The Best Serbian Wine | Wine Enthusiast

Serbia boasts a long and storied history of winemaking, dating back thousands of years.

The Roman conquest in the first century A.D. brought wine cultivation to the Balkans, particularly in Upper Moesia, located in present-day Serbia. But researchers have reason to believe that the area’s winemaking heritage dates back even further.

“Some evidence suggests that wine was initially introduced to the region in the late fifth century B.C.,” says Dr. Aleksandar Fotić, a respected Serbian historian. “Although conclusive proof of local cultivation at that time remains elusive.”

Winemaking flourished during Roman and later Byzantine rule. When the first Serbian state emerged in the mid-10th century, and especially later under the rule of the Nemanjić Dynasty (1166-1371), its wine culture progressed even further under the guidance of monks.

There have since been ups and downs, including setbacks from Ottoman rule, phylloxera in the late 1800s and degradation of vineyards during post World War II communist rule, which prioritized quantity over quality.

Yet, over the course of millennia, Serbian wine culture has managed to preserve. Today, thanks to a new wave of innovative winemakers, the country’s reputation is being transformed on the international scene before our eyes.

Here’s a primer on everything you need to know.

Getty Images

Serbian Wine: The Next Generation

Up until the beginning of 2000’s, when Serbia’s democratic government was elected, independent producers were rare and practically didn’t exist on the commercial market.

But the new government began giving out subsidies for winegrowing. As a result, there has been a resurgence of Serbian wine in the past two decades, driven by a new generation of winemakers.

The most dedicated show their commitment to minimal-intervention winemaking as well as sustainable and organic practices, embracing environmentally friendly techniques. The country is also home to an organic viticultural consulting company called Bio-Vin, owned by Miloš Marković, a viticulturist who attended the renowned Geisenheim University, in Germany, and consults across the country and, occasionally, overseas.

Some growers, such as Oszkar Maurer of Maurer Winery, are also reviving ancient grape varieties such as Bakator and Sremska Zelenika.

Fruska gora National Park in Serbia with wineyard – Getty Images

Before the phylloxera epidemic, Serbia boasted over 70 indigenous grape varieties.

In his 1816 book, The Perfect Winemaker (Soveršen Vinodelac), priest Prokopije Bolić recorded that Fruška Gora—a mountainous region in the Pannonian Plane that was first planted by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Probus’ legionnaires in the third century—alone had 35 grape varieties.

Sadly, phylloxera wiped many of these out, leaving only about 15 significant indigenous varieties today. These include red Prokupac, Začinak and Kadarka grapes. Some of the remaining native whites are Smederevka, Sremska Zelenika, Medenac Beli and Bakator (Ezerjó).

Locally crossed hybrids, which were developed during Yugoslavian times about a half a century ago, have been growing in popularity among wine growers, too. Some, like Probus and Župljanka, mix local and international varieties to create a unique expression of the area. While others, such as Morava, were created from different species of grapes to resist winter frost and diseases.

Additionally, internationally recognized varieties have become common. Whites, like Welschriesling (locally called Grašac), Furmint and Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains (Tamjanika), have been naturalized in Serbia. Imported red wine varieties that have been widely planted include Vranac, Kadarka, Blaufränkisch (Frankovka) and Portugizer (Portugieser).

The new wave of producers present both these historical and international varieties in a minimalist style. This is a vast change from the heavily-manipulated, uniform wines that became the norm at the beginning of the government subsidies and are still prevalent to this day.

At the Serbian restaurant Kafana, in New York city, owner Vladimir Ocokoljić has found that guests are curious to try lesser-known wines from the country. “That’s where Serbian wine stands right now—new and interesting, trying to find its own niche,” he says.

Many of the bottles Ocokoljić keeps in stock have stood out in my recent experiences with the country’s wines, too. My favorites are listed below.

The Top Serbian Wines to Try Right Now

Fruška Gora

Founded in 2010, Bojan Baša’s estate spans over five hectares in the historical vineyard Matej, in Fruška Gora, a wine region situated in Vojvodina’s fertile plains. Once a volcanic island, this area features diverse soils, spanning from schist, limestone and flysch, to clay and gravel.

Bojan cultivates native Prokupac, hybrid Morava as well as Pinot Grigio, Tamjanika and Furmint in the limestone and clay soils, which bring both freshness and roundness to the wines. His style relies on long maceration of white grape varieties and minimalist approach, incorporating organic and biodynamic principles.

He is renowned for amber-colored Jantar Pinot Grigio, but his Furmint stands out to me as the most impressive wine, combining power and elegance with intense notes of peach, straw and sea salt with a tactile finish.

Bikicki

Fruška Gora

Djordje Bikicki’s winery, certified organic since last year, spans 11 hectares in Banoštor in Fruška Gora, where his vineyards are planted to a diverse mix of clay, limestone, marl and volcanic rocks.

