Perhaps
being in Serbian wine country on Friday 13th added to our late evening #winelover visit to Rajacke Pivnice, a site of some very unique wine cellars. Rajacke Pivnice Wine Cellars consists of 270 stone houses, with some dating back over 200 years ago. The construction of these unique wine cellars/drinking houses started in the latter half of the 18th century and continued until 1930's. The cellars sit on a hill 2 km from the village of Rajac. Rajac is located in east Serbia, 20 Kms south of Negotin, near the border of Bulgaria and Serbia. Somehow in my mind I knew there would be a glass of Prokupac waiting for me.
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| Prokupac, Rajacke Pivnice © Spaswinefood |
Rajacke Pivnice Wine Cellars
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| Off to Rajacke Pivnice Wine Cellars © Spaswinefood |
Rajacke Pivnice cellars were established as a secondary settlement, or compound close to the residents permanent homes in Rajac. The houses at Rajacke Pivnice are unique in that they were built without chimneys. Historical records suggest that during the Serbian migration from Kosovo and Metohija newcomers established villages, like Rajac. The Rajac area is known for its vineyards that date back to Roman times. White wines produced from this area include semijon, smederevka, and bagrina. Whereas the red wines include prokupac, crni burgundac, and gama.
My introduction to Rajacke Pivnice Cellars was in the dark. We
had a full day touring the Danube, followed by tasting wines, and so when we arrive in Rajac it was dark. Our hosts questioned us at least twice if we should visit the nearby cellars in the
dark. Each time the group responded, “YES”. The end result was we walked 3 km
each way in the dark, mostly uphill to this historical site.
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| Just 2 Km to Rajacke Pivnice Cellars © Spaswinefood |
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| Walking to Rajacke Pivnice Cellars © Spaswinefood |
After walking in the dark for about 2 km uphill from Rajac we arrived at the entrance to the cellar area. Anxious to catch a glimpse of the wine cellars I turned on my I-phone.
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| Arriving at Rajacke Pivnice Cellars © Spaswinefood |
Despite being at the end of the line I could not resist taking a few photos.
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| A Rajacke Pivnice Cellar © Spaswinefood |
Further along I took another photo.
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| Photographing a Rajacke Pivnice Cellar © Spaswinefood |
I took advantage of the lights from others phones to get a better shot.
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| A Rajacke Pivnice Cellar at Night © Spaswinefood |
Before we turned the corner I just had to take another photo.
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| Turning the Corner, Rajacke Pivnice Cellars © Spaswinefood |
Since no one wants to hear the details of a walk in the dark uphill let’s focus on the cellar and cemetery visit. Yes, there is a cemetery next to the cellars. It was after all Friday 13th.
Rajacke Pivnice Wine Cellar Visit
After a brief walk through the cellar area there was one cellar door opened. I finally caught up with our #winelover group.
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| Waiting, Rajacke Pivnice Cellar Door © Spaswinefood |
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| Rajacke Pivnice Cellar Door © Spaswinefood |
The good news is that we were able to visit a Rajacke Pivnice wine cellar.
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| Visting a Rajacke Pivnice Cellar © Spaswinefood |
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| Pimni Caprvul Vulovic © Spaswinefood |
Here we had
the opportunity to meet the winemaker, and to sample some of his wines.
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| A Rajacke Pivnice Cellar © Spaswinefood |
This Spaswinefood enthusiast could not resist taking a closer look at the wine cellar.
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| Wine Tasting, Rajacke Pivnice Cellars © Spaswinefood |
While taking a closer look at the cellar I also sampled a few wines.
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| Meeting the Winemaker, Rajacke Pivnice Cellars © Spaswinefood |
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| A Closer Look, Rajacke Pivnice © Spaswinefood |
While briefly
chatting with the winemaker he told that he had finished the harvest earlier.
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| Winemaker, Rajacke Pivnice © Spaswinefood |
He also shared with me how difficult it was to find enough help to pick the
grapes this year.
Before I left I took a closer look at the wine barrels.
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| Wine Making at Rajacke Pivnice © Spaswinefood |
Besides Prokupac two other wines, which made at his cellar are Merlot and Tamianka.
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| Tamianka, Rajacke Pivnice Cellar © Spaswinefood |
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| Merlot, Rajacke Pivnice © Spaswinefood |
I sampled a number of the wines. Two of the wines that I paid particular attention to were Prokupac and Tamianka.
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| Prokupac, Rajacke Pivnice © Spaswinefood |
Before I left I managed to capture a photo of Prokupac in the wine makers hands.
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| Prokupac in the Wine Maker's Hands © Spaswinefood |
Last Stop
Next it was onto the cemetery. We continued on in the dark for 200-300 meters, or so.
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| Off to the Cemetery, Rajacke Pivnice © Spaswinefood |
We traveled along in the dark, lighting the way with our phones.
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| Off to Rajacke Cemetery © Spaswinefood |
We passed more wine cellars on our way to the cemetery.
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| #Winelovers off to Rajacke Cemetery © Spaswinefood |
Soon we located the cemetery. Yes, there was some confusion as to which road to take at some point.
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| Almost There, Rajacke Cemetery © Spaswinefood |
It was a brief stop to checkout a few gravestones before heading back to the bus.
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| Cemetery at Rajacke © Spaswinefood |
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| Gravestone, Rajacke Cemetery © Spaswinefood |
Yes, not every #winelover gets to visit an historic wine cellar and a cemetery as part of their introduction to Serbian wines. My
introduction to the local Serbian wines that day was richer because of our late evening experience. It allowed me to experience wine as part of Serbian cultural traditions. Wine making
in Serbia dates back to prehistoric times. During the Roman period viticulture was
quite rich in this area. Throughout history Serbian vineyards have experienced
many challenges. Despite these earlier challenges, the former Yugoslavia
was amongst the top ten wine producing countries in the 1970’s. The most recent
setback was when Yugoslavia broke up in the 1990’s, followed by an economic
decline in Serbia. Since the 2000’s the wine industry has undergone a rebirth, with small and medium size,
privately owned wineries entering the market. In addition to this rebirth the wine making tradition in rural areas, like Rajac continues.
What I experienced at Rajacke Pivnice this particular late October evening however, is an important part of Serbia's rich wine making culture. Serbia is located in Southeastern Europe, the largest of the former Yugoslavia states, and the most productive wine-producing region. Located between the northern latitudes of 41-47, the geographical latitude of major wine making regions in France, this places Serbia in the wine belt. I
invite you to join me in my travels in Serbia and elsewhere at Spaswinefood,
Sharon
Rajacke,
Serbia
October
2017
©
Spaswinefood
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| Prokupac, Serbian Wine Country © Spaswinefood |
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