There are many wine routes that lead through Serbia. The first wine route, that comes from the northern the country, from Hungary, appeared to start with the Wine palace in a village called Hajdukovo, opposite of Palic and Subotica.
This is where the kingdom of Laszlo Hupert, the pioneer of so called “wine story” or “wine road,” a top which has been discussed today more than ever before. The main reason appears to be related to the Association of Wine Knights Saint George, whose member he is, and who got a unique opportunity to organize World Congress of Wine Knights in June next year. The knights, for this occasion, will be the ones to visit Laszlo and his palace. The founder of the wine tours in Subotica-Horgos area, Mr. Laszlo Hupert, owns a wine palace that covers eight (10) acre vineyard. In this magnificent palace, one may find a cellar, tasting room, restaurant and guest accommodation rooms.
What is it that the guests of the Wine palace may expect when you take them to your journey to this beautiful area?
The wine palace can offer the highest quality wines from the sandy soil of the north of Vojvodina (24,000 hectares of silica sand), which our vineyards contain. One can feel that our wines taste like this unique sand that exist nowhere in the world, except Hungary. Such sand no longer exists in other parts of Serbia, because the sand from Deliblatska area is of a different composition, though, it's considered that it also produces a good wine. We have a very high production technology, a cold fermentation, which draws out all the best to provide fully flavored quality wine grapes. Here, one can try several combinations of grape varieties, which I believe are very compatible. They fit a combination which has great cuvier and which later becomes a mixed wine, such as Carmen, Don Oliver, and other wine brands that are already part of the Wine palace. People can try several wine kinds from the old varieties that people raised in the Middle Ages, and forgot about. Some amateurs dug through the history and found several sorts, which can be used to make very specific wines. One of them is a sort named Csóka and the other varieties derive from white Muscat wines, the indigenous varieties such as Kadarka, Kevidinka, Ezerjo and Slankamenka. Our wines are easy and safe to drink thanks to the sunny sand that receives a high amount of energy during the day and at night, transmits it to the atmosphere. Wine sorts, thanks to its wide leaves, is constantly under the treatment of energy, i.e. receives power during 24 hours and produces chemical compounds that give flavor and antioxidants, the positive components of grapes and wine, which features wines from the sandy soil. It requires a great skill and wine technology to avoid making any mistakes.
-My wine, Don Oliver, is my brand and, in my opinion, the best Hungarian variety of Čersegi fisereš and Irshai Oliver. These two genetically related and geographically separated grape types are giving, as a result, a truly wonderful and harmonious component. I have personally turned these two sorts into an aperitif wine that tastes like pineapple and melon, a combination that does not exist in the world. Three years ago, at the "Royal Wine Challenge" held in Belgrade, this wine was proclaimed as one of the best Serbian wines. In addition, among the competition of the wines from fifteen European countries, it received a second place and high recognition by the experts - enologists. Due to the continuation of the sort, the quality of wine appears to be the same every year – exceptional. My wines are labeled with protected geographical indications.
-This year is remarkably good year for the winemakers and growers. Grapes contain adequate amounts of sugar, even slightly more than usually, which forced me to collect certain grape sorts in August, as my goal is to make wine stronger. I believe that wine lovers do not drink this divine drink because of the alcohol contain, but because of the smell, taste, and its beauty. If the wine contains a large amount of alcohol, those who drink it will get drunk easily and will not enjoy it, and moreover, will not even know which wine he/she consumed. I have outlined this wine producing style roughly 10 years ago. If I see that the grapes are sweet, over 22% of sugar, about 90 exe, I pick it up regardless of the date and the amount of acid with the goal that the final product does not turn too strong. Sometimes, it certainly happens that the amount of acid is large (11, 5 - 12 grams per liter); however, there are good technologies that can remove the acid (fermentation, etc.), which is a proof that the wine science of today advanced. This is how I manage to "repair" the wines, to preserve their originality - not by subtracting or adding anything else, but naturally creating the harmony of the substances. A close friend of mine, Mrs. Ljubica Popov, is one of the main people to who I am grateful for their help. Although I am an agricultural engineer by profession, I believe in my ideas and I give the final word when it comes to my wines. I consider myself as an enologist, the creator of the wines. To keep the track of the events, we invite you to visit Laszlo seminars related to the wine theme. Even though he is very involved in the modern technological processes of wine production, he likes to experiment, invent and, as a joke, says that something has to be left for the next generation.
