“New Shine of Smederevka”
”Ние сме заедница” (“We Are a Community”) by Slow Food Macedonia
At the master class “New Shine of Smederevka” held 09 Nov 2024 as part of the ”Ние сме заедница” (“We Are a Community”) event organized by Slow Food Macedonia, I had the privilege of showcasing seven Smederevka wines crafted by a new generation of passionate winemakers and oenologists.
These young talents are unlocking the full potential of the Smederevka variety, producing wines that shine in a variety of styles and demonstrating that this grape has far more to offer than its traditional reputation might suggest. While the challenge remains to elevate Smederevka to the level of recognition it deserves, the wines from this variety are proving their remarkable quality and versatility.
Smederevka is the second most widely planted white grape variety in the country and has been enjoyed for a very long time. However, when people hear the name “Smederevka,” they often associate it with inexpensive, low-quality wines—usually diluted with sparkling water to create the popular spritzer (or as it’s known in the Balkans, li-li—liter by liter), as only until recently the Smederevka was only available in one-liter bottles.
Let’s be clear, though: this master class was not intended to discourage spritz lovers—after all, we know that’s a tradition that’s not going away anytime soon. Instead, the goal was to highlight the untapped potential of Smederevka and showcase how it can be transformed into approachable, enjoyable, and high-quality wines that can be savored on any occasion. The winemakers who are crafting these exceptional Smederevka wines have clearly recognized the variety’s true potential—something that deserves to be appreciated, valued, and enjoyed.
- Family winery Peshkov Pét-Nat Smederevka 2023
- Peshkov Farish 2023
- Venec Winery Disan S. Smederevka 2023
- Family Winery “Podrum Paradžik” Kolnik Smederevka 2023
- Jakovlevski Family Winery Bianca 2023
- Iliev Winery Smederevka 2023
- Peshkov Smederevka Barrel Fermented 2022
It’s time to rethink how we view Smederevka and give this native Balkan variety the respect it deserves!
Grow du Monde 2023 – Winery Visits Part One
Grow du Monde 2023 brought more of everything but most of all, more wineries skillfully playing with Grashac variety than before. And even though this is only the second year of Grow du Monde, the idea has been developing over the years with master classes dedicated to this variety and jointly held by Sasha Shiranec and Igor Lukovic (the duo behind the today’s trio of founders and organizers of this competition and conference, including also Zoltan Geoffrey).
Galic Wines, located in Brodsko-Posavska County, is an impressive recently built winery in the small town of Kutjevo, that also owns an impressive 60 ha of their own vineyards in the Brodsko-Posavska wine region. The owner, Josip Galic,