The International Fair of Wine, Food, Rakija and Tourism — Wine Vision by Open Balkan — brought together 535 exhibitors from 34 countries this year and officially received the “UFI Approved Event” status, granted by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry and the world’s leading authority in this field. Held for the fourth time under the domes of the Belgrade Fair, the event is now the only wine, food, and tourism fair in Serbia and the Western Balkans with this recognition, once again placing Belgrade among the world’s capitals of wine and gastronomy.
The “UFI Approved Event” label is a globally recognized guarantee of quality, awarded only to fairs that meet strict international standards and undergo an independent audit of key indicators: total exhibition space, number of exhibitors, and number of visitors.
As part of the Wine Trophy competition, an international jury selected the best wines across 12 categories. Three National Trophies were awarded for the highest-scoring wines from Serbia, North Macedonia, and Albania, along with special trophies for the best wines produced from indigenous Balkan varieties.
In the Serbia National Trophy category, the Open Balkan Wine Trophy went to Despotika Winery for Krunski dokaz Cabernet Sauvignon 2017. The National Trophy North Macedonia was awarded to Tikveš Winery for Lepovo Chardonnay 2023, while the National Trophy Albania went to Kantina Faba Winery for Kabernelo Rezerva Cuvee 2019.
The trophy for Best White Wine was awarded to Chardonnay Signum 2023 from Frug Winery, while Grašac Zaravan 2023 from Vinčić Winery was named Best White Wine from Indigenous Varieties.
The Best Red Wine prize went to Rodoslov Grand Reserve 2019 from Aleksandrović Winery, and among indigenous varieties, the winning red was the Macedonian Kratošija 2021 from Šato Kamnik Winery.
Within the Rakija Trophy competition, the top honors went to Cherry Hill Distillery for its plum rakija Zaplet šljiva; Simex Original Company for its quince rakija Vučija rakija dunja barik; Gorda Distillery for Gorda viljamovka rakija; Potpis Distillery for Potpis kajsija 05 barik; Mladenović Distillery for the cider Marta; and Tandem Distillery for its grape rakija Bistra voda.
As the largest wine, rakija, and gastronomic fair in Europe created through the Open Balkan initiative — connecting Serbia, North Macedonia, and Albania — Wine Vision presented visitors with wines, spirits, delicacies, and tourism experiences from across the region and all continents.
Throughout the four days, the program featured numerous trainings, competitions, panel discussions, more than 30 workshops and masterclasses, and over 1,500 B2B meetings enabling direct commercial connections.
Wines from all continents were evaluated by 25 international judges and numerous wine experts, including holders of the prestigious Master of Wine title, among them Rod Smith, President of the Institute of Masters of Wine.
This year, the fair welcomed 302 professional buyers from 41 countries, with the largest numbers coming from China (50), the Russian Federation (21), the United Kingdom (15), Switzerland (9), and the United States (8). Buyers from Poland, South Korea, Ukraine, Belarus, Iraq, Nigeria, and Uganda attended the fair for the first time.
The Food Vision segment gathered 35 exhibitors from gastronomy and culinary arts, masterclass lecturers from five countries, and eight leading chefs from Serbia. It also hosted eight international judges from Sweden, Brazil, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and the United Kingdom, alongside competitions in three categories for young chefs aged 16 to 25.
The evaluations of prominent domestic and international experts reaffirmed the dedication, professionalism, and ambition of both participants and organizers, placing Belgrade and Serbia, once again, among the most notable global events in this sector.