There are nearly 70,000 hectares of vineyards in Serbia, producing about 425,000 tons of grapes annually. The majority of Serbian wines are produced in local wineries. The Serbian wine industry is showing signs of significant growth, as evidenced by In Vino, an annual international wine festival that has been held in Belgrade since 2004 on an annual basis. Also, since 2010, an annual international wine fair is held at the Belgrade Fair, named "Beo Wine Fair". As of 2019 Serbian wine production was in expansion. Harvest season in Serbia begins in July and ends in October.
History
The history of wine-making in Serbia dates back to prehistory. Viticulture was rich during the Roman period. Wine has been part of Serbian culture since the establishment of statehood, especially during the reign of the Nemanjić dynasty, which encouraged and promoted viticulture. Former Yugoslavia was among the top-ten world wine producing countries. At its peak in the 1970s, it produced over 6 million hectolitres annually. However, largely due to the constraints of the socialist state, emphasis was put on quantity rather than quality. Many wines were mass-produced in large agricultural combines such as Navip and Rubin, with generally low quality standards in all stages of the wine-making process. The 1980s saw a sharp decline in production and exports, a development that continued in the 1990s with the Breakup of Yugoslavia and the subsequent breakdown of the Serbian economy. But in the 2000s, Serbian winemaking started not only to recover, but to take a sharp and decisive turn towards quality and distinction. Numerous small and mediumprivately owned wineries entered the market, often run as family businesses, and with very high regard for standards of quality and taste. Some near-forgotten traditions, such as Bermet of Sremski Karlovci, have been revived. The country's economic recovery also contributed to increase of domestic consumption. Wine production in 2004 was 1,550,000 litres. Wine consumption per capita is 16 liters. Still, only 5% of domestic production is exported, most of it into neighboring countries, and chiefly in bulk. High-quality and quality wines constitute about 35% of production.
Wine regions
The most important Serbian vineyard areas are situated in Timok valley, in the area of Vršac, on the slopes of Fruška Gora, in the Subotica area, Šumadija and Župa. According to a classification from the 1970s, Serbia has nine winemaking regions, each with several subregions:
Timok region, in eastern Serbia, around Timok river valley
#Negotinska krajina subregion, centered in Negotin
#Knjaževac subregion
Nišava-South Morava region in southern Serbia, in valleys of eponymous rivers
#Aleksinac subregion
#Toplica subregion
#Niš subregion
#Nišava subregion
#Leskovac subregion
#Vranje subregion
West Morava region in central Serbia, along the lower flow of the river
#Čačak subregion
#Kruševac subregion
Šumadija-Great Morava region in central Serbia, the largest one by area
#Mlava subregion
#Jagodina subregion
#Belgrade subregion
#Oplenac subregion
Pocerina region, in western Serbia, around the mountain of Cer
Srem region, around Fruška Gora mountain in the province of Vojvodina
In light of revival of winemaking industry of Serbia, Serbian Ministry of Agriculture in 2008 launched an initiative for reform of Serbian laws on winemaking, and re-classification of wine regions. A revised region classification was issued in 2013, defining 22 regions without subregions, and specifying their borders and characteristics in detail.
