Serbia

The Republic of Serbia in Central and Southeast-Europe, located in the center of the Balkan Peninsula with the capital Belgrade, covers 88,361 km². It borders Hungary to the north, Romania and Bulgaria to the east, Albania and North Macedonia to the south, Montenegro to the southwest, and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia to the west.

Since the 1990s, the former state of Yugoslavia has fragmented due to war events into its former territories. First, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, and Slovenia became independent, and in 2003 the rest was renamed Serbia-Montenegro, which split from Montenegro in 2006, becoming simply Serbia. Finally, in 2008, the southern province of Kosovo also proclaimed independence.

History

Viticulture in the area of present-day Serbia dates back to Antiquity and was influenced by the Thracians and Greeks even before the Common Era. After the ban imposed by Emperor Domitian (51-96 AD) in 92 AD on viticulture outside the Apennines in the Roman provinces, it was reintroduced by Emperor Probus (232-282 AD). The first vines were likely planted on the slopes of the Fruška Gora mountain in Syrmia (in Vojvodina), as indicated by some archaeological finds.

There, a mosaic of the wine god Dionysus, entwined with vine leaves, was found in the palace complex of Romuliana of Emperor Galerius (250-311 AD) near Zaječar in Eastern Serbia. Between the 12th and 14th centuries, a flourishing wine culture emerged through Serbian Orthodox monasteries, gaining significant economic importance. In 1459, Serbia was definitively conquered by the Ottomans and remained part of the Ottoman Empire until 1804. During this time, the Islamic prohibition on alcohol led to a decline in viticulture.

Viticulture in Modern Times

There was a resurgence after World War II (1939-1945) during the communist era under Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980) in the then-Yugoslavia. The total area at that time was 250,000 hectares. Mainly simple bulk wines were produced, including the sweet-styled Amselfelder (now Kosovo). At that time, Serbia was the largest wine-producing country in Yugoslavia. Due to the breakup, the structure changed significantly. In Central Serbia, there were hardly any war events, so the vineyards remained largely intact compared to other regions.

Wine Regions

These are mainly located along the rivers Danube, Morava, and Timok near the borders with Romania and Bulgaria. Serbia is divided into five wine regions: Timok in Krajina with Negotin and Knjaževac at the Romanian border (mainly red wine), Šumadija-Velika Morava south of Belgrade (mainly white wine), Zapadna-Morava in the upper reaches of the Morava river, Južna-Morava with Vranje in the south (best red wines), and Pocerina-Podgora east of Belgrade. The continental climate is characterized by cold winters and warm to hot summers.

Grape Variety Overview

In 2023, the vineyards covered 20,113 hectares, and the wine production volumes reached 544,000 hectoliters. Traditionally, fruit brandies, especially plum, are very popular. The grape variety overview:

Map: Goruma 
Flag: from srbija.gov.rs, Public Domain, Link 
Coat of Arms: Public Domain, Link
Source 1st paragraph: WIKIPEDIA Serbia