Located far to the east of Croatia is the Slavonija wine region. It is known not only for its wines, but even more famous for its Slavonian oak barrels, which are highly sought after, especially in Piedmont in northern Italy. Presumably, the Romans already cultivated wine here, but the vines probably disappeared with the fall of the Roman Empire. It is certain that viticulture has been practiced at least since the 13th century, especially by abbeys and monasteries.
At the end of the 19th century, Slavonia was as devastated by phylloxera as so many regions in Europe. However, viticulture recovered in the following period. The disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s has not allowed any precise statistical evaluation of this or other wine-growing regions of Croatia until today, so the exact size cannot be given. This is also due to the structure of production and trade, which is characterised by small farms, many of which own less than half a hectare.
The climate is continental with warm, dry summers and cold winters. The ripening of the grapes benefits from the fact that autumn is usually warmer than spring. Decades ago, there were still many autochthonous grape varieties in the vineyards, but today these have largely been replaced by German or French varieties. The vast majority of wines are vinified dry, but there is also a small production of noble sweet wines when the weather permits.
