Ten stages plus one through the wines of the Balkans

At the end of the 1500s, Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio, began his brief yet dazzling career as a star of the art world. In his early paintings, fruit featured prominently, often including bunches of grapes (Boy with a Basket of Fruit, 1593–1594; Bacchus, 1596–1597). It is highly unlikely that grapes from the žametovka variety ever graced his table, but technically, they could have: the vine, still thriving today in Maribor (Slovenia), had already been planted a few years earlier. It is regarded as the longest-living vine in Europe and possibly the oldest in the world.

Intrigued by this story, we set out on a journey along the Balkan spine—a wine route filled with insights and curiosities that go beyond the realm of wine. As our guide, we chose the Ziveli team, whose project, fittingly, takes its name from the Serbian-Croatian version of our "cheers!". "We want to personally learn the story of a vineyard, a winery, a bottle told by the voice of those who bend their backs to till the soil, stretch out their hands to harvest the fruits, and know the difference between a vat and a cask. We enjoy visiting their vineyards, exploring their cellars, and sharing a meal with their families." So, before leaving, Claudio Di Pasqua and Stefano Cereghetti explain the philosophy behind a passion that has also become their profession. "The great charm of wine lies in a very simple fact," they specify. "If you're at the table with five friends and each one brings a different bottle, you can travel thousands of miles while staying comfortably at home. It's lovely to imagine places you've never been, which, with each sip, begin to feel more familiar."
Balkan wines also tell tales of social redemption: "Those patches of land reflect difficult lives, from which people have risen, and they inspire the belief that there is still a world where people look each other in the eye, enjoy each other's company at the table, and share a glass of wine. The industry is there, of course, but it doesn't belong to us."

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Stage 1
Trieste – Jastrebarsko 206km
West of Zagreb is the region of Plešivica (in the Jastrebarsko area of Croatia). Along this beautiful "wine road," within just 20 kilometers, there are 35 producers, including 12 specialising in the classic method. Plešivica, often referred to as the Croatian Champagne, offers an Austro-Hungarian twist on French sparkling wines. Each spring, it also hosts the Bubbles Run, a race organised in partnership with the local wineries. The prize, of course, is in the form of bottles.
Where to drink:
Korak, Jastrebarsko, korakwinery.com
A family-owned winery with a restaurant (one Michelin Green Star) and an organic farm. Be sure to try their Pinot Noir Križevac i Cimbuščak.
 Chef Bernard Korak, who has worked alongside Massimo Bottura, has established a network of local producers to promote the area's culinary heritage. In the kitchen, they have a strict rule: what is not in season does not make it to the table.
For those looking for something different, there's Pelinkovac, the most famous Croatian bitter made from wormwood, available at Garden or TV Bar (both in Jastrebarsko).

Soundtrack for the stage:
Chiedimi tutto (Amar Corda), Triestine swing band.
Strah Me Je (Jet Black Diamonds), Slovenian rock.
Maček V Žaklju (Let 3), irreverent and disrespectful Croatians.

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Stage 2
Jastrebarsko – Lišane Tinjske 275 km
A location on the Dalmatian coast, with just over a hundred inhabitants, offering true surprises for the palate.
Where to drink:
Vinarija Jokic, Lišane Tinjske, vinarijajokic.com
A historic winery, established in 1906, that emerged from a challenging past and restarted its operations in 2009, with a strong emphasis on organic wines. You must try Pošip and Maraština, two complex white wines, made dry and almost salty by the presence of the sea and the bora wind.
To enjoy excellent local wines paired with a seaside dinner, it's worth heading to the port of Zadar and reserving a table at Kornat (restaurant-kornat.hr).

Soundtrack for the stage:
Mande Mande (Mjesni Odbor), Balkan folk ska.
Iz Dana U Dan (Elemental), a refined Croatian band.
Pitala Si Me (Hladno Pivo), Croatian punk rock.

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Stage 3
Lišane Tinjske – Čelinac 296 km
Čelinac is a municipality in the Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) with a promising slogan, A place for a good life, and an award-winning winery.

Where to drink:
Vinarija Jungić, Markovac, vinarijajungic.com
The Jungić family transformed a small vineyard into an empire, provided jobs for relatives and friends, and gave the region an excellent wine. You can't miss a bottle of their Vranac Reserva 2012, comparable to the most elegant wines of southern Italy: a Primitivo with an extra touch.It pairs perfectly with the Banjalučka roštilj plata, a grilled meat dish from the city of Banja Luka, which is also on the menu at the restaurant Stara Ada, staraada.ba.
The Wine Room wineroom.ba is also worth a visit, where you can find wines from the most renowned wineries in the region.