He makes 15 equally varied cuvees—including sparkling, skin-macerated whites, reds and dessert wines—that serve as excellent gateways to natural wines due to their approachability and clean profile. The standout is S/O, Sauvignon Blanc, which is skin macerated for five days and exhibits a refreshing palate, with savory mineral details that linger on the long finish.

Negotinska Krajina

French couple Estelle and Cyrille Bongiraud bring an impressive pedigree to Serbian wine culture: Cyrille worked at the esteemed Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy.

In 2008, they established their winery in Rogljevo, a village near the Danube River and Deli Jovan Mountain in Eastern Serbia’s Negotinska Krajina region. This historic region—which dates back to the third century A.D.—features hundreds of century-old limestone cellars, one of which is used by the Bongirauds.

They cultivate three hectares and collaborate with another family on two additional hectares planted on a mix of alluvial, clay, limestone and sandy soils. Alongside monovarietal Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Vranac, Prokupac and Tamjanika bottlings, their signature wine, Obećanje, is crafted from 50-plus-year-old Gamay vines, blending the finesse of fine Burgundy with the unique ripeness of the area.

Kostic Harvest — Image Courtesy of Kostic

Kostić

Toplica

Located near Prokuplje, in the Toplica wine region, this small-scale project spans just over one hectare. Proprietor Miloš Kostić, who founded the winery in 2018, inherited century-old vineyards that grow on limestone soils and are tended by hand and horse.

While there are small plantings of Tamjanika and Začinak, Kostić has established himself as the Prokupac maestro, a local varietal named after the area. His version is refined and delicate with notes of plum, violet, sandalwood and even licorice at times. It also has expressive purity and length.

Fruška Gora and Subotica

Oszkar Maurer, an ethnic Hungarian, is a pioneer in organic, biodynamic and low-intervention practices in Serbia. Starting natural winemaking in 1994, he resumed in 2012 after a pause in the 2000s due to inability to sell unfiltered wine.

In the Fruška Gora and Subotica wine regions, Maurer revives abandoned vineyards and lost grape varieties, such as rare Sremska Zelenika, Bakator and Medenac Mali. He experiments a lot, making many different cuvées. But his creative thinking goes beyond winemaking. He currently tends vines that haven’t been sprayed for 50 years and some that grow naturally, unpruned and climbing up trees in the nearby forest.

Kadarka 1880 is his most acclaimed wine. Made from a vineyard planted in 1880, it has a silky texture and pure red-berry expression. His multi-vintage blend, Babba, is also noteworthy. Made of Riesling, Medenac Beli, Bakator, Furmint and Tamjanika, it is an orange wine that is intriguing and enduring.

Erno Sagmeister Vineyard — Image Courtesy of Erno Sagmeister

Fruška Gora and Smederevo

Ernö Sagmeister, another ethnic Hungarian, tends to three hectares of vineyards in the Fruška Gora and Smederevo wine regions. He champions natural wine, too, envisioning it as Serbia’s key to international distinction. While excelling in Furmint and Kadarka, his standout creation is LH Zero, crafted from Lipolist (also known as Hárslevelü in Hungary). This wine offers firm yet integrated acidity supporting rich citrus and floral notes with a seductive texture.

Tri Morave

Aleksandar Todorović inherited his father’s vineyards in the Župa subregion of Central Serbia’s Tri Morave wine region, a historical area dotted with medieval monasteries and ruins.

In 2017, he began making wines influenced by the new wave of Slovenian vintners. He experiments with skin maceration of indigenous white grapes like Župljanka, Grašac and Tamjanika. For reds, he works with Prokupac and a little bit of Merlot, which are pure and elegant. While all of his wines are unique and expressive, his skin-contact Župljanka stands out, offering a full-bodied, light copper hue with a complex, velvety palate and salty finish.

Vojvodina

Nestled on Biserno Ostrvo (Pearl Island), Vert Winery runs 27 hectares of vineyards set between the Old Tisa and Tisa rivers in a natural park. Milena Radenković and Dejan Stojanović craft terroir-driven wines, enriched by alluvial soils from the old riverbed of Tisa River. They work with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling, all made in two different versions, in stainless steel or neutral oak barrels. The stainless steel Riesling stands out the most. It showcases a graceful profile, despite 30 days of skin maceration, and an expressive stone fruit– and spice-driven palate.

Župa

Dejan Vujić, along with his cousin Radica, established their Župa winery in 2017. Embracing their grandfather’s agricultural ethos, the Vujić family tends their vineyards with a profound reverence for nature. Their focus on native varieties, cultivated with minimal intervention, shines in their Gmitar Reserva, crafted from an old Prokupac vineyard planted in the late 19th century by their great-grandfather Gmitar, which is registered on Serbia’s cultural and agricultural heritage list. This wine is remarkably concentrated and complex.