Regional Wines and Spirits in the Global Spotlight

The fifth international Wine, Rakia, Food and Tourism Fair, Wine Vision by Open Balkan, brought together more than 550 exhibitors from over 30 countries and 275 professional buyers from 48 countries in Belgrade, reaffirming the region’s growing presence on the international wine and gastronomy scene. Under the slogan “One Place. The Whole World”, the fair facilitated thousands of business meetings in a dedicated B2B zone and at exhibitors’ stands, opening up new opportunities for exports, business networking and cooperation with partners from around the world.

Aleksandar Radovanović, Head of the Regional Cooperation Centre at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SCC), said this year’s fair had confirmed its international significance, with a substantial increase in the number of buyers compared with last year.

“We succeeded in attracting a large number of buyers and arranging meetings with leading winemakers and distilleries from across the region. Several thousand business meetings were held, both in the B2B zone and at exhibitors’ stands. Feedback from both sides has been positive, and our exhibitors particularly praised the quality of the buyers,” Radovanović said.

He noted that buyers from Sweden and South Korea had shown particular interest this year, while buyers from Moldova, South Africa and Kazakhstan attended the fair for the first time.

“We expect a large number of business deals to be concluded as a result of this year’s fair. This is also reflected in the feedback from our exhibitors, who gave the quality of the meetings an average rating of 4.75 out of 5,” Radovanović emphasised.

Luka Bogdanović, owner of De Wine, a company from Montenegro, also confirmed that the fair was an important platform for regional networking and the development of wine culture. He particularly highlighted the importance of B2B meetings in establishing new business contacts.

“Over the course of two days, we held around 15 meetings, and I also took the opportunity to visit exhibitors’ stands and explore the range of wines offered by Serbian wineries, including some of the best-known names, such as Šapat, Aleksandrović, Kovačević, Zvonko Bogdan and Matalj,” Bogdanović said.

He added that he also organises the De Wine Fest wine festival in Bar, which attracts winemakers from Serbia, and stressed the importance of fostering connections between wine events across the region.

“We are friends, and it is important that we support one another, take part in each other’s festivals and events across the region, and work together to contribute to the development of wine culture,” Bogdanović said.

Nadir Aksanbayev of Monta Bianca, a wine-importing company from Kazakhstan, also left the fair with a positive impression, praising the high standard of organisation and the large number of business contacts made.

“I come from Kazakhstan and represent Monta Bianca, a wine-importing company. I was extremely pleasantly surprised by the high standard of organisation, comparable to exhibitions and events I have attended in Western European countries. Over these two days, I held around 40 meetings, which is very significant for me,” the Monta Bianca representative said.

Marko Ugarković, manager of Plavinac Winery, was also pleased with the contacts established with potential business partners from different parts of the world.

“We established very good contacts with representatives of companies from Singapore, Japan, the European Union and South Africa. We sincerely hope these meetings will yield positive results and enable us to secure actual sales and establish successful business cooperation with potential partners,” Ugarković said.

Milan Marić of Krstašica Winery and Distillery, located near Irig, also highlighted the fair’s importance in connecting regional producers with international markets. The company has participated in the event for the fifth consecutive year.

“First and foremost, I would like to commend the organisation of Wine Vision by Open Balkan. This is our fifth consecutive year here, and we are delighted to be part of this event. I hope the fair will continue to be held in the years to come. I would particularly like to commend the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, whose organisation enabled us to take part in several B2B meetings with company representatives from the region, as well as from China, Japan and South Korea,” Marić said.

Semih Arif Ozdemir, owner of Agora Mediterranean Kitchen in Florida, USA, also sees potential for Serbian wines and other alcoholic beverages in the American market. He visited Belgrade and Serbia for the first time.

“This could be a good starting point for me and my business partners to import a wider range of Serbian products, primarily wine and rakia, but also other spirits and even beer. Today, I visited numerous stands and had the opportunity to discover the quality and diversity of the products on offer, which truly impressed me,” Ozdemir said.

He added that he was impressed by the fair’s extensive range of products and the number of exhibitors, emphasising the significant potential for importing Serbian beverages into the United States.

Photo and video: Boban Ristić (SCC)

PHOTOS

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VIDEOS

Aleksandar Radovanović, Head of the Regional Cooperation Centre

https://we.tl/t-MeojcAdKqyVctbfC

Marko Ugarković, Manager of Plavinac Winery

https://we.tl/t-x78AMQqB511i221S

Luka Bogdanović, De Wine, Montenegro

https://we.tl/t-1vFATKMmJMgpY3Tk

Semih Arif Ozdemir, Owner of Agora Mediterranean Kitchen, USA

https://we.tl/t-jFTiYturFjOoPcd6

Milan Marić, Krstašica Winery and Distillery

https://we.tl/t-kkMJo9gcOiqij3Jj

Nadir Aksanbayev, Monta Bianca

https://we.tl/t-cVQfpnD4pSKfoSLw