-Somebody has to transfer my knowledge to the next generations. I believe that the first generation is not able to build a “house of wine”. Moreover, a range of five generations, where each member is honest and trying the hardest, is necessary so that the property becomes well- known. We have a successor, but it is very important for both me and my wife, to make a foundation of winemaking and wine tourism. For one region’s wine tourism, it is important to make high quality wine, and that this area has a leading sort. Thus, for example, the characteristic of wines from Palic region are light, drinkable, with a pleasant acid content. In this region, each wine house has a good wine and it is believed that it can’t always be perfect, but each house has its leading wine and believes that it’s the best. It is very important to have as many winemakers as possible. The wine tourism can be created only if it has the mass, if there is a lot of wine that are coming from the houses with good wine reputation. This is important, because the individuals, regardless of good wine production, will not enjoy the mass visits.
In the last ten years, the conditions of viticulture and oenology in Serbia have drastically improved. The state began to allocate funds for the development of viticulture and winemaking, taking care of the wine houses, and increasing the wine drinking education by having media attention. Furteher more, this leads us to believe that on a good way to develop this economic activity. I believe in that story wine media has a very important role, that they need to support this story, attract potential wine-lovers and refer them to the wine houses, to inform them where they can taste and experience wines. I am convinced that nobody would leave any of the wine houses disappointed, because everyone has a wine to be proud of.
Mr. Laslo Hupert is unique in many ways, including being a member of three Knights' wine orders. He is the founder and first senator wine order in Serbia, Arena Zabatkienzis, (sand of Subotica), which existed for eleven years, right here, in Palic-Hajdukovo. Hd is also a Consul of the order of wine knights of Saint Vincent in Szeged, Hungary, a consultant in the wine line of European importance - the St. George Eisenstadt, etc. He also received an oval cup from the largest European Association, an acknowledgment to him and his Wine Palace, which is a great honor, as only fourteen other exist in Europe. He believes that wine orders are of a unique decor and that they have great importance in the development of wine culture.
Wine-knights are passionate and devoted, people who celebrate religious and other holidays associated with wine, give them some elegance, and celebration of wine consumption. It's very important to drink wine in a beautiful surrounding, to serve it in a pretty glass, possibility with music, and a good atmosphere will be created automatically. The wine lovers, or knights, are not people who drink large amounts, but are people who drink with pleasure. This is good because it fits a healthy lifestyle. Wine, in small quantities, is considered to be food, even according to the medicine. However, in large quantities, wine can be poisonous.
I hope that our friend from all over the world will be satisfied with our hospitality, our and my wines, and we will do our best to make feel welcome.
Mr. Laslo Hupert is not only the master of his craft, but also contemporary and a practical man, who does not only monitor but also applies the latest technology. Thus, when we stayed in Hajdukovo, we caught the workers setting up the solar collectors.
- The idea for the installation of solar collectors became a part of the conversation with one of the visitors and immediately took over. Heat pumps have been used for now, but we will replace them with the solar collectors and save 500 euros per month, just to keep them warm. In a few days, the assembly will be completed. Winter is coming, days will be shorter and will probably cause a lack of heat, but the rest of the year will be a surplus, so we are looking forward to using it.
The Hupert estate now has 10 hectares of vineyards, a restaurant and accommodation for guests. Even though, during the first five or six years, he produced approximately 300,000 gallons of wine, last year he decided to increase the production to 50,000 liters of bottled wine. There is a belief that the Serbia uses only a small part of the potential that could lead to a successful story of wine road. There is always an example of Tuscany, where we can find 1600 wine cellars which are visited by 10 million tourists. Therefore, for himself and all of his fellow winemakers and growers, he wants more and better and does not say satisfied with surviving. In his intentions, he has a great help from his wife, Mrs. Erika Fodor, but we shall talk about this unique woman on some other occasion, as it deserves a special place and time
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