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Balkan countries - recommendations - 9/28/2023 7:35:16 AM

davo22

Posts: 116
Joined: 9/6/2015
From: Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada
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We will be travelling through some of the Balkans next year. Planning to spend time in Romania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia and Albania. Possibly northern Greece. Looking for any recommendations from those that have travelled there for must visit wine regions and producers. Thanks in advance

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RE: Balkan countries - recommendations - 9/30/2023 3:46:44 AM

Sir LaL

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Joined: 5/23/2018
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Hi Davo

You got a lot of travel plans ahead of you with South Africa and the Balkans. Very nice :-).

I do not have much experience with most of the countries that you are going to visit on this trip. However I was in Serbia this summer, only in the capitol Belgrade. I was planning on visiting some wineries and do some tastings, this was however more troublesome than expected unless you are a group, otherwise it seemed to be hugely expensive for a solo traveller on a normal budget. So do your planning in advance.

Belgrade is a beautiful city with a huge potential. Most people are nice, but beware some of them just see you as a dollar sign - especially on the restaurants. Check your bill and if you are ordering wine by the glass make sure to see the bottle that they are pouring from.

However; I would go visit Basa (amber and naturewine producer), Vinarija Vujic and Erdevik.

In general I was mostly impressed by the whites and Pinot Noirs (and no it does not resemble Burgundy - If you want to drink burgundy spend your money on burgundy). But do expect big fruit forwarded red wines besides the Pinots.

Have a nice trip :-)

Best regards
Lars Lundgaard

(in reply to davo22)

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RE: Balkan countries - recommendations - 9/30/2023 5:14:58 AM

BenG

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Joined: 5/5/2009
From: Australian in Idaho
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I was very impressed with the Feteasca Negra made by Alira in Romania. I tried it at a wine bar and bought a bottle at Bucharest airport to bring back home. It reminded me a bit of zinfandel.

(in reply to Sir LaL)

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RE: Balkan countries - recommendations - 9/30/2023 9:29:55 AM

Eduardo787

Posts: 1567
Joined: 1/14/2020
From: Monterrey Mexico
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You are sooo close to my dream country yet to visit: Transnistria ! Maybe not for everyone, but this might be one of the most weird and interesting places you can visit nowadays. See some videos about this extremely unique and weird place, who know, maybe you like that kind of adventure.

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I can´t be happier than drinkling wine with my friends

(in reply to davo22)

Post #: 4

RE: Balkan countries - recommendations - 10/1/2023 2:57:51 AM

Echinosum

Posts: 602
Joined: 1/28/2021
From: Buckinghamshire, UK
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Eduardo787
You are sooo close to my dream country yet to visit: Transnistria ! Maybe not for everyone, but this might be one of the most weird and interesting places you can visit nowadays. See some videos about this extremely unique and weird place, who know, maybe you like that kind of adventure.

[off-rail]You say unique, but isn't it in the same category as Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are also frozen civil war breakaway regimes, supported/provoked by Russia? And indeed Russian-occupied Ukraine, though there the war is still proceeding, and widespread destruction evident on the ground. And until literally last week there was another, Artsakh, more commonly known as Nagorno-Karabakh, which Russia suddenly stopped supporting allowing Azerbaijan to retake it very quickly.

I suppose it depends what you like, but I would have thought Abkhazia was the best bet for a combination of the political experience and scenery. When Soviet leaders went for their holidays in Georgia, in practice it was to what is now Abkhazia, where the mountains come down to the sea. Stalin had his villa there. There's a fair bit of old-fashioned border theatre, or not-border theatre as the Georgians would see it, in visiting it. There's some time-consuming permits to apply for, and hanging about waiting to be dealt with, so it's not a day-trip. I think it is rather more straightforward to go on a day-trip from Chisinau to Tiraspol.

Of course both Moldova and Georgia have good vinous reputations, and the vineyards extend into Transnistria and Abkhazia, though those might not have modernised to the same degree as in the recognised administrations.[/off-rail]

(in reply to Eduardo787)

Post #: 5