Owing to the efforts of Šijački Winery, Serbian autochthonous grape variety Seduša has been saved from extinction so we can eventually taste the first wine made from Seduša.

 In the village of Banoštor (Fruška Gora, Srem wine region, North Serbia), inside the tasting room of Šijački Winery, on 22nd April 2017, a few friends of the winery and selected wine media had an opportunity to taste the new wine made from Seduša, indigenous Serbian grape variety. The story of Seduša started 15 years ago, when the first 150 vines were labeled in an old vineyard and used for further grafting in Banoštor, the village situated on the bank of the Danube river, on the northern slopes of Fruška Gora (Srem wine region). Continuous efforts and hard work resulted in today's 2,500 vines, and Šijački family will probably continue expansion of plantations with this variety.

 Until recently, Seduša has been almost forgotten variety, sporadically found in the vineyards of Banoštor, so it hasn't been vinified. In science, this variety is also known as Sremska Zelenika Crna. The Institute of Viticulture in Sremski Karlovci confirmed the identity of this species of Vitis vinifera.

 Seduša is a delicate grape characterized by medium-to-large size of berries and thin skin. It can accumulate high levels of sugar in the good years. It's a late variety. Very productive grape, therefore the key to obtaining high quality wine is to strictly control yield by removing 50-60% of grape bunches during green harvest.

Seduša (photo ©Julius Kühn-Institut )

The label for Seduša wine from Šijački Winery shows a photograph of grandmother Ljubica Šijački. The photo was taken in the family vineyards in 1969. The land where Seduša vineyards were planted was handed over to Šijački family as Ljubica's land dowry.