The first major attempt to present our wines on the European markets was made in 1882 at a wine exhibition in Bordeaux. Serbian wines came into spotlight because vineyards of Western Europe had already been affected by phylloxera. According to the report published in Težak magazine (No. 14/1883), 28 exhibitors from Serbia participated at the 1882 wine exhibition in Bordeaux. They exhibited 58 wines, as follows: 32 wines from Negotinska Krajina, 9 wines from Smederevo, 5 wines from Niš, 4 wines from Župa and Levač, 2 wines from Požarevac, 2 wines from Jelica and one wine from Grocka, Jagodina, Venčac and Pocerje-Tamnava region. Some of the exhibited wines received good grades, whilst 19 received awards. Medal of Honour was given to his majesty King Milan and the Government of the Kingdom of Serbia. Wines from Royal Vineyards and wines made by Nikola Hristić, the President of the ministerial Council and Minister of Interior Affairs, were awarded gold medals for progress. Wines made by Vasa Mijatović, the innkeeper from Belgrade, Jovan Protić, the clerk from Belgrade, Ljubomir Novaković, the oenologist from Kraljevo, Vićentije Popović, the priest from Ježevica and Carlo Perolo, the innkeeper from Belgrade, were awarded silver medals. Wines made by Dr Bulić from Smederevo, Jovan Jelkić, winemaker from Belgrade, Stojan Pavlović, tobacco merchant from Požarevac, Arsa Lukić, Belgrade merchant, Aleksa Novaković, lawyer from Belgrade and V. Vujovic, state advisor, were awarded bronze medal. Wines made by R. Paranos, a merchant from Belgrade, Jovan Marković, a farmer from Kobišnica, Mika Petrović, an innkeeper from Belgrade, Blazijades from Niš and A. Vukićević, a clerk from Jagodina. However, according to data provided by the Ministry of National Economy, the wines that attracted the greatest attention were not produced by wineries who owned their own vineyards. Instead, they were made by merchants who purchased grapes from various grape growers depending on harvest and market needs and produced wine.

Further attempts of exporting Serbian wines were interrupted by phylloxera outbreak on the Balkan Peninsula.

Monday, November 19th, 2018 - After an intense week in Piedmont and an opportunity to compare classic wines of Barolo and Barbaresco with rising stars from Langhe, my wine trip continued to Bordeaux. I was about to attend VINITECH 2018, one of the most important trade shows for wine production in Europe. This year, 9 Serbian wineries would present their wines at the fair. The winemakers have already arrived in Bordeaux from Belgrade. The program of events at the fair and accompanying events promise an intense three-day exhibition program… and the opportunity to expand further my knowledge of French (knowing that the French are not so keen on speaking other foreign languages).

Bordeaux is a city of some 250,000 inhabitants, so it is not demanding as far as public transport is concerned. The bus line (which goes every 15 minutes) leads from the airport to the city center and the ticket costs € 1.70. After hotel check-in, we go to the venue to check if all the equipment has arrived. The wines are there (most importantly), the brochures of the Tourist Organization of Serbia are there, the visual appearance and layout of the stand could have been done better but now we have to put up with it… Refrigerator, glasses, spittoons will arrive during the evening … Everything seems to be fine, except that the fridge intended for cooling white and rosé wines looks as if Jean Paul Sartre himself used to cool wines in it during 1970s. I hope that the antique device still works. The fair can kick off tomorrow. I am investigating the neighbourhood of our stand… The closest neighbors are the stands of Croatia, Georgia, Romania, Australia and Russia.

Tuesday, November 20th, 2018. - I arrive at the stand at 9h. We set up the stand, get to know technical staff and sommeliers who provide support to exhibitors… I adore French courtesy and friendliness (of course, provided you speak at least a little French). At the tasting table, today we have wines from Vista Hill, Virtus and the Royal Winery. Already at ten o’clock, it gets crowded. Hm, who would have suspected that the French liked to start the day with wine… We get a lot of comments, and we are all very curious to hear reactions to our wine. Rosé Premium from Vista Hill winery attracts attention by its color; visitors commend its pale pink color with onion reflections. We get great comments for Suveren wine made by Royal Winery and connoisseurs do not hesitate to praise it. Obviously, the locals are accustomed to Bordeaux grape varieties and they like to taste such wines and compare with peers. Already after the first day, it becomes clear that an average Frenchman will hardly manage to pronounce the word prokupac, but as a rule, he/she will end up with “prokupak”. They definitely liked Prokupac from Virtus. Especially when they hear that it’s a Serbian flagship variety. Also, a number of visitors wanted to purchase some wine, but there was no help: “No, there is no distributor for this wine in France, no, it is not possible to order online, there are a few labels of Serbian wine in the Wine Museum and only there could you find it”. And the story continued so until 18:00. The first day of the fair came to a close successfully.

Wednesday, November 21st, 2018. - Presentation of Serbia as a wine region was scheduled at 10:30 am. All winemakers had already arrived. Some confusion, the usual technical problems with powerpoint presentation, white wines insufficiently chilled (I knew that we couldn’t rely on that old fridge). Fortunately, ice comes from somewhere. There is a lot of crowd at the stand.

