Of the richness in flavor of the vine from the specific vineyard settlements, Negotin’s cellars (“pimnice”), testifies a record which claims that two centuries ago Austro-Hungarian monarchy even had a consulate so they could trade local vines with ease.
Negotin’s district is located in the flatlands surrounded by the Miroč, Crni Vrh and Deli Jovan mountains on one and Dunav and Timok rivers on the other side. On the sandy soils of this area are grown the most beautiful sorts of red grapes out of which are made fragrant red wines.
Amongst the Negotin’s wines the most respectable ones are the red wines made from Prokupac, black Burgundy, and Gamet. Wines have intensive red color, rich opulent taste and pleasant bouquet. Regarding white wines, well known are Bagrina, Italian Riesling, Sauvignon, Smederevka, and Semillon.
What distinguishes this wine route from the others are authentic “pimnice” (cellars) of villages Rajac, Rogljevo and Smedovac, which peasants were building since 17th century since their own humble basements couldn’t contain the vast vineyard riches.
Pimnice are unique cities made of stone in which, as folks say, “are not inhabited by people but by wine”. They were built in the 17th, 18th and 19th century from hewn stones and logs resembling the cellars from Kosovo. Houses are lined in narrow byways leading to the small squares. Cellars are 3 feet beneath the ground, and above are the chambers in which winemakers spent their lives in times of harvests and wine making.
Wine degustation in these specific vineyard settlements, which are the most interesting stops in this wine tour, represents a unique experience for wine enthusiasts.
Rajac’s cellars are situated not far from the village Rajac, on a hill next to the Timok river. There used to be 300 cellars, but now there are only 30 preserved. Grouped around the central square, there is a drinking fountain in the middle, where during the religious holidays residents gather, organize processions, dances, celebrations and luncheons.
From the central square flow anfractuous streets binding the smaller squares, whose mysteriousness was so inspirational that it served as a film set for shooting one of the most expensive Serbian films with mythical elements – “Charleston for Ognjenka”.
Around 150 cellars of village Rogljevo are adorning the winding streets which lead to the plateau in the middle, with the covered well as a center spot around which all the village’s winemakers gathered.
Another stop you shouldn’t miss on Negotin’s wine tour is at the Štubičke pimnice – cellars located not far from Bukovo monastery, just 3 miles away from Negotin.
There were 400 cellars of which there are preserved only 39 today, and which are unlike Rajac’s, made of wood.
In “wine villages” tradition dictates that glasses are to be washed with wine instead of water since “they should only be filled with wine”.
Besides in cellars, in Negotin, with cheeses, dried meats and bruschetti, wine can also be savored in the city’s and village’s modern wineries.
In the center of the Negotin the most famous wineries are “Matalj”,”Vitis Wine”, in Rajac that place is reserved for “Krajina”, and in Rogljevo you can enjoy a winery of one French family which, mesmerized by beauty and captivated by the fertility of this land’s soil, moved here and opened “the French Winery”.
District of Negotin rose to its fame when nefarious wine phylloxera destroyed French vineyards in the 70ies, so this Serbian piece of heaven surrounded by three mountains and two rivers became the significant wine exporter for France, Germany and Russia, while Austro-Hungary opened the consulate in Negotin so the wine trade could go even smoother.
However this area, long before these events occurred, was the place where this divine beverage had been concocted. If we had the power to walk through time and history, on these hillsides we could have easily observed Roman legionnaires savoring wines rich in flavor and delish out of their metal pitchers, because wine was made here since as early as the 3rd century.
Photo: www.mataljvinarija.rs
