It took us nearly two years to track down the wines from Francuska Vinarija. These wines are made by a French couple, Estelle & Cyrille Bongiraud, in eastern Serbia. The Bonigraud’s were in search of a great, lost terroir when they stumbled upon the village of Rogljevo in the Negotin region.

We too stumbled upon this town when we first visited Serbia a few years ago. The towns of Rogljevo, Smedovac, and Rajac are tucked away in the hills and are home to hundreds of abandoned cellars. The locals here were once prosperous from the wine trade. Today, most of the cellars are abandoned and all of the young people left the villages for work. Visited the region is a beautiful and spooky experience as you can see in the video below.

We first arrived at the village of Rajac in the Spring of 2016. At the time, we were unaware of the presence of Estelle & Cyrille. We only found out about Francuska Vinarija about one month after our visit. It was unfortunate because this region is quite a ways from Belgrade and Francuska Vinarija wines are not available in Serbia.

While revisiting Serbia in the Fall of 2017, we mentioned to a friend about these wines. He smiled and said, “I can help you get these wines.” Just like that, we had the wines at our table.

The Promise: When Dreams Wake Up Reality

The story of Cyrille and Estelle Bongiraud is told in a documentary The Promise. It is a film by Optimistic Film/See TV and was written by Željko Mirković and produced by Dušan Gajič. Since its release in 2016, it has garnered eight awards in international film festivals. We originally found out about the winery from watching the trailer below on YouTube.

Around the same time we obtained the wines, our friend connected us with Željko, who was nice enough to let us view the film. Most of The Promise takes place in the village of Rogljevo in the Negotina area of East Serbia – a small portion of the film also takes place in France. The film is in Serbian and French with English subtitles. It is gorgeously shot which draws you into the story.

We really enjoyed the dialogue of the locals. Many were suspicious of the French coming in, while a few were supportive of it. The film interviews both the locals and the Bongirauds, which highlights the clash of cultures. Another strong aspect of the film is depicting how difficult it is to market and sell fine wines – especially those from exotic countries. Despite the high quality and praise that these wines receive, the Bongirauds constantly run into obstacles when trying to sell the wines.

The film ends on a somber note and leaves the future of the winery in doubt. Hopefully, there is a happy ending because these wines are stellar. It’s an entertaining film nonetheless, it’s not only about wine, it’s an inside look at a clash of cultures.

Francuska Vinarija Wines Tasted

(You can find out more about our scoring system on the START HERE page.)

• Francuska Vinarija Istina White 2009

The Francuska Vinarija Istina White consists of Riesling from old vines. Flavors include petrol, white flower, apple, and apricot. The wine is very honeyed in color. It’s bright on the front palate and the acidic core stretches the flavor through the palate. The wine is wrapped up in slate and mineral goodness. This is lighter in body than other great Rieslings but still of outstanding quality.   4.2/5

• Francuska Vinarija Poema 2010

The Francuska Vinarija Poema is a blend of Riesling, Tamjanika, and Graševina that spent 18 months on the lees. Petrol, flint, apple, white tea, and a touch of wood are the dominant flavors. This is a very earthy white wine. The initial attack is bright and delicious but the finish is a little shorter I would like.   3.8/5

• Francuska Vinarija Obećanje 2009

Obećanje translates to “The Promise.” The Francuska Vinarija Obećanje is made with Gamay from old vines. Beautiful nose of lavender, cherry, exotic spice, and a touch of leather. Light garnet color with tawny edges on the rim. It is medium bodied with multi-layered texture, lots of complexity, and a long finish with white pepper. This could easily pass for an excellent Cru Beaujolais, it’s undeniably French in style. 

This wine left quite the impression on us and was among our favorite wines of 2017.    4.4/5

• Francuska Vinarija Tajna Red 2010

The Francuska Vinarija Tajna Red is a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon wine aged for two years in French oak and two years in the bottle before release. Deep ruby color with some tawny edges. Black cherry, tar, soy sauce, carried wood, and capsicum nose. The flavors are very complex and rich. It’s big-bodied with a smooth mouthfeel and sandy tannins. The flavor intensity isn’t as strong as I would like on the finish. This can be overlooked because the nose and mouthfeel are so outstanding.   4.2/5

The finest selection of

Serbian wines

available at:

Shipping is available EU-wide and to the UK.