During the second day, our tasting table showcased wines from Šumadija: Aleksandrović, Radovanović and Despotika winery. The crowd flocks like the first day. A lot of visitors, mostly professionals from the wine scene. I enjoyed meeting a Frenchman working for Chateau Latour. He tasted all our exhibited wines. Having tasted Aleksandrović Regent and Radovanović’s Cabernet Sauvignon, he praised the wine and added that in Bordeaux they could hardly get a pure 100% Cabernet Sauvignon of such quality. we continued conversation with a conclusion that winemakers in Bordeaux finally realized that nowadays good wines are made throughout the world, and for the future it is necessary to change common perception that Bordeaux wines are expensive and inaccessible to average consumers. For example, wines from Serbia have an excellent price-quality ratio. Today, Trijumf Selection unofficially took the epithet of “Russian” wine. First, a Russian came to the stand and told me that somewhere in Moscow he had an opportunity to taste Trijumf. Of all the wines, he wanted only Trijumf. A little bit of sniffing, swirling, enthusiasm (I guess so, since I didn’t speak Russian, whilst he couldn’t speak any other language except Russian). After about 20 minutes, he came back with another friend and again … Only Trijumf Selection. An hour later, he brought another friend … And then another … It was no longer necessary to do the talking. I am not sure whether one could find a single Russian at the fair who missed an opportunity to taste Trijumf… Despotika exhibited at the fair local varieties (Morava and Prokupac), which is a winning combination: no one refused to taste wine from a variety that can only be found in Serbia and nowhere else. And a good indication for other winemakers that wine portfolio should include some local grape next to international varieties, because it gives the sense of local and authentic… The crowd continued to stream in, and there were some well-known faces from the Balkans: staff from Komuna winery, Erdevik winery, Tikveš , Jerusalem Ormož, Brkić, etc… Everyone with a smile and friendly greeting, proud to see well-known labels from Serbia exhibited at the fair.

We spent the evening by “skipping” the formal gala evening organized by the fair, so instead we went to a party organized by Radoux (barrel producer). And there, again, our friends, Russians, who came to the stand today … By the end of the evening, we would learn Russian. But, thanks to them, we managed to get a 20-year-old Armagnac. And the selection of magnums on our table continued to multiply…

Thursday, November 22nd, 2018 - On the third day of the fair, there is good coordination of activities at the Serbian stand. Wineries Budimir, Temet and Fruška Gora vineyards (Fruškogorski vinogradi) are presenting their wines. At 10am, the first visitors start arriving. Hmm, have these kids come of age?!? Secondary school of viticulture from Bordeaux. Teachers brought them to the fair… Unbelievable, still quite young, but they all have very developed wine culture. They know how to hold a glass, they do sensory analysis of wine while they’re tasting it, they are eager to know the rootstock of vines from Temet Winery. One of the students told me that there are 26 students and 14 different nationalities in his class because youths from all over the world come to study viticulture in Bordeaux. They are particularly interested in tasting autochthonous varieties. Prokupac and Tamjanika from Budimir Winery, as well as Three Moravas White from Temet Winery, immediately find their fans. We also had a special brochure on the stand (originating from my powerpoint presentation on Serbian wineries printed on quality paper and bound), so just a mere sight of Gubovac hill made everyone speechless. An excellent wine, the old vineyards… In a nutshell, a fully fledged story. Temet Winery also prepared a wine premiere for the Vinitech Fair, a wines that will be released on the Serbian market in the spring. Premium wine, a blend of Prokupac and Cabernet Franc… Fruška Gora vineyards enchanted visitors with their red wines. It couldn’t go unnoticed that in Srem, both Pinot Noir and classic Bordeaux varieties are planted equally, which is not common in France. The day three at the fair came to a close earlier, as there was a big tasting at the Wine Museum in Bordeaux at 18.30. Serbian wines already present in the museum (i.e. wines from Šumadija) had their grand promotion. All 45 places for this tasting were booked 7 days earlier. I felt a great responsibility to present to the French our wines from Šumadija: Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Morava, and at the same time tell the incredible history of this wine region, the story of the Serbian royal family, the geographical features of the region, the volcanic past … And all this within an hour of tasting . Numerous questions during the tasting and applause in the end just confirmed that we succeeded. The mission of presenting Serbian wines in Bordeaux was completed in the most beautiful way. The only question during these three days at the fair that we couldn’t find the right answer was why Serbian wines were absent from the French market. However, events like this one might create opportunities for the future. Serbia slowly keeps up the pace with the global wine scene. That’s where we belong.

A brief entertainment guide to Bordeaux If you find some free time to explore Bordeaux, here are some tips for “good entertainment” in Bordeaux:

- You can skip Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant. The food is fine but nothing jaw-dropping (contrary to the owner’s reputation)

- If you happen to suffer from a pang of nostalgia at midnight, take the USB flash drive containing the greatest hits of Haris Džinović and Saša Matić … Kind French waiters will not refuse to play some Serbian folk tunes in the restaurant. Until early morning hours ..

- Public transport (trams and buses) in Bordeaux operate smoothly even during the night. You do not need to rent a car or take a taxi. Just forget about cheating: the fine for rides without a ticket amounts to 122 euros.

If you want an unforgettable gastronomic experience, then do not miss the Le Quatrième Mur restaurant in the Grand Theater building.

- For shopping, a good location is the Mérignac Soleil shopping center with over 120 shops to choose from.

(29.11.2018.)  

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