Vinarija Delena

Falstaff Online Österreich 2023 - Weingüter - Osteuropa

The DeLena winery is located around 80 kilometres south of the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, near perhaps the most famous vineyard in Serbia, the Vencac Vineyard. The ancestors of the current owner family were co-founders of the Vencac Cooperative, which began its work after the great phylloxera catastrophe in 1903. This cooperative was of great importance until its dissolution in the 1960s. Vineyards were replanted in 2008 and the winery has long since grown into a family winery, bottling wines produced exclusively from grapes grown on its own parcels. The vines enjoy an ideal climate here, as the temperatures are similar to those in Bordeaux or the Baden region. The international grape varieties Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Merlot and, incidentally as one of the first wineries in Serbia, Malbec are cultivated. All work in the vineyards is carried out partly by machine, but important details are done by hand. The use of herbicides is avoided. During the ripening period, the ripeness of the grapes is measured several times a day to determine the ideal time for harvesting. Only a few wines are produced from the few hectares of vines. The white wine blend "70/30", which consists of exactly the same percentages of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon with a production of approx. 5,000 bottles, the Gewürztraminer "Jazz" with a production of approx. 1,500 bottles, the "1903", which recalls the founding year of the Vencac cooperative in its name. This cuvée of Merlot and Malbec was matured 100% in new barrels made from American, Serbian and Hungarian oak. This wine is also only produced in a limited edition. Getting to know the wines of this small winery should be just as worthwhile as observing their further development.

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