Opening ceremony of the worldwide truthful “Wine Imaginative and prescient of the Open Balkans”

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said at the opening of the fair in Belgrade that today is a big and special day and that there is no person at the fair who is not smiling.

He pointed out that he has visited many European fairs, but that few places in Europe have done it as well as “Open Balkan” did in Belgrade.

“We have a lot to be proud of and with what we have done together we have shown not only that we can be part of the world, but that we can also compete in many ways and be better in different spheres of social life and in all important matters,” he emphasized. Vucic.

Wine elite in one place

More than 350 companies from 39 countries have scheduled 420 business meetings as part of the First International Wine Fair, “Wine Vision of the Open Balkans”, which lasts until September 4.

The fair is held under the auspices of the Governments of Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania, and as part of the “Open Balkans” initiative.

The event brings together the wine elite, the most eminent winemakers, winegrowers, cellar masters, oenologists, sommeliers, distributors and wine merchants and will promote the Balkans as an original tourist and geographical destination and the wealth of autochthonous wine varieties.

Matić: We can expect great business

Before the opening of the wine fair, Minister of Trade and Tourism Tatjana Matić told RTS that we can expect great business.

“We received more and more inquiries for participation in the fair. There is great interest not only from the region, but also from renowned producers, from Italy, Argentina, Chile,” said Matić.

“This is the center of the world when we talk about wine. Belgrade is the center of the region and the world when we talk about wine, and in terms of politics and trade we are in an important place,” the minister pointed out.

About 100 customers came to buy wines. “We have concluded contracts and they will be signed in hall three, we have concluded contracts for the Chinese market. We expect a lot of joint performance of Serbia with North Macedonia and Albania on larger markets,” underlined Matić.

According to her, China has already opened its doors, there is great interest in the US market, and this is a great opportunity for our wine producers.

A competition will also be held, and the winner will be decided by an eminent international jury from the world of wine.

“This is an international wine fair, it is important that we have an international competition, there will be 25 judges, prizes will be awarded, renowned magazines are present. All of this gives importance to this event,” she said.

She underlined that gastronomy is also important, food will also be presented. “Tomorrow we have a trilateral meeting with the ministers of tourism and the signing of a joint statement,” announced Matić.

The plan is to define new wine routes and make them available to citizens in the new platform, to make new wine oases accessible, Matićeva concluded.

Belgrade, the capital of wine

The president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Marko Čadež, said earlier, in a guest appearance on RTS’s Dnevnik, that Belgrade is the capital of wine because such a manifestation has not been held in this way in this part of Europe, it is something that makes it special because of the large number of winemakers and customers.

When a buyer comes from the USA and China, he does not get into whether the wine comes from Serbia, Albania or North Macedonia, but sees the region as a wine region, Čadež points out.

The fair will be open today from 4 p.m. to visitors who will have the opportunity to visit various thematically defined exhibition units, to educate themselves and be informed about the history and origin of wine, the production process, types of wine, consumption, but also to taste and buy the best wines from the Balkan region and the world.

A special segment of the event will be dedicated to the most famous gastronomic specialties from this part of Europe, and the idea is to present Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania, in addition to wine, with their traditional food at the fair.