn and David Nichols. Opolo’s wines fall underneath three collections: Mountain Assortment, Reserve Assortment and Summit Creek. Opolo’s famed customer expertise features a tasting room and bistro; the Inn at Opolo; and the Willow Creek Distillery. Extra at Opolo.com.
