WINE TOUR SERBIA

Welcoming you at the Belgrade international airport and transfer to Belgrade, Serbia's capital. Check-in to our hotel. We start orientation walk throughout Knez Mihailova street to Kalemegdan Fortress. After a short break, we take you to the wine and food restaurant called Ambar. Serbia is not well known in the list of wine countries, but you will be surprised that this country in its long tradition produces some of Europe's best bottles. This restaurant is an excellent opportunity to start tasting varieties of local wine and rakia (brandy). With its original culinary experience, we have a chance in this restaurant to learn more about Balkan cuisine. Small plates transform your dinner into a feast with barbeque grill, the finest selection of cheese, different blends of kaymak, hazelnuts and strawberries, local wine and rakia that meet the highest of expectations. Be sure to enjoy in Zilavka, Traminac, Prokupac, Vranac, or Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and much more than that. Overnight in Belgrade.

Today, we drive to the wine region of Negotin, situated in the three-border area where Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria meet, in the easternmost part of the country. It is known for its wine-making tradition of more than seven centuries. The Negotin region is covered by hectares upon hectares of fertile vineyards. To preserve the thousands of tones of wine they produced every year, people all over the Negotin region used to build “pivnice”, wine villages with hundreds of cellars used only for wine production and storage. They were built from chiseled rocks, wooden beams, or timber frames, with a portion of each structure dug into the ground to preserve the wine temperature. Arriving in the village of Rajac, we start our wine tasting and traditional food pleasure from Pimnica Peric. In this family-owned small winery, besides other varieties of wine, we will taste the unique red wine Zacinjak, found only in this region. After the check-in and small orientation walk, on your own, you can explore more of these cellars all around the village. The village of Rajac is a unique complex of approximately 250 wine cellars built from the 18th to the early 20th century. Tonight, we have dinner in Vinarija Raj. We taste primarily Red Tamjanika, White Tamjanika, Game…, etc. Overnight.

We start the morning with Negotin city sightseeing. Negotin is a small city of extravagant beauty and immense historical importance. Holy Trinity Church is situated at the very heart of Negotin, built in the early 19th century, and it is the most striking landmark of this part of the city. Its yellow facade with numerous architectural decorations was built in the neoclassical style, with elements of neo-renaissance. The next we visit is Manastir Bukovo, a Serbian Orthodox monastery, a complex of 14th-century buildings. In the afternoon, we drive to the village of Rogljevo, with more than 150 “pivnice” built in the 19th century. We will be guests of Francuska Vinarija. Here a French couple makes French-style natural wine with Serbian flair. The couple moved from Burgundy more than a decade ago, intoxicated by the landscape and the richness of the soil. Their grapes include Gamay, Tamjanika, Graševina and Riesling. In the evening, we are back in Rajac and we let you individually make a choice which "pivnica" will be your host for tonight. Overnight in Rajac.

In the morning, we depart to the second largest Serbian city Nish. But first, we make a stop in Potrkanje to taste some wine from the Jovic Winery, a family wine cellar with the tradition of several generations of famous winegrowers and cellarmen. On a total area of 15 hectares, grape varieties are carefully cultivated: Vranac, Cabernet Sauvignon, Muscat Hamburg, Chardonnay, Rain Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. In the afternoon, we are in Nish. After the city panoramic sightseeing, we visit Malča Wine Cellar, representing a unique centuries-old synthesis of the wine routes that have been crossed, bypassed, pervaded and combined into a fairytale in these regions. Listen to the story of this extraordinary blend of tradition and culture of Roman emperors, Serbian rulers, and ancient wine masters. The site extends over about 2 hectares of land and is located between the river Malčanska and the road Niš-Svrljig. A visit to Malča gives the visitor a true wine journey through time by visiting four wine houses: the Roman house, the Nemanjic House, the Serbian house, and the Contemporary Winery (Modern House). Dinner and overnight in Nish.

We take a morning ride to the central part of Serbia to visit the region of Shumadija and once a royal town of Topola. We drive in a hilly part of Topola to St. George's Church, also known as Oplenac, a mausoleum of the Serbian and Yugoslav royal house of Karadjordjevich. The church of Oplenac was founded by King Peter I of Yugoslavia. Many members of the royal house are buried in the church, in the crypt beneath the church, or the churchyard. In the afternoon, we visit Vrbica Winery with a magic view over the Royal vineyards, where we will have our lunch and wine tasting. After the check in to the hotel, we take a short walk around the town. Tonight we have dinner in Aleksandrovic Winery, tasting delicious wine of the Oplenac region, combined with traditional food. Overnight in Topola.

We leave Topola and drive to the most famous Sremski Karlovci wineries and wine tasting in authentic wine cellars with traditional brunch. We give a visit to the Honey Museum and a short lecture on life quality when honey products used. Free time for shopping and individual sightseeing program. Afternoon departure to Novi Sad, the capital of the Serbian province Vojvodina. We walk through Dunavska (Danube) and Zmaj Jovina street, which are the main walking zones of the city, City Hall, Freedom Square, the Name of Mary Church, Katolichka Porta, the House of Mileva Einstein – the wife of Albert Einstein, and finish at Petrovaradin Fortress, built by the Austrians in the 17th and 18th century as a pillar of defense against the invasion of the Turks. They call it the “Gibraltar of Danube”, because of its position. Today the fortress is famous for the most prestigious European music festival “Exit”. Overnight in Novi Sad.

In the morning, we drive to the region and national park Frushka Gora. There are more than 30 wineries in the area, but our stop will be at Deurić Winery, founded in 2006. We will taste Probus, a full-bodied blend with notes of blackberry and tobacco named after the wine-loving Roman emperor who planted the first vines in Fruška Gora. Part Cabernet Sauvignon, part Kadarka, a full pour is the color of a freshly cut beet but sticks to the glass in long, rust-colored tears. The next we visit is a winery called Mackov Podrum, to taste some Rhine Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Portugieser, Merlot, Cabernet, or the sweet Bermet. Tonight our farewell dinner is at Homa Fine Dining in Belgrade with fantastic wine selection.

Departure to the Airport of Belgrade.