Check out Wines Available in the USA.

************

    Do you want to try Serbian wines?    

If you’re looking to savor the exquisite flavor of Serbian wines, look no further than wineandmore.com. With an abundance of options from different winemakers, it’s easy to find exactly what your palate desires. Not sure which bottle is best for you? Try out one of their curated wine cases and discover the perfect vintage for any occasion!

************

Want to learn more about wine?

Are you ready to discover the wonderful world of wines? Come join us at wineandmore.com and let’s explore the incredible selection of delicious wines together! We can’t wait to share our passion for wine with you!

The opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. 

The post Francuska Vinarija: Serbian Wine By The French appeared first on Wine Travel.

Belgrade, Serbia is known for its red-hot nightlife. We’re not big clubbers nor night owls but we always find a good party in Serbia. We have found several places where the people are friendly and wine flows like water. Where are these places you may ask?

Over the last year, we have stayed four months in Serbia. During that time we’ve traveled the country visiting producers and attending wine shows. The shows are always great for us to catch up with our favorite winemakers. We’ve had nothing but fun at all the Serbian wine shows that we have attended.

Why is that? Because at the shows in this country, winemakers and attendees don’t take themselves too damn seriously. There are about 400 registered wine producers in the country and everybody knows who the top ones are. At these shows, the Serbs are looking to try the new vintages but are there mostly to socialize. The winemakers themselves take this as an opportunity to see fellow friends in the industry and to have a good time. At the end of these shows, everyone is in a jolly mood and it’s not uncommon to go to a restaurant where endless singing, eating, and dancing takes place.

Here are three ongoing wine events that you shouldn’t miss in Serbia.

Salon Vina Kragujevac

Kragujevac is a university town in addtion to being the fourth largest city in Serbia. It’s an hour and a half drive south of Belgrade. This is an event that we hold close to heart because it was the first wine show we attended in the Ex-Yugoslavian region. The event is held annually in the early Spring.

The event is in the middle of the country and all of the top wineries show up to the event. In fact, it’s much easier and a shorter distance for producers that hail from Central Serbia, Negotin, Župa, and the deep south to attend. Because of this fact, you can see equal representation of Serbian wines from all over the country.

We attended the event in both 2016 and 2017. After we attended for the first time in 2016 we joined several winemakers at a nearby bar for an after party. It was crowded and smoky but the singing and dancing into the wee hours of the night made for a lot of fun. We didn’t get a chance to after party as hard this year but the show was still great.

The Salon Vina Kragujevac is a one-day event filled with workshops and the main showroom. A large ballroom is where producers display their wines while a live cover band serenades the crowd with soft American pop music. What makes the event so fun is that it is small and casual. Serbs have a great sense of humor and love to tease each other. During the event, it’s common to see producers go around and try each other’s wines while busting each other’s balls.

One of my favorite memories of this last year was at the table of Čokot Winery. This is a tiny producer from Župa producing excellent wines from Prokupac and Tamjanika. The owner and winemaker Radovan, left his table to go taste other wines and some random enthusiast jumped behind the table. He enthusiastically poured and told attendees about Čokot wine as if they were his own. When Radovan returned to his post, the enthusiast disappeared quietly into the crowd, perhaps to help out another table.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Pick

• Cilić, Onyx Blanc 2015 

This producer makes one of our favorite Serbian red wines named the Onyx Rouge. Their white wines are no slouch either. Wonderful texture and perfect wood integration in this Sauvignon Blanc. Sassy wine with stone fruit, grass, vanilla, and perfume. This is in between fat California-style Fume Blanc and the crisp Loire style. (the photo below is a bottle shot of the 2013 vintage).    4.1/5

Wine Jam

Wine Jam events are casual wine shows that take place in Belgrade throughout the year. They are the brainchild of Vladan “Kika” Stanojlovic. We attended two in 2017, one featuring new winemakers titled “Young Guns” and another one featuring producers solely from the Župa Valley (Tri Morave Rejon, South Serbia). Because of the themes, there are special niche wines at these shows that may be difficult to track down otherwise.

