A steadily increasing influx of wine tourists, hedonists and gastronomads…
The wines and wine destinations of Slavonija and Baranja have been receiving an increasing amount of attention, and have seen a steadily increasing influx of tourists, hedonists, gastronomads and other guests, attracted by eastern Croatia’s many different tastes and sights.
The Osijek-Baranja County is home to 12 tourist and wine routes – Kneževi Vinogradi - Karanac - Kotlina - Kamenac; Zmajevac; Suza; Sjeverna Baranja; Martinovo brdo; Erdut Municipality; Mandićevac; Zlatarevac; Sveti Martin; Zlatno brdo; Batina Wine Route, and Frankovka, spanning four wine areas – Baranja, Erdut, Đakovo, and Feričanci. Wine tourism is clearly one of the main drivers of the development of tourism in Osijek-Baranja County.
A series of wine-related projects was implemented in the region in recent years, from the Wine Tour (including the adaptation of road infrastructure of the existing wine roads, and establishment of four mini-museums in four wine areas and a regional wine boutique in Osijek…), to “Vinski turizam bez granica” (Wine Tour Across Borders), worth some 400,000 euro, which binds Villany, one of Hungary’s busiest wine regions, with Baranja and Erdut wine areas, promoting this cross-border region on the regional and international market.
In addition, the region is the site of a number of wine and gastronomy events, including “Vinski maraton” (Wine Marathon) in Zmajevac, which attracts thousands of visitors. Besides the company Belje plus, small and medium winemakers are important pieces in the mosaic of wine tourism development.
For some years now, Belje has been offering rounds of their vineyards, winery and the old wine cellar in Kneževi Vinogradi, which are seen by some 10,000 tourists a year. The wine road meandering through the vineyards on the southern slopes of Banovo brdo is the biggest tourist attraction, sought out by almost every tourist visiting Baranja. The entire Vina Belje collection is available for tasting at the tasting room in the old cellar, along with an assortment of traditional homemade charcuterie. The location also boasts a wine boutique and souvenir shop offering a wide range of gift-wrapped local products.