Soundtrack for the stage:
24.000 Baci (Dubioza Kolektiv feat. Roy Paci), politically incorrect Balkan extravaganzas.
JOJ! (Dubioza Kolektiv feat. Doppelgänger), still the band from Sarajevo, accompanied by a Roman-Bosnian rapper.

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Stage 4
Čelinac – Belgrade 306 km
The stage in which we enter the Serbian capital.
Where to drink:
The stage calls for a tasting with Vuk Štefanović, sommelier at Fino Vino, a wine cellar located in a beautiful 1920s building in the heart of Belgrade. More than 400 labels of Serbian wines can be found at finovino.rs.
At Quinta Wine Bar & Shop, you'll discover an incredible collection of Rakija, the national fruit-based spirit (plum/apricot/quince), Instagram: @wine_quinta.
Also worth a visit is Organski Podrum, the first establishment dedicated to natural wines in Serbia, organskipodrum.com.
To include some gastronomic stopovers in Belgrade, consider: Iva New Balkan Cuisine, featured in the Michelin Guide, newbalkancuisine.com; Znak Pitanja, the oldest café in Belgrade, established in 1823, now an authentic spot to taste traditional Serbian cuisine, znakpitanja.rs; Suvenir, the most beautiful floating building in the Balkans, offering views of the Sava River, splavsuvenir.rs.

Soundtrack for the stage:
Kreten (Letu Štuke), Bosnian nonconformism.
Žene i vino (Samostalni Referenti), Serbian ska group.

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Stage 5
Beograd – Rajac 288 km
A must-see is the village of Rajacke Pimnice, created exclusively to produce wine since 1500, now in full reconstruction. You can walk there.
Where to drink:
Vinarija Dalia, Instagram: @vinarija_dalia, and Vinarija Raj, vinarija-raj.com, are two wineries that are part of the new wave of young women in wine and are definitely worth a visit. They make wine together with Rajac, despite having two distinct brands. Kristina Lukic (Dalia) was born in Italy to Serbian parents who fled during the war. She graduated in oenology from the University of Udine, gained experience in France and New Zealand, and then returned to her home country to produce natural wines. Smiljana Arnautović (Raj) grew up with her Serbian mother and a former British soldier who eventually moved to Serbia. He had put all the photos of the Queen in the cellar; as she grew up, she started pinning pictures of Tito next to them. That wall, blending Britannia and ex-Yugoslavia, can still be seen today.
Through Vinarija Raj, you can book a truly special dinner: a local lady will prepare some traditional Serbian dishes, such as punjene paprike (peppers stuffed with meat and rice).

Soundtrack for the stage:
Aerodrom (Van Gogh), local rock.
Da raskinem sa njom (Ceca), the undisputed star of Serbian turbo-folk.
Superstar (Atheist Rap), a punk rock band from Novi Sad.

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Stage 6:
Rajac – Sremski Karlovci – Novi Sad, 355 km
Along the banks of the Danube, in the heart of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, lies this protected area with the greatest biodiversity in Europe and a truly special wine.
Where to drink:
It's impossible not to fall in love with the Chardonnay Babaroga from Vinarija Bjelica, vinarijabjelica.rs. The name comes from a witch in Slavic mythology who punished ill-behaved children. The exclamation "Babaroga!" is now used to express something fantastic or exceptionally good.
Also worth a visit is Krivina, an excellent local wine shop, krivina.rs.
To fill your belly, from the historic Plava Frajla, in Novi Sad, plavafrajla.rs, you can enjoy traditional dishes.

Soundtrack for the stage:
Perspektiva (S.A.R.S.), local folk reggae
Bože kako si? (Ničim Izazvan), melodic punk rock.
Hiljade (Ritam Nereda), cult hard core band in the Balkans.
Ja se predajem (Sasa Matic), a turbo trash style popular in the area.

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Stage 7
Novi Sad – Zagreb, 377 km
A region of gentle hills and continental climate, known for producing excellent wines, leading to the final entrance into the Croatian capital.
Where to drink:
This time, start with the table, at Pod Zidom, a bistro with a wine shop in the heart of the city, featured in the Michelin Guide (podzidom.hr). The wine list, entirely Balkan, is stellar and predominantly organic. To avoid getting lost in the bottles, let their highly trained sommelier advise you.

