In the very south of Macedonia, in Gevgelija, just 2 km from the Greek border, lies the small boutique winery Jostela. Jostela began its story in 2005, founded by Jovan Gelebesev. Today, the winemaking is led by his daughter Venera and grandson Stefan. Jostela is a small boutique winery with an annual production of 10,000 bottles. Surrounding the winery are our own vineyards planted with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. After 18 years, we have seven wines in our portfolio in two production lines. One line consists of pure varietal wines, including Žilavka, Rosé, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines are marketed as young, fruity wines, and our aim is to highlight their varietal characteristics.
The second line includes wines aged in barrique (oak and acacia), which are produced in limited quantities and are unique. These include Zunica (Žilavka barrique) and Gaudium (a Bordeaux blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc, aged in oak barrels). We also have Nuit—a rosé cuvée made from two varieties, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. This blend is created during the harvest, with a portion of Merlot left unpicked solely for this wine.
Of course, we also produce rakija and liqueurs, which are more for enjoyment and for guests who visit us. Our types of rakija include traditional rakija made from grape, exclusively from Vranac and aged in wooden barrels. We also have two types of rakija made from fruit: Dunja (Quince) and Viljamovka (Williams pear), as well as herbal brandy (Travarica). Among our liqueurs are Cherry liqueur and Walnut liqueur. Our wines can be found in specialized wine shops and restaurants. We are open for visits to our winery and organize tastings.
For more information about our winery, you can visit our website at www.jostela.com, as well as our social media pages, Jostela Winery on Facebook and josletavinae on Instagram.