Our wine industry records some enviable figures. For example, the domestic white wine market is dominated by the autochthonous variety Tamjanika, which occupies a significant part of nearly 20,000 hectares under vines and accounts for about 30% of the total of 40 million liters of wine produced annually. However, Serbia lacks winemakers with plantations of 50 hectares in order for frankincense to be competitive on the world market.
The great effort and work of small households brought this variety of white wine to a leading position. Most of the plantations are located in Župa, but every year they spread to other parts of the country. According to Stevan Rajta, president of the Council of Winemakers, well-known wineries produce around 100,000 bottles per year, while smaller estates have a capacity of 20,000 bottles.
Cultivation of frankincense requires persistence, because young vines cannot be of high quality. It takes three to four years after planting for the vine to adapt to weather conditions. Climate changes, such as precipitation, strong winds and heat, pose a great danger to vineyards. The recent disasters destroyed between 20 and 30% of the vines throughout Serbia, including Šumadija, Vojvodina and Negotinska Krajina.
Foreigners are looking for Serbian wines – but to what extent?
Current data show that the production of grapes and wine in Serbia is mainly focused on international grape varieties. Autochthonous, local and newly created wine varieties make up only about 8% of the total production. White wine varieties are more common and make up 58.46% of the total vineyard area.
The state provides large subsidies for the purchase of equipment and the planting of vineyards, as well as for the construction of roads to make the areas under vines more attractive for tourism. However, the problem is not money, but the lack of manpower and schools for training oenologists, technologists, potters and cellarmen. It is proposed to form a special department under the line ministry that would deal with viticulture.
According to Rajta, Serbia has quality wines, but not quantity. Nevertheless, at international fairs, Serbian wines received high marks. Among the most represented wine varieties in Serbia are pea, Chardonnay and Riesling. Indigenous varieties such as smederevka, tamjanika and slankamenka are among the five most represented local varieties.
The Serbian market can annually absorb between 65 and 70 million liters of wine from the region and imports. The main importers are Macedonia and Montenegro, while Croatia and Slovenia have a smaller share. Also, wine is imported from Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Australia.
Source: AgroPress
Source: boljazemlja.com
