There has been an increasing interest in recent years among foreign and domestic tourists in wine tourism and visiting wineries. These can be found all over the country, from the Subotica region in the far north, to Vršac and Fruška Gora, and further from Belgrade all the way to Šumadija, Smederevo, Negotin, Niš and Župa
Serbia currently has about 220 square kilometres under vineyards and more than 700 types of wine. If investment in the development of wine making continues, wine tourism will certainly flourish, as foreseen by the state strategy for the period until 2030.
Although Prince Mihailo is considered the pioneer of wine tourism, connoisseurs of wine, the history of wine making and wineries in Serbia believe that the credit for this belongs to the organizers of the first Smederevo grape exhibition held in 1899, because it was open to all interested guests. After that, everything went much easier, so the events just kept coming, and today the most famous are the Župa Harvest, Grožđebal in Vršac, Smederevo Autumn and many others that celebrate wine and viticulture in Serbia.
Today, the state’s decision to provide wine making with a status similar to that of the IT sector and to adopt a development strategy for 2020-2030, which assumes 300 million EUR will be invested in wine making and viticulture in the next decade, contributes greatly to this.
Serbia currently has about 220 square kilometres under vineyards and more than 700 types of wine. If investment in the development of wine making continues, wine tourism will certainly flourish and wine routes will be put on the map, right next to fortresses, imperial cities, but also traditional destinations like mountains and spas.
SERBIA HAS NINE WINE ROUTES
Wine tourism is a trip that includes visiting vineyards, wineries, wine festivals and wine exhibitions, but also much more. It includes getting to know the culture and traditions of wine regions, getting to know the process of wine production, tasting different gastronomic specialities… Fans of these trips are people who enjoy wine and have a desire to learn more about the wine industry, but also to spend quality time in pleasant company and a natural environment. Such trips are also educational because the tourists learn about wine, its consumption and the essential elements of wine as a product.
Although wine tours contribute to onsite sales, a much more important aspect is building a brand and relationship with consumers
Wine tourism is extremely popular in Europe, and today our country is increasingly using its potential to compete with other destinations. For this purpose, nine wine routes have been defined – Palić, Fruška gora, Šumadija, Smederevo-Belgrade, Župa, Kosovo and Metohija, Niš-Kragujevac, Vršac and Negotin – on which there are native vineyards and Serbian wineries, which have been producing, tasting and selling high quality wine for a long time.
Thanks to this, there are Serbian agencies that organise special wine routes for wine lovers. However, visitors can also organise themselves, find addresses, working hours on the websites of wineries, make an appointment and come for a visit. It usually includes a tour of the winery and the cellar, but also a tasting of several types of wine, the host’s advice on which wine goes with which food, getting to know the production technology, tradition and all the important but less known details. Along with that, there is also a tour of the vineyards, some of which are several decades old, and those in Fruška Gora even several centuries.
WINE TOURS ARE MADE FOR EVERYONE
Wine tours are not reserved only for oenologists, for connoisseurs of excellent wine who know how to list all the grape varieties from different countries, for those who can distinguish between dozens of different wines. Anyone who enjoys the unique tastes of different wines and likes to spend time outdoors can enjoy wine tours.
Many wine regions around the world have discovered that promoting wine is a fantastic way to achieve financial benefits, so our wineries have followed in their footsteps and invested major resources in improving and promoting this type of tourism. Although wine tours contribute to on-site sales, a much more important aspect is building a brand and relationship with consumers. Selling in the winery itself is only a short-term goal, while building trust and positive associations is a much longer-term and more profitable goal.
To improve wine tourism, the Tourist Organization of Serbia, in cooperation with tourist associations, wineries and wine cellars, has designed the “Wine Routes of Serbia”
For wine lovers, wine tours provide a great experience. For those new to the world of wine, wine tours are a great way to soak up good tips on wine tasting and the unique flavours that wineries work hard to create. Meeting people with similar interests is also a great advantage of wine tourism.
TOS HAS DESIGNED EIGHT WINE TOURS
To improve wine tourism, the Tourist Organisation of Serbia has decided to create an institutional framework and, in cooperation with tourist associations, wineries and wine cellars, offer the public what has been expected for a long time: “Wine Routes of Serbia”. A programme has been established for a total of eight wine tours in different regions of Serbia, which tourists can visit through tourist agencies or on their own. Whereas every day of the year is good for visiting wineries, enjoying wine events requires a little patience, because they are held during autumn. Wine harvest in Vršac, Harvest days in Palić, Župa harvest in Aleksandrovac and Pudar days in Irig are scheduled for September, while the Belgrade Wine Fest will be held in October.