Viticulture in Serbia dates back to antiquity and was already influenced by the Thracians and Greeks before the turn of time. After Emperor Domitian (51-96) banned the cultivation of vines outside the Apennines in the Roman provinces in 92 AD, it was reintroduced by Emperor Probus (232-282). The first vines were probably planted on the slopes of Fruška Gora in Syrmia (in Vojvodina), as indicated by some archaeological finds. Among other things, a mosaic of the vine-covered wine god Dionysus was found there in the palace complex of Romuliana of Emperor Galerius (250-311) near Zaječar in eastern Serbia, which was built as a retirement residence. Between the 12th and 14th centuries, Serbian Orthodox monasteries brought about a flourishing wine culture and subsequently gained great economic importance. In 1459 Serbia was finally conquered by the Ottomans and remained part of the Ottoman Empire until 1804. During this time, the Islamic ban on alcohol led to a decline in viticulture.
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Egon Mark
Diplom-Sommelier, Weinakademiker und Weinberater, Volders (Österreich)