According to some sources, wine is one of the oldest products of mankind. It dates back to 6000 BC. from the part of today’s Georgia or Iran, from where it spreads rapidly to other parts of the world and becomes the most important drink of the kings of Mesopotamia and Egypt. It plays role in many stories, legends and myths, and one of the most famous saying is that of the Ancient Romans “in vino veritas” (There is truth in wine).
Today, almost any celebration or event is unthinkable without this miraculous drink, which has its fans all over the world.
So pour a glass of your favorite wine, sit comfortably and read these lines that will introduce you to the history of wine in Serbia.
The history of wine-making in Serbia reaches far into the past. Viticulture was blooming during the Roman era. During the archeological excavations of Sirium and other ancient sites in Serbia, a large number of vessels for wine were found, that confirm the use and production of wine. The emperor Probus planted vine on slopes of today’s Fruška Gora and that is why his name is associated with the beginning of viticulture in our country.
Wine has been part of Serbian culture since the establishment of statehood, especially during the reign of the Nemanjić dynasty (12-14 century), which encouraged and promoted viticulture.
During Turkish reign winemaking was in crisis. With liberation from Turks winemaking again has its revival and during 19th and 20th century real blooming of Serbian winemaking and viticulture occurs.
Viticulture and enology of Srem is one of the oldest, and most important in this part of Europe. Karlovci gained its fame primarily through their vineyards and wines that are drunk all over Europe. For fermentation and storage of wines only wooden barrels with wooden or metal rings were used. People of Karlovac who were famous for their special wines ausbruh and bermet, resumed their production in the nineties.
During the last decade, there has been an expansion and increasing popularization of wine and wine tourism. New wineries are being established, such as Zvonko Bogdan (Palić), Vindulo (Temerin), Dulka (Sremski Karlovci), Kiš (Sremski Karlovci), Mačkov podrum (Irig), Kovačević (Irig), Šapat (tari Slankamen), Vino Budimir (Aleksandrovac), Aleksandrovic Winery (Topola – Oplencac) as well as many others. Each winery brings something special to their wines and it is definitely worthwhile tasting them, as well as visit them and feel the true spirit of the wine in the ambience of its creation.
There are around 700 types of wine in Serbia, which are divided into: white, rosé and red. And in order to make the tasting of these wines in the ambience of your home a real experience, we give you a few suggestions.
Wine and cheese are often tasted together. There are various claims about which cheese goes with which type of wine, but most often red wine is combined with hard cheese, and white with young cheese.
In order for the enjoyment of wine to be complete, in addition to the appropriate glass, an adequate temperature is also necessary. There are several ways to reach the optimum temperature, and one of them is described in Rule 20/20: take the white wine out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving; put red wine in the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving.
If instead of home tasting, you decide to go for one of the many wine tours, autumn is the right time for that.
