Wine Tasting in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia
Sremski Karlovci is a small town in the Fruska Gora region of Serbia with over 20 wineries. It has a tradition of winemaking that goes back to Roman times. It is the only place in the world that makes Bermet wine.
Bermet wine is a desert wine made with 20 different herbs and spices and is generally between 15-18%. It can be made from red or white grapes. Bermet recipes are secret and only held by the winery families in Sremski Karlovci. A fun fact: Bermet wine was on the Titanic’s wine list!
We visited Sremski Karlovci on a day trip from Novi Sad. It took less than 20 minutes by bus to reach the town. We wandered around, saw some beautiful buildings, and drank lots of wine. Below I’ll show you some of the highlights of the town, then a quick description of our wine tasting experiences.
Four Lions Fountain
In the middle of the town square you will find the Four Lions Fountain with water flowing from each lion’s mouth. It was built in 1799 to celebrate the first water supply system in the town and it was renovated in 2007. They claim that anyone that drinks from the fountain will return to the town someday.
Karlovci Grammar School
The Karlovci Grammar School is the oldest Serbian grammar school, founded in 1791. The current building here was erected in 1891. Today this school is a high school where modern and classical languages are taught. We were not allowed to enter the building on our own, so we only saw the entryway. A sign was posted on the door saying to ask at the tourist center for a tour.
Patriarchal Court
The Patriarchal Court, also known as the Patriarch’s Palace, is one of the most impressive building of the 19th century in this region. The palace houses the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church. It is the seat of the Bishop of Srem.
The Clerical High School of St. Arsenije Sremac
The Clerical High School of St. Arsenije Sremac is the oldest Serbian Orthodox Seminary, founded in 1794. The building holds the Archives of Sremski Karlovci, the oldest modern Serbian archive.
Church of the Holy Trinity
The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1768 in Baroque style on the site where the Benedictine basilica used to stand. It is dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
St. Nicholas Cathedral
Right next to the Catholic church is the Orthodox cathedral. St. Nicholas Cathedral was built in 1762 and reconstructed in 1909/1910.
Chapel of Peace
The Chapel of Peace was built in 1817 where the Treaty of Karlowitz was signed between the powers of the Christian Alliance and Turkey in 1699. The gates were closed when we were in town so we didn’t get to see this church except from the side and below. I meant to get a better photo of this chapel after we left our final wine tasting, but after all that wine I forgot. Whoops..
Wine Tasting
Early into our exploring of the town, we were invited into Vinarija Mrdanin. (Vinarija is Serbian for winery.) The lady working there was very friendly. She shared information about Bermet wine, about the winery, and about her life. We enjoyed the visit and tasted 3 wines including a red Bermet.
After our sightseeing around town, we went in search of another winery that was open, as many were closed. We found Vinarija Verus Kiš and tasted more wines here. They had a large selection. We tried two white wines and both the red and white Bermets. I really liked the Grašac Beli which was crisp and fruity. We tried the Misterija which had a minerality taste rather than fruit. I also really liked both the red and white Bermets!
Our final stop was Vinarija Kosoviċ where I had made a tasting reservation in advance. The tasting was insane! It was a full tasting of all (or almost all) of their wines. The tasting included 4 white wines, 2 red wines, a red and a white Bermet. Their wine was really good though there were so many I can’t really remember specifics except that I liked multiple wines and especially their cabernet. Then at the end they even offered a taste of their rakja. Thankfully after all this wine we were heading back on the bus to our Airbnb to crash.
That wraps up our time in Sremski Karlovci. If you plan to go wine tasting here, I recommend booking at least one tasting in advance. Many places will not be open if they don’t have any tastings scheduled that day.