Both of these events were casual. Kika designed them to take place in quirky venues while remaining relaxed. The first one we attended was in an underground style bar and the second one was in a Jazz club.

One highlight for us was meeting an Instagram buddy in person at the show (see above). It’s always nice to meet friends from the digital world face-to-face. Better yet, it’s nice to meet them face-to-face with a glass of wine!

Wine Jam events are highly recommended to any visitors to Serbia. They are frequent and happen almost every month. On top of that, they are non-intimidating and non-pretentious events. You can still find some serious wines and it’s in a hip environment. It’s a great place to go if you are curious about wine or if you just want to have fun!

Both events allowed us to taste a few new wines. At Wine Jam we finally met and tasted wines from Bojan Baša. Bojan has vineyards on the Fruška Gora hill in the north part of Serbia. He is a natural producer and makes amber wines with long macerations and aging. We got a chance to taste his excellent Pinot Grigio 2013 that won’t even be on the market.

Another interesting find was wines from a small producer named Tošići. His winery is in the Župa valley and he produces wines from both Tamjanika and Prokupac. His Nesanica Orange Tamjanika is the first amber wine made from Tamjanika in Serbia.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Pick

• Tošići Nesanica Orange Tamjanika 2015

Made from the grape Tamjanika – a type of Muscat that flourishes in Serbia. This spent four months on the skins. Sweet apricot and yellow flower flavors with yellow peach. It is crisp with firm tannins, this has the body of an amber wine yet the flavors and crispness of a white wine.  3.8/5

Wine Style Salon

The Wine Style Salon is held annually in April. It is an event put on by Wine Style magazine. Locals consider this to be one of the best wine shows in all of Serbia.

Out of all the events in this article. This salon was the most buttoned-up. That doesn’t mean it was stuffy, the salon is still a lot of fun. In addition to domestic wine, there were wines from Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, and Italy present at the Wine Style Salon 2017.

 

What we love most about wine shows in Serbia is the party spirit. Almost everyone drinks at the show, even the winemakers and people running the booths and they start doing that right at the beginning of the show. By drink, we really mean drink; it’s rare to see people spit. Except us, of course–we ALWAYS spit at work. And at the end of the evening, the inevitable after-party is always there to offer an extension for a good day.

A post shared by Exotic Wine Travel (@exoticwinetravel) on Apr 23, 2017 at 8:52pm PDT

At the event, one of the local winemakers said, “I think it’s going to be a good party.” Not show, not event, not salon, but a party! That sums up the local attitude towards these events. Yes, it’s about wine, but it’s really about fun!

Once we tasted the wines on our wish list we said our goodbyes. When we told our Serbian friends we were leaving. They asked with a confused look, “Why are you leaving?”

This event was an opportunity for us to taste Oskar Mauer’s wines for the first time. Oskar is a natural wine producer in the north of Serbia. His wines are very difficult to find domestically, most of the production is exported to fine dining restaurants around the world. We weren’t disappointed, the wines of Mauer are alive, expressive, and pure. Mauer’s booth was constantly crowded, it looked like we weren’t the only ones excited about trying his wines.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Pick

• Mauer, Fodor Rizling 2015

This wine was macerated for 3 days on the skins. It has the tangerine color of a full out amber wine. The nose is shy at first but as it opens up there are flavors of spring breeze, white flowers, talcum powder, and a touch of tangerine. The tannins on the finish are redolent of white tea.  4.1/5

The finest selection of

Serbian wines

available at:

Shipping is available EU-wide and to the UK.

Check out Wines Available in the USA.

************

    Do you want to try Serbian wines?    

If you’re looking to savor the exquisite flavor of Serbian wines, look no further than wineandmore.com. With an abundance of options from different winemakers, it’s easy to find exactly what your palate desires. Not sure which bottle is best for you? Try out one of their curated wine cases and discover the perfect vintage for any occasion!

************

Want to learn more about wine?

Are you ready to discover the wonderful world of wines? Come join us at wineandmore.com and let’s explore the incredible selection of delicious wines together! We can’t wait to share our passion for wine with you!

You Might Also Enjoy:

Our Interviews With Vino & Fino Magazine and Vino.rs (Articles in the Serbian Language)
Serbian Fine Wine On Belgrade’s Doorstep
Serbian Grand Cru On The Slopes Of The Danube
Prokupac From South Central Serbia 
Matalj Kremen Kamen: A Vertical Tasting 

Disclosure: The ideas expressed in this article are personal opinions and are not associated with any sponsors or business promotions.

