From November 28 to 30, 2025, the long-awaited Wine Fellowship Weekend was held at Hotel Olea.

The weekend opened with a concert by guitar virtuoso Vlatko Stefanovski, whose energy and musical signature created a truly special atmosphere to kick off the wine weekend. After the exceptional concert, guests enjoyed a cocktail dinner, followed by a party with a DJ late into the night. This year’s partner winery, Tikveš, which is celebrating 140 years of tradition, presented its rich story through its wines, which guests enthusiastically enjoyed throughout the evening.

The second day of our wine weekend began in the morning with highly inspiring wine panels led by our moderator, the multi-award-winning sommelier Monika Neral.

Panel I: 140 Years of Tikveš
The first guest was Svetozar Janevski, owner of Tikveš Winery. The conversation offered insight into the winery’s rich history and key milestones over 140 years. They reflected on risky decisions that proved to be right, the importance of sustainability (water, energy, packaging, CO₂ footprint), as well as the expectations of younger consumers. The discussion also covered export growth, portfolio development from everyday wines to iconic labels, and a major 2030 goal that will significantly shape the future of Tikveš.

Panel II: Wine Marketing, Education, and the Art of Food & Wine Pairing
In the second panel, Monika spoke with Zvonko Herceg, opening topics such as the brand story a guest takes home after the first glass, the importance of label design, the balance between terroir and stylistic consistency across vintages, consumer education, and ideal home wine storage conditions. They also discussed decanting, glassware, and serving temperatures by wine style.

The second part of the panel was led by Chef Igor Stepanovski, who shared three “golden” pairing principles, specifics of vegetarian and vegan pairing, the subjectivity of taste, the most common pairing mistakes, and advice on which wines to use in cooking. Particularly interesting were pairing examples with Tikveš selections: Luda Mara Temjanika, Bela Voda red, Barovo red, Lepovo Chardonnay, and Barovo white.

Wine Fair & Macedonian Dinner
After the educational program, guests enjoyed the wine fair with tastings of the full Tikveš portfolio, and the evening concluded with a traditional Macedonian dinner in the warm and welcoming atmosphere of Hotel Olea.

Olea Wine Shop – A Unique Benefit for Visitors
Participants of our Wine Fellowship Weekend had the exclusive opportunity to immediately purchase the wines they tasted. This was an exceptionally practical and well-received benefit, allowing guests to take their favorite labels home right away.

Thank you to all guests, speakers, and partners for an outstanding atmosphere!