Even during the corona epidemic, the tradition must live. This year, the third Thursday in November has been celebrated as the day of new wine despite ongoing epidemic. The tradition started in France, and over time it spread throughout the wine world. While Beaujolais Nouveau gets poured in France, Novello in Italy,  Svatovac Portugieser from Fruška Gora (North Serbia) fills the glasses in accordance with 13-year-long restored tradition of the region.

Owing to corona outbreak in Serbia, the feast of new wine has been rather modest this year, focusing predominantly on online tasting sessions and live broadcast from winery premises. Serbian winery Mačkov Podrum (Tomcat's Cellar) invited winelovers to celebrate Svatovac Portugieser day with their loved ones at home, so the wine shops were supplied with young Svatovac wine on time. The new Portugieser wine knight has been announced on social networks: Aleksandar Dunić, Serbian actor. So far, the title of Portugieser Wine Knight has been awarded to: Aljoša Vučković, Slobodan Trkulja, Vanja Bulić, Jovan Maljoković, etc. Also, in cooperation with the Serbian Library in Irig (founded in 1842), an award for the most beautiful wine-themed poem was established, so this year we will also find out who the author of the winning poem is.

This year, corona prevented the music of tamburitza players from being heard in the alleys of Irig and around Tomcat's cottage, the  vineyard keeper's toast from resounding and the smell of traditional paprika stew from pervading the air. However, the tradition of Fruška Gora Svatovac wine survives.

For the fourth year in a row, Vinum Winery from Sremski Karlovci has also been making young wine and presenting it to the wine audience in November. Based on the choice of grape varieties in their vineyards, Vinum's oenologist chose Pinot Noir as the basis for Pinole wine. This year, the feast of young wine organized by Vinum Winery took place in the winery premises, with a limited number of visitors (predominantly wine journalists and critics). Also,  restaurants in Novi Sad offered Pinole wine throughout the day. Young wine is consumed until December, and Vinum staff suggest pairing it with all types of meat dishes, particularly lamb or goat meat.

Young wine is the first wine of the new vintage. It is made by the method of carbonic maceration, i.e. whole berries are macerated in CO2 atmosphere in order to cause intercellular fermentation. This technology helps preserve freshness, fruitiness and coarse tannins do not get extracted from the skins. Young wine in the glass features an intense ruby red color, intense fruit-forward pleasant flavors of raspberry, strawberry, red forest berries, silky tannins and low alcohol.

The day of young wine is also celebrated in neighboring North Macedonia, and the organizer of the feast is Tikveš Winery. This year, due to pandemic, the whole event will be held online. Under the slogan "When the situation is extraordinary, young wine is extraordinary", winelovers can follow an interesting program via social networks starring celebrities from the region. The program is organized at two locations, in Kavadarci (in Tikveš Winery) and in Belgrade. Online festival features celebrities such as Vlatko Stefanovski, Tijana Dapčević, The Frajle, Rade Šerbedžija, the Association of Jazz Musicians and numerous wine experts, musicians and business people who will raise a toast with the first wine of the new vintage. The event can be followed on Facebook page of Tikveš Winery on Friday, November 20th, from 7 pm to 9 pm.

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