Wine history

Once the three biggest Serbian monasteroes Hilandar, Studenica and Zica had their own vineyards and wine cellars in Zupa through out the middle ages. The famous Serbian Prince Lazar had cellars in the meadow Krusevica, in Zupa. Zupa-Serbian Champagne, as it was called by the French consul Deco in 1904, is located in a valley between the Kopaonik, Zeljin, Goc and Jastrebac. They say that the climate in Zupa is the same as the climate in the French Bordeaux area.

The outline of the development of viticulture and enology since the sixties of the twentieth century consisted of Vino Zupa from Aleksandrovac, established in 1956. when 9 farmers united to form a cooperative, and Rubin from Krusevac was established in 1955.

Wine has for centuries been a sign of power, wealth, and a source of survival in Zupa. Celtic warriors drank it, Roman legions, Byzantine strategists, Prefect of the Serbian kings, bishops and archbishops, Turkish begs.

Vineyards and enology today

Zupa is now known for its vineyards, and dilligant tenants who carried the glory of this region where geographical and climatic conditions, and pedologic characteristics are certainly among the best in Serbia for growing vines. Aleksandrovac rules the hills with its possition, with a view to the vineyards of Zupa, and glades of Kopaonik. Zupa vineyards are located in the western part of Serbia, in the basin of the Western Morava River and its tributaries.

Vineyards of Zupa are spread over about 2,500 hectares, of which 50 hectares were added in the last two years. Aleksandrovac and its environment grow muscadine and prokupac, the oldest authentic varieties of grapes in Serbia. Prokupac, also called rskavac, is a variety about 1000 years old, and muscadine, a muscat variety originally from France, is grown in Serbia for over 500 years. There are Zupa bojadiser, smederevka, sauvignon, sémillon, parishioner, neoplanta, chardonnay, and italian riesling too.

Wine way

Zupa, the capital of vine and wine, is a traditional Serbian region of viticulture and enology. Entire Zupa is one big household. Today, this tradition is renewed by fifty manufacturers of these and other wines. They take their to the festival, which takes place during the harvest. During the three days of festival there is a fountain in the town square, where wine constantly flowes from Zupa’s wine cellars. The monastery wines could be tasted in a nearby monastery Ljubostinja, which is a special experience.

What to eat?

All the restaurants serve specialties of national cuisine, and famous Zupa wines. With cream and white cheese of this area, one should drink the local wine parishioner, which also goes well with ‘gibanica’. With the inevitable lamb from this area you can try a fuller white wines, and strong red wine type prokupac or cormorant. These wines go well with sarma of sauerkraut too, with which you can drink italian riesling. The moussaka potatoes are traditionally well-matched by wine from this region called tamnjanik.

What to see?

The tourist offer of Aleksandrovac is complemeted by the vicinity of Kopaonik and Vrnjacka Spa, two well-known tourist centers of Serbia. Remains of the monastery Drenca from the XIV century, and monastery Rudenice from the early fifteenth century, as well as the remains of the medieval town of Koznik enrich opportunities of wine road and wine tourism.

The famous Zupa harvest, the oldest wine event, shows the best Zupa’s wines, and its citizens wear new decorations. At this event there is a true wine street, and fountains from which free wine flows for three days. They say in Zupa that they have the wine street once a year, and wine mudlark all the time.

Visiting of the fields, which is the name for the viticultural seasonal settlements in Zupa in the past, can be very interesting. It was a temporary habitat for growers from remote mountain villages whome had their own vineyards in Zupa.