EXHIBITION ’WINE CHRONICLES OF SERBIA’ AT THE SASA GALLERY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The exhibition titled ’Wine Chronicles of Serbia’  was opened at the SASA Gallery of Science and Technology, on 3 November. The authors of the exhibition are SASA Corresponding Member Željko Tomanović, Aleksandar Fotić, PhD, (The Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade), Professor Slavica Todić (The Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade), Miroslav Nikolić, PhD, (The Institute for Multidisciplinary Research (IMSI)), Milica Rat, PhD, (The Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Novi Sad) and Tomislav Ivanović, a journalist.

The exhibition at the SASA Gallery lasts until 29 November 2023.

This multidisciplinary exhibition aims to give an overview of the process of wine cultivation and viniculture development in Serbia throughout epochs and presentation of both historical heritage and the potential of modern viticulture and wine production. The exhibition encompasses historical records related to viniculture and viticulture in the territory of Serbia from the Iron Age until the first half of the 20^th century and the results of contemporary genome research linked to old indigenous strains.

In addition to archaeological exhibits, tools for vineyard cultivation, vine pruning and protection, grape processing equipment, production, storage and vine tasting from local museums across Serbia, the exhibition will for the first time showcase the herbarium of Andrej Volný from Sremski Karlovci Gymnasium, with strains specimen grown in Fruška Gora and the vicinity in the period between 1812 and 1824. Volný’s herbarium is priceless at the world level, and visitors will have the privilege of perusing this renowned herbarium in digital form.

The exhibition also presents for the first time old autochthonous grape varieties, including several until now unknown strains, recently discovered by the application of advanced molecular-biological methods. Together with the introduction to viniculture and viticulture through various historical epochs, visitors will learn what the phylloxera crisis is and how vineyard renewal came about in Serbia in the 20^th century.

The exhibition will also feature people who are credited with the development of viticulture and viniculture in Serbia in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, and it will note the significance of Bukovo Winemaking and Fruit-Growing School near Negotin, which greatly contributed to the fight against phylloxera and preservation of indigenous strains in Serbia in the late 19^th century.

Visitors will have an opportunity to get a clear idea of the rich history of grape production and the more than two millennia-long culture of winemaking and drinking in this region, through authentic written sources, displayed exhibits and a combination of historical facts and results of the most contemporary genetic analyses.