MICHELIN'S GUIDE TO THE NATURAL WINES OF SERBIA

06. Oct 2022
Photo: Pixabay

Serbia is at the very top in the natural wine production sector and is home to top producers who have been using the best technologies for the production of high-quality, healthy and natural wines for years. This is supported by the fact that Michelin's guide to the natural wines of Serbia was recently published, which looked at some of the most famous wineries in our country and their products, whose quality rivals the best wines in the world.

A perfect example is the Kovačević winery, located in Irig, the old capital of Fruška Gora, in an imposing building that once housed a fruit-growing cooperative founded in 1930. The Kovačević winery can boast of a family wine tradition of more than a century. "This is who we are, these are the roots of our family, and this is the spirit of our wine," says Miroslav Kovačević, the heir to the family business that started with a small family vineyard, and today has reached the extent of seventy-five hectares of Fruška Gora vineyards and another fifty-five hectares ready for planting.

The development path of the Kovačević winery has not only always kept up with the times, but has often been a step ahead, deservedly becoming one of the leaders in the sector. During the last 15 years, there has been a huge increase in the number of people advocating for natural wines, and the Kovačević winery also wanted to contribute to the protection of biodiversity.

"Since 2018, all our vines are grown organically, without the use of any chemicals. If the vine is healthy and properly cared for, it will be able to survive on its own in its natural environment, without the need for chemicals. Our primary goal is to build a core of self-sufficient vines. In other words, we strive to switch to biodynamic production in order to have an even stronger connection with nature. As before, we still use only wild yeasts, we do not use additives, and our wines are not filtered or refined," Kovačević points out.

Their foresight, however, does not stop here: "We are planning a large investment to encourage wine tourism in our region, which also has a thermal spa within the national park." We are also working on a new tasting room where we will create unique combinations of food and wine, with a special focus on organic food. Whenever you taste our wines, you will feel the soul and heartbeat of our country and understand the authentic spirit of Fruška Gora," concludes owner Miroslav Kovačević.

The oldest wine tradition, wines from amphorae, long macerated, with minimal intervention by the winemaker, spontaneous fermentation on autochthonous yeasts are just some of the characteristics of the wines produced by the Kovačević winery, which include OrpheLine (white, red and pink), Rhine Riesling, Chardonnay Kovačević Edition R, Aurelius Kovačević Edition S, Aurelius Kovačević Edition R. The leading grape varieties of the company are merlot, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir for red and chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and renault riesling for white wine.

Another top winery in Serbia is Plavinci, which produces natural wines in an untouched natural environment along the Danube in Zaklopača, not far from Belgrade. The company pays exceptional attention to each bottle of wine. As a result, each grape is hand picked, pressed, bottled and labeled with love, dedication and affection.

"We devote ten times more time than necessary to each bottle," says founder and owner Branislav Anđelić. "When I started my organic vineyard in 2008, I didn't have any special knowledge," he says. I am an economist and I had no agricultural experience. There were no books or articles in Serbian, organic viticulture was not taught at the universities, and there was no research material. So I rolled up my sleeves and started visiting organic, biodynamic and natural wine producers in Europe and the United States. I read books and scientific articles in English. My message today is this: if you want to make natural wine, you need to understand chemistry, microbiology and technology better than traditional winemakers. If the final result is not good, does not have a pleasant aroma or is defective in any way, then no one cares if it is natural or not. Too many people think that all you have to do is press the grapes and then come back six months later and bottle the wine. If you do this, the end result will be what happens when grapes naturally ferment, i.e. vinegar. Our approach is very different and starts with a deeper knowledge of the subject matter. We are not chasing market conquest, but the hearts of the few who know how to appreciate the real thing when they try it".

Regarding the great growth of interest in natural wines in Serbia, Anđelić points out that it has only exploded in the last three or four years. "Until 2000, there were only three wineries in Serbia that had an organic certificate: now twenty of them are in the process of conversion, and at least six will be certified as organic in time for this year's grape harvest." This sector is definitely growing, although there is still a lot to be done, such as the creation of specific production areas in wineries and special sections on the wine lists of restaurants," Anđelić points out.

This winery's wine is made from rare grape varieties and is unlike any other wine you've tasted before. The red wine "Indigo" is from the Regent variety, which only this winery grows in the Balkans, and the white wine "Ćilibar" is from the Panonia variety, from which only three wineries in Serbia make wine. By using fully ripe grapes (but not overripe), a short maceration and the use of old oak barrels during aging, they produce a refreshing fruity wine that goes well with pizza or snacks as soon as it is opened, while if you let it breathe for a few hours and serve it at room temperature, it goes perfectly with rare steak or Hungarian goulash. Another wine worth trying is Selena, an organic orange wine made from Tjamanika grapes, twice awarded the BIWCF gold medal.

Plavinci Winery also produces 100% vegan wines.

 

Source: guide.michelin.com

 

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