Wine & Play a Sensation at “Wine Vision” Festival: The EXPO Playground Turns Wine Tasting into an Adventure
From the very first day, the EXPO 2027 Playground became one of the most visited spaces of the Wine Vision festival - a place where visitors discovered the flavours, aromas and stories behind Serbia’s most renowned and historic grape varieties. Within the Wine & Play concept, thousands of wine, gastronomy, and culture enthusiasts enjoyed guided tastings, interactive flavour games, and new ways of wine and food pairing, in an atmosphere that offered many a completely fresh perspective on the domestic wine scene.
Over the past four days, the programme showcased everything that makes wine culture vibrant: from exploring indigenous varieties and speaking with experts, to learning how different wine styles evolve over time. The EXPO Playground presented a modern, dynamic approach that demonstrated just how much Serbia has to offer to global audiences, and how wine tourism had become an important part of its gastronomic identity.
This celebration of a festival already recognised as one of the most prestigious in the region reflected how the mission of EXPO 2027 is being realised through the promotion of tradition, gastronomy and creativity. Within the Wine & Play programme, visitors had the opportunity to taste indigenous varieties and discover how flavours naturally pair with food, an experience that inspired many to see wine culture in a new light.
A special part of the programme was the educational Wine Stories workshops. On Sunday, Petar Prokić, Head Sommelier of the Salon 1905 restaurant, guided visitors through the lecture called A Short History of Winemaking in Serbia, presenting the development of domestic winemaking - from the earliest vineyards in the Roman times and the monastic cellars, to contemporary wineries setting new standards in the region. Visitors learned that medieval rulers considered wine part of state identity, and that the first wine maps of Serbia were created in the 19th century, testifying to a deeply rooted wine heritage.
On Monday, the Janko Winery was presented by Dragan Vasić in a highly attended workshop entitled Everything You Wanted to Know About Smederevka - and More. Visitors had the chance to hear less-known facts about one of Serbia’s oldest grape varieties; that in antiquity it was valued for its freshness and lightness, that it dominated the market in the last century as an “everyday wine”, and that today’s wineries are crafting modern styles from it that surprise with complexity, minerality, and ageing potential.
Since its first edition in 2022, Wine Vision by Open Balkan has grown into one of the region’s leading wine events, attracting more than 600 exhibitors from 34 countries. This year’s edition, supported by EXPO 2027, offered an even more diverse programme tailored to all generations, confirming that Serbia meets all the conditions to be an important player on Europe’s wine tourism map.
Photographed by: Dragan Kujundžić