Grape yield down by 70 percent

BELGRADE - This year's grape yield in Serbia is down by nearly 70 percent compared to the average and the quality, dependent on the location and type, will not be at the usual level either, head of the vintner group of the Ministry of Agriculture Darko Jaksic said on Thursday, citing preliminary data.

Serbia has wine reserves, so the bad output this year caused by poor weather will not reflect on the supply, he noted, adding that the country produces 300,000 t of grapes and around 1.3 hl of wine every year on average.

The interesting thing is that the local grape types did better in these conditions than some high-quality types from Europe, so Prokupac did better than Caberne Sauvignon or Merlot, he told reporters after the presentation of the geographic origin markings for the wines from the regions of Knjazevac and Negotinska Krajina, eastern Serbia.

The wine registry system contains around 0.5 hl, while the rest is for own needs, Jaksic said.

Serbia exports more wine than it imports, but the important thing is that vineyards are grown thnks to large subsidies from the government, and that the local manufacturers have realised that quality is more important than quantity, which is indicated by numerous international awards, Jaksic pointed out.

Photo Tanjug/N. Milosevic (illustration)