South Bačka

In Sremski Karlovci, Serbia, just south of Belgrade, among the Danube River, David and Emily went to a wine and honey tasting. The site also had a Museum dedicated to bee keeping and also the family trade and history of the owners, the Živanović Family and their trade.

The Živanović Family beekeeping for 155 years continuously through five generations. The tradition started with Professor Jovan Živanović, at about 1865, and is regarded as "the "father of rational beekeeping" in this part of Europe and in these regions." He also taught beekeeping and biology in Vienna.

At that time, bee keeping was done by creating a wicker basket, and covering it with a mixture of mud and cow dumb (every bee's dream). An example can be seen in the pictures. However, to harvest the honey, the bees had to be killed. Jovan Živanović created the first "modern" hive in this area, where the side could be removed and the bees could be shaken off the hive, saving the bees.

Not to bury the lead, but the tasting we had here was very interesting. We got to try two native varieties: Prokupac (a grape), and Bermet (a spiced dessert wine). In addition, the honeys were a meadow honey, a sesame seed honey and a linden honey. The tasting had 7 wines, 3 honeys and a guided museum tour by a Živanović and it cost 650 RSD... about $5.50 a person. I feel like all of that could have cost $650 in Napa. Crazy good price. We'd recommend it.

Quickly, the town itself was very quaint. It features Karlovci Gymnasium, a big fancy yellow building which is the second oldest secondary school in Serbia.Read more