Montenegrin grape brandy is made with a combination of two indigenous grape varieties Vranac and Kratošija. Specifics of both varieties come to the fore by aging in inox tanks at least a year. This brandy is colorless, with mildly developed aromas distinctive for Vranac and Kratošija, rounded taste and very drinkable. With a special selection of grapes, processing method and distillate blending, from year to year, this brandy is of high quality.Pairing with food:It is served cooled at a temperature of 9 – 13°C. It is recommended both as an aperitif and a digestive. In Montenegro, it is traditionally served with dried figs, raisins and walnuts. It can also be used for making cocktails.
Honey and brandy = honey liqueur. The mixture of natural spirits and honey is suitable for both health and celebration. It warms you up pleasantly in the cold and brings smiles on faces in good company.
PRIMARY PRODUCTFirst choice, italian Williams pears, harvested fresh and perfectly ripe.ARTISANAL DISTILLATIONDiscontinuous with head and tail cutting, in copper steam stills.TASTE SENTATIONIt should be served at about 12°C in an open tulip shaped glass.TASTINGExtraordinary and persistent sensation of the typical tastes of the fruit.
We soaked chopped green walnuts in natural fruit brandy and added some herbs and a little sugar. A pleasantly bitter drinkwhich has a beneficial effect on our general well-being.
Special among the Pleterje Spirits is the Pleterje pear which grows inside the bottle before being topped off with pear brandy, and our bitters, made up of 49 different herbs in a fruit brandy.
Montenegrin grape brandy is made with a combination of two indigenous grape varieties Vranac and Kratošija. Specifics of both varieties come to the fore by aging in inox tanks at least a year. This brandy is colorless, with mildly developed aromas distinctive for Vranac and Kratošija, rounded taste and very drinkable. With a special selection of grapes, processing method and distillate blending, from year to year, this brandy is of high quality.Pairing with food:It is served cooled at a temperature of 9 – 13°C. It is recommended both as an aperitif and a digestive. In Montenegro, it is traditionally served with dried figs, raisins and walnuts. It can also be used for making cocktails.
Plum brandy is an accompaniment to important life events. This top-quality plum brandy is made from carefully selected orchards in Vojvodina. Pure fruit essence was matured and aged for 3 years in oak barrels, thus developing the luxurious and complex character of a great drink.It is especially suitable as an excellent aperitif, served at room or slightly cooled temperature.
Viljamovka Prior is a fruit brandy with a sophisticated taste of Viljamovka pears, harvested at the highest ripeness and juiciness of the fruit.Every year, the unique taste convinces the experts of domestic and international alcoholic baverages competitions, resulting in many prestigious titles of champion.Viljamovka is a prized table pear, it is juicy, tasty and pleasantly aromatic. The sort was developed in 1770 in England and it was named after the gardener Williams. In Slovenia it appeared in the twnties of last century.
Prior Williams Pear Spirit with Pear is a natural fruit spirit, made of carefully selected fruits to which a succulent fruit the same pear type is added. It is characterized by its well-rounded scent and seductive flavor. It is served and drank mostly neat, chilled to taste, in a wide glass.Viljamovka is a prized table pear, it is juicy, tasty and pleasantly aromatic. The sort was developed in 1770 in England and it was named after the gardener Williams. In Slovenia it appeared in the twnties of last century.
Aroma: FruityFlavour: Round, Full-bodiedOrganoleptic description: Rich notes of ripe pear with a slight bitter touch reminiscent of seedsRecommended with: Cheeses and gorgonzola, delicately smoked cold cutsOccasion: For meditation, Gift idea, TraditionalService temperature: 5°C
Šamar is the gentle slap that awakes the best in you. Šamar is a high-quality & 100 % natural fruit spirit. The secpret recipe and inconventional marriage of plum and quince prvides a revolutionary smooth taste experience. Šamar's balanced and mild character offers a new variety of drinking and mixing opportunities. Enjoy it chilled and in good company.
Homemade brandy, also called eau-de-vie or schnapps, is a spirit that is also very well known in Slovenia, especially in the countryside. Schnapps cooking has always been an integral part of life there and one of the main chores. The peak of spirit distillation occurs in late autumn and winter, when the fruit is perfectly ripe and there is plenty of time.
In the past, they mainly produced mixed fruit brandy, but also pear or apple brandy. The Williams pear brandy has always been highly valued. Many places in Pomurje still make homemade spirits, and surely you have already had the opportunity to try an excellent homemade blueberry brandy or two – regardless of where you come from.
Slovenian spirits – every region has its own
In the Karst and Istria, you will to this day find homemade grape pomace brandy, which can also be infused with medicinal herbs, such as fennel, wormwood, mint and sage.
Below the Gorjanci/Žumberak Mountains, you can indulge in a glass of wild cherry brandy, while the specialities among the spirits protected by a geographical indication are the Slovenian brandies Kraški brinjevec (Karst juniper brandy) and Brkinski slivovec (Brkini plum brandy).
It is also worth mentioning Pomurje, where distillation is probably still the most active today. They mainly produce plum, apple and pear liqueur or brandy (from Williams and wild pears), apricot brandy, peach, mixed fruit and other brandies.
A basic prerequisite for quality homemade spirit
A good spirit can only be produced from sufficiently ripe and healthy fruit in which enough sugar, acids and aromas have developed. This means that it should not be harvested too soon or too late. Why not too late? In mouldy, rotting and damaged fruit, degradation processes can begin, which allow the formation of acetic acid, mould and rot.
Pear – the queen of homemade spirits
The queen among the aromatic varieties of fruit is the Williams pear, from which we obtain premium spirits. Its speciality is the dominant muscat aroma, which blooms in all its delicacy, fullness, softness and harmony.
Esad Šabanović, experienced expert of beverage technology, says that the most popular indigenous pear cultivars for distillation are tepka (wild pear), dišečka (early-ripening fragrant pear), belica (white-fleshed pear) and some others. If we want to make quality spirits from these varieties, we must leave them to further ripen and mellow after harvesting. This process allows the pears to develop and enhance their special aroma.
A special brandy from sorb – what is it?
While one of the best cultivars for plum brandy is the Prekmurje long plum, a very fragrant and sweet indigenous variety, apricot brandy is best made from the aromatic apricot variety Hungarian Best.
And if you want to try something really special, try quince brandy or brandy from the indigenous Prekmurje sorb tree (service tree) fruit, which can be distilled into one of the rarest and most exquisite brandies of unique characteristics. In the municipality of Kobilje grows the oldest sorb tree, which is over 200 years old!
Common questions
What is the best variety of pear for the distillation of spirits?
The best variety of pear for homemade brandy is Williams pear, as it is the most versatile and has the most aromatic flavour.
How to recognise a quality spirit?
To determine the quality of a homemade spirit, consider these four characteristics:
● Clarity. Positive: completely clear, without opacity, clean and transparent. Negative: visible signs of opacity and/or turbidity.
● Harmony. Positive: pleasantly rounded, harmonious, refined spirit, with all components in balance. Negative: non-harmonious spirit, not well-rounded.
