The former Yugoslavia is one of the oldest wine-growing countries in Europe. The Phoenicians brought vines from their homeland (today's Lebanon) and from their colonies in Cyprus and Crete as early as 1,200 BC and planted them on the Dalmatian Adriatic coast. Greek colonists cultivated vines from the 7th century BC on the Istrian and Dalmatian coasts near Trogir and on some (now Croatian) islands such as Korčula, Hvar and Vis. When the Romans conquered the area in the 2nd century AD, they already found an extensive wine culture and developed it further. Emperor Probus, who came from Illyria (today Croatia), promoted viticulture. Around 1,000 AD, Venice conquered the coastal area. In the 14th century, large parts of former Yugoslavia came under Turkish rule for centuries, and the Islamic ban on alcohol severely affected viticulture. Many vineyards had to be destroyed for religious reasons and were devastated by phylloxera in the 19th century.
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Egon Mark
Diplom-Sommelier, Weinakademiker und Weinberater, Volders (Österreich)