The post Three Wine Shows To Attend In Serbia appeared first on Wine Travel.

We first met Dušan Jelić at a Serbian wine expo in Kragujevac, Serbia.  Prior to that, we were already following his website Wines of Balkans for a few years. The information on Wines of Balkans was invaluable as we made our way through the region over three months in the Spring of 2016. Dušan has been very giving of his time and knowledge during the short period we have known him. He has tremendous insight on wines from this area that is still unknown to most of the world.

Dušan Jelić: A Perspective on Balkan Wine

Dušan Jelić, founder of Wines of Balkans and Fair Cape Wines Agency

• What can the Balkans uniquely offer to wine enthusiasts?

The region offers unique gastronomy including Balkan wines made from more than a hundred indigenous varieties. At least 20 of these are responsible for great world-class wines from many different producers and regions, such as Furmint/Sipon, Malvazija Istriana, Posip, Plavac Mali, Prokupac, Tamjanika/Temjanika, Vranac/Vranec, Blatina, Zilavka, Kadarka/Gamza, Mavrud, Feteasca Neagra, Boğazkere, Assyrtiko, Xinomavro, and many more. In addition to top-notch gastronomy, the Balkans is an extremely diverse region that offers the ultimate wine tourism experience!

• How did you get involved with Balkan wine?

My father is a genuine wine lover. He allowed me to start nosing and tasting wine at a young age. I remember my mother ‘complaining’ to him for allowing me to taste the wine. Those moments left a lasting impression since I was at such an impressionable age.

After leaving Bosnia in 1992, at the outbreak of the war, I moved to South Africa. When I returned in 1998, I got a job with the United Nations. That stint was up in 2009 when I relocated again to South Africa at the age of 40 and decided to pursue wine as a new career. After going to various classes on wine over a period of time, I connected with a few people and was eventually appointed as the social media manager for the leading South African wine online company www.wine.co.za. In 2010, I was one of the first social media managers in the wine industry. I was studying at Cape Wine Academy in South Africa. In 2011, I decided to move back to the Balkans and apply what I had learned in South Africa. It was evident that the local winemakers within the Balkans had been shut out or not fully aware of the social media movement. They were hoping that their business would expand simply by making good products.

I started here on a shoestring budget, but I didn’t care because I loved it. Nobody was covering all the countries as a whole in terms of Balkan wine because it takes a lot of time, travel, and financial power. I worked to visit all of the countries and started very humbly. The first year, I was paying all of my expenses; the second year, I got a little help with travel and accommodation, and finally started earning a little on top of that. Eventually, I got invited to be a judge at several competitions as well as a guest of the key regional wine festivals.

• How can the Balkans brand themselves?

We cannot succeed unless there is a concentrated effort. People in our industry are scared to invest money in these things unless they see an instant return. ­ In this game, the benefits are not immediately visible. It’s sad because vintners here are good; they are producing better and better wine, but they struggle with marketing. The cheapest form of marketing is social media, and it is being done randomly and ineffectively—if at all.

You could brand each country or region within the Balkans individually. Macedonia has put together funds for a collective effort to get their wines known. Croatia and Slovenia do have certain funds from the state too. Istria in Croatia is perhaps the best example of how a region can brand itself. They have an excellent branding strategy ­ that is not only about wine quality. They have also been successful by integrating wine with their food, olive oil, and truffles. The branding strategy is one of complete gastronomy, not only wine. The only Balkan variety that has its own Riedel wine glass is Malvazija Istriana from Istria!

My idea is to promote the entire Balkan Peninsula as a collective region. Branding the whole region could combine the different wine regions with gastronomy, skiing in the winter, swimming and beach resorts in the summer, history and culture, and relaxing spas. It is amazing to experience the diversity of landscapes and cultures this region contains, ­ and you can cross the whole area by plane in an hour or so. This small area has so much natural beauty.

Exotic Wine Travel team overlooking the Lake Skadar wine-growing region in Montenegro.