Soundtrack for the stage:
Care (Riblja Čorba), a band led by the legendary Serbian rockstar, Borisav "Bora" Đorđević
.Kruva Bez Motike (Postolar Tripper), the best Croatian ska.
Antonija (Kawasaki 3p), completely crazy but incredibly talented.
Tango (M.O.R.T.), heart-wrenching rock.

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Stage 8
Zagreb – Maribor 166 km
Finally, we arrive at the place where the oldest vine in the world grows, stara trta, in the local language.
Where to drink:
Head straight to visit the Vinag 1847 winery, vinag1847.si and without paying attention to modern wines, dive into the ancient bottles. They have Rieslings that date back to 1946. The prices are not exactly cheap, but the wines are absolutely superb, and the winery is so impressive that it takes your breath away. The perfect opportunity to walk out with a bottle from your birth year.
Hiša Denk, hisadenk.si/house-denk, by Slovenian gastronomy star Gregor Vracko, is one of the best restaurants in the world.
If you're looking for a more traditional experience, you can try the bear heart carpaccio at Baščaršija, bascarsija.si. It's legal here.

Soundtrack for the stage:
Normalen (Big Foot Mama), one of the most famous rock bands in Slovenia.
Hin (Mi2), rock from Rogatec.

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Stage 9
Maribor – Ljubljana 125 km


Also known as the City of Wines and Vines, Ljubljana has always been a key crossroads between the surrounding wine regions.
Where to drink:
Among the best wine bars, we recommend Šuklje, winebar.suklje.com. It is located in Old Ljubljana and offers a selection of over 450 labels. The wine list changes every month (with more than 30 wines). It's the perfect place for orange wine enthusiasts, with a great collection of Slovenian macerated wines.
For dinner, head to Restavracija Strelec restavracija-strelec.si, a particularly elegant restaurant that reinterprets traditional dishes.

Soundtrack for the stage:
Vse se da (Vlado Kreslin), he's a bit like the Slovenian Johnny Cash.
Sanjam Sama (Maja Keuc), she, on the other hand, is the local Pausini.

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Stage 10
Ljubljana – Goče 80 km


The journey ends in Goče, a very small rural village in the Goriška region, in the Vipava Valley, considered a sort of wine university of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. With a glacier upstream, they had learned to manage fermentation even in summer by immersing the barrels in water. In the first half of the 19th century, it had more wineries than people.
Where to drink:
Vina Povh, vinapovh.com, named after their surname, which is also the name of a cute little animal that peeks out on the labels of their bottles: the dormouse (povh, in Slovenian). In 1935, the Povh family planted the first vine in the valley. Today, their Chardonnay and the indigenous Zelen are a must-try.
For the meal, Cejkotova Domačija (farm) by Davorin Mesesnel is worth a mention. This local giant opens the doors of his estate only by reservation (+386 31 398 496), and still cooks with live fire and well water. If there are many guests, he divides them among the various rooms of the old house and serves them only what he produces with his pigs and cows.

Soundtrack for the stage:
Modern Pope (Klemen Slakonja), politically incorrect, takes jabs at figures like the Pope, Putin, and Trump.
Sebi (Zalagasper), quality Slovenian indie.
Hej, ti! Omar Naber, a bit of a cheesy pop, but extremely popular.

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Stage 11:
Goče – Dobrovo (Castel Dobra) – Kobarid, 55 – 42 km.
In the far western point of Slovenia, there are hills full of orchards—famous for their cherries—and, of course, vineyards.
Where to drink:
Reia, reia.si, is a winery run today by father Marko and his daughter Maja. They work biodynamically with local indigenous grape varieties (Rebula, Tocai, Malvazija, and Cabernet), all while keeping alive the memory of the founder, the grandfather, a telegraphist during World War I. The labels on the bottles, which may seem identical at first, actually have different colors, and each color corresponds to a Morse code that indicates the year the wine was harvested. Marko is deeply connected to the land and speaks like the Native Americans: when referring to wines, for example, he doesn't think in terms of years, but in lunar phases.
Before heading back, don't miss a dinner at Hiša Franko, hisafranko.com, the Michelin three-star restaurant by chef Ana Roš in Kobarid (Caporetto). She began creating top-level cuisine, using local resources and foraging (searching for wild food), sparking a trend in the Balkans that has also influenced wine production.

Soundtrack for the stage:
In the army now (Laibach), the German band Rammstein owes everything to this group from Trbovlje.
Plastika (Joker Out), very contemporary Slovenian rock.
Zum Zum (Magnificent), trashy music with style.
Hejtr (Pigs Parlament), punk-ska-HC-metal band from Slovenia.