Crafting Quality Wine with Passion, Inspired by My Love for Macedonia

The team at Kajak.mk continues to share the stories of local heroes in Macedonia, individuals who are creating small things of great importance for the development of tourism. If you were to ask us how to improve tourism in the country, we would definitely say that we need to include such people in all stories promoting Macedonia beyond our borders.

Today, we take you to the village of Pepelishte, where just 2.5 kilometers from the highway, you’ll find the stunning "Dane Hermes" winery, which currently boasts one of the most beautiful tasting halls for quality Macedonian wine.

The family-owned "Dane Hermes Wine Estate" has been operating since 2020 and is recognized as one of the first registered family wineries in Macedonia. Its founder, Dr. Dane Jovanov, one of the most renowned Macedonian enologists and a doctor of enology (currently the only one actively involved in wine production), is the driving force behind it. With over 22 harvests of experience, Dr. Jovanov first gained his expertise at the Bovin winery. After Bovin, his career continued with the development of the Stobi winery in Gradsko, and he later worked in other wineries before concluding his career at the Slovenian Puklavec Family Wines winery. There, he first managed their Macedonian winery, later becoming a member of the winery’s Board of Directors in Slovenia and the Director of Production for the entire system, which includes three wineries.

After years of experience, Jovanov decided to start his own new story.

As a child from a family of enologists, his late father, Đorđe Jovanov – Hermes, was one of the founders of the private wine industry in Macedonia. In 1999, together with the owner of Bovin, he began the story of private wineries and the policy of quality over quantity.

Photos from the international wine evaluation, where Dane serves as the chairman of the jury in Germany, as an expert.

Dane shares with Kajak.mk that last year he had to make a decision whether to move with his family to Slovenia and manage the entire Slovenian winery system of the Puklavec Family Wines holding or stay in Macedonia.

His great love for Macedonia led him to stay here and continue the generational tradition of producing top-quality wines from Macedonia, but this time with 100% personal ownership.

The hard work and dedication of Dane Jovanov today result in an annual production of 30,000 bottles of premium quality, or about 3,000-4,000 bottles per label. As Jovanov states, this ensures the quality of every bottle. The current production program includes the popular Merlot, Vranec, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Olja rosé from the Syrah variety, and Temjanika. In the future, plans are to start bottling Cabernet Sauvignon and a blend of Vranec, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Jovanov is especially proud of his own vineyards, which cover an area of 25 hectares and are located in one of the best micro-locations in the Tikveš wine region, the micro-location of Lepovo. This means that the entire production is based on his own vineyards, and there is strict control from the very beginning of vine pruning to the harvest. After the harvest, through good enological practices, they manage to produce top-tier terroir wines that are labeled with their origin.

From now on, you can reserve a wine tasting at Hermes Winery. For more information, click HERE.

The winery boasts one of the most beautiful tasting halls in the country, with a capacity for around 24-30 people. Recently, the winery hosted Petar Grašo, and Dane shared the photos with us. If you'd like to view the prices and send a reservation request for a wine tasting, click HERE.