People in Sumadija make champagne - Podrum Aleksandrovic wine cellar represented first Serbian sparkling wine "Trijumf"

(Bozidar Aleksandrovic)

Consumption of sparkling wine in Serbia has grown 400 times over the last five years, and all that champagne is imported. Those who love this drink, which originates from the region of Champagne in France, will be able to taste the first sparkling wine made in Serbia in mid September - "Trijumf" (Triumph) made by Podrum Aleksandrovic wine cellar.

The first series of 13,000 bottles of sparkling wine "Trijumf" was presented yesterday (August 25, 2010) in Vinca, at the foot of Oplenac, and the production of that drink started with the picking of Chardonnay grapes in 2008.

Oenologists say that the production of champagne represents the crown of wine making, as well as that the path to magical sparkles in a glass of champagne is very difficult. That was also confirmed by yesterday's host Bozidar Aleksandrovic, the owner of the wine cellar, who pointed out that the production of champagne was the crown of his career and that that new exclusive product would be the guiding star of Serbian wine making business and viticulture.

The recipe for this "magical" drink has been obtained with the help of Pierre Yves Bournerias, the eminent expert from the Oenology Institute in Champagne, who have participated in the development of technology and making of the first sparkling wine in Serbia over the previous two years.

Our champagne is made by an old, traditional French method - "Metode Champenoise", which includes secondary fermentation in the bottle, after which it is necessary for the wine to be stored for minimum 15 months. Its base is a base wine made of Chardonnay grapes.

Serbian "Trijumf" will be available to the champagne lovers in our country, as well as in Moscow, Zurich, Chicago, New York, London, Lausanne, and Vienna, and in the countries of the region.

(Sasa Dragin, Bozidar Aleksandrovic)

- People in Serbia will be able to buy this wine in wine stores, exclusive stores, and it will also be served in restaurants. Its price will be about EUR 25 – said Aleksandrovic.

Underlining that the quality is the most important, the wine cellar at the foot of Oplenac will be making between 25,000 and 30,000 bottles of champagne per year.

The people present in the premises of Podrum Aleksandrovic agreed that there was no competition in viticulture and production of top-quality wines. The host pointed out that he was happy with the fact that several vineyards and new wine cellars had appeared in the vicinity of Topola in the past few years.

- Serbian wine cellars are winning prestigious awards in Europe and all around the world, which was not the case before. We won 14 medals in 2009 and 9 awards in 2010. I hope that tens of new vineyards, wine cellars, restaurants and boutique hotels will appear in my region. Topola is annually visited by 300,000 tourists, our wine cellar has about 15,000 wine lovers, and only together can we keep these guests and have them stay for few days and enjoy Serbian wines - said Aleksandrovic.