For example, a tourist cannot come to Slovenia for 10 days and be happy. But what if there was an operated tour that tailored three days in Slovenia, three days in Croatia, a few days in Serbia, and a few days in Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, or Montenegro. There is a lot of diversity and experiences to be had in an itinerary like that. Once again, this is my idea; there is no evidence as of now that this will be executed.

• So what does Serbia need to do to distinguish itself?

Our native variety Prokupac is at least 500 years old but there is not a lot of information out there about it. There is a longstanding wine culture here. Serbia needs to promote Prokupac and other indigenous varieties and create stories around them. Wine needs stories! Next, these grapes need to be researched, planted at a greater volume, and mastered to make great wine. Only last month, for the first time,  it was decided that 14th October is being celebrated as International Prokupac Day!

Lastly, it’s not enough to have great wine, there must be a tasting room that holds at least one busload of people. Wineries must have properly trained staff and they must have some proper pairing food available, ­ be it outsourced or prepared by an on­site restaurant. Having a place to sleep tops off the experience because if the wine is good, it isn’t safe to be driving around.

To move to the next level, groups of winemakers within the different regions must organize themselves into associations to brand and market their specific regions. This is difficult in Serbia because I believe that the winemakers here struggle with vanity. I personally dislike it when a producer asks me to compare their wine to someone else’s specifically. This exists all over the world but I believe it happens more frequently in Serbia.

• Tell me more about Serbian wine.

If you had visited Serbia 20 years ago, you would have found next to nothing in terms of great wine. 10 years ago, perhaps a few great examples. But what has happened in the last few years is simply extraordinary. Five years ago, not one winery had an accommodation option and perhaps only 10 or so had proper tasting room facilities. Now, there are at least 50 with proper tasting rooms, 15 or so with accommodation options, and several with great restaurants attached.

There are several passionate individuals who have succeeded in connecting wine with tourism. There are about 30 or so in Serbia who have realized that they can live very well by combining wine and gastronomy. For people to go from the Communist mindset to producing these types of successes in one generation is bloody excellent and gives a lot of hope for the future.

Think about this, the first méthode traditionelle sparkling wine made in Serbia was done only in 2008 by Aleksandrovic winery. Our modern fine wine industry is young and very exciting.

• What is the future for Balkan wine and Serbian wine?

The biggest areas of growth will be Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Croatia. Romania and Bulgaria will grow tremendously because of the level of investment made in the wineries and their infrastructure and because of their European Union membership. Greece will continue to make big strides because of the tourist infrastructure combined with their olive oil and food. Croatia will grow at a very fast pace because of their tradition, food, and large volume of tourists.

Serbia will only be successful if there is a better organization at state and/or production level. If in the next five or 10 years, proper organization does not take place, Serbia will grow slowly based on the merits of a few individuals and will not assume its rightful place. I would love to see the top 20 or so producers come together, put in funds, and send professionals to do tastings and classes internationally. They can also invite Masters of Wine or Master Sommeliers from different countries to taste the wines. There is too much reliance on individual success. Serbia has a lot of potential but there has to be better management.

You can find Dušan’s work at his website Wines of Balkans and Fair Cape Wines Agency, and social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or Google +.

Check out our video interview with Dusan:

The finest selection of

Serbian wines

available at:

Shipping is available EU-wide and to the UK.

Check out Wines Available in the USA.

************

    Do you want to try Serbian wines?    

If you’re looking to savor the exquisite flavor of Serbian wines, look no further than wineandmore.com. With an abundance of options from different winemakers, it’s easy to find exactly what your palate desires. Not sure which bottle is best for you? Try out one of their curated wine cases and discover the perfect vintage for any occasion!

************

Want to learn more about wine?

Are you ready to discover the wonderful world of wines? Come join us at wineandmore.com and let’s explore the incredible selection of delicious wines together! We can’t wait to share our passion for wine with you!

You May Also Enjoy
Cracking Croatian Wine: A Visitor-Friendly Guide
Ivana Simjanovska: Macedonian Wine Expert (Wine Judge, Wine Writer)

Featured image courtesy of Wines of Balkans.
The ideas expressed in this article are personal opinions and are not associated with any sponsors or business promotions.

The post Dušan Jelić: A Perspective on Balkan Wines appeared first on Wine Travel.