In this episode, David takes us on a day trip 11 kilometers from Novi Sad, Serbia to the charming wine town of Sremski Karlovci in the Vojvodina Province. The best part about this place is that it’s easy to explore by foot as you go from one wine tasting to another. There are several wineries and rakia producers here, many of which are family-owned and operated. The town has a long history in winemaking – Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius planted the first vines here in the year 273 A.D.
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Without further ado, David starts on his wine-tastic journey through Sremski Karlovci, plus takes us to a great lookout point and a delicious cake shop.
First stop is the Benišek-Veselinović Wine Cellar and Matchbox Museum to taste some amazing fruit and nut-flavored rakias. Owner Yovanna cooked a traditional Serbian breakfast to accompany the rakia samplings, which you could reserve too for approximately 500 Serbian dinar ($5) per person. Buying a bottle to take home makes for a special and inexpensive memento (10 euro).
Perhaps, like David, your favorite will be the walnut-flavored rakia. As you taste test, feel free to walk around and admire the hundreds of vintage matchboxes – a collection that Yovanna’s stepmother started many years ago.
The second stop of the day is to the famous Beekeeping Museum and the Wine House Živanović (86b Mitropolita Stratimirovića Street, +381(0)21882849; +381(0)62521061) to sample delicious wines, organic honey and check out the onsite Beekeeping Museum. Of their many wines, the red Probus, white Tamjanika, and red Bermet varieties are David’s top picks.
After working up a little buzz, David heads into the main square to taste traditional Kuglof cake – bundt cakes that originated in 17th century Germany. They make fantastic housewarming gifts and souvenirs (if you can refrain from eating the whole thing before you get home). The Kuglof cakes in Sremski Karlovci are made with the strong Bermet wine (17% alcohol). David enters Musej Geas Kuglof to see the Kuglof cake being made by local baker, Gia. A few simple ingredients, good quality chocolate and local Bermet wine combine to give Gia’s Kuglof cake a delicate and rich flavor.
The best way to end a day in Sremski Karlovci is by heading up to the Panorama spot for a bird’s eye view of the town and the Danube River. Remember if you would like to reserve a wine tasting at any of the wineries, you can do that by emailing them directly, or if you’re in town, take a moment to stop into the Sremski Karlovci Municipal Tourist Organization (7 Branka Radicevica Street, Tel: +381 21 882 127, 883 855) located in the main square.
Special thanks to Serbia Travel, XShot, and Carrentals.co.uk.
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