With a series of business meetings exclusively tailored for professional buyers, the second edition of the Wine Vision by Open Balkan – fair of wine, food, and tourism started on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at the Belgrade Fair. Under the partonage of the governments of the Republic of Serbia, North Macedonia, and Albania, and within the Open Balkans initiative, the fair will last until November 19, 2023. For general public, the fair will be open from Friday, November 17th.
This year, Wine Vision gathers over 600 exhibitors from a number of wineries, distilleries, and hospitality companies from 28 countries. Half of the exhibitors are from Open Balkan member countries, with 260 from Serbia, 74 from North Macedonia, and 21 from Albania.
The first day of the fair is exclusively dedicated to professional visitors and B2B meetings. So far, over 3,000 meetings have been scheduled via the Fair’s portal, where professional visitors, buyers, and sommeliers will explore new business opportunities for all winemakers in the region. This year, organizers expect four times more professional visitors than the last.
The highlight of this regional spectacle is the Open Balkan Wine Trophy competition, where about thirty prominent judges from around the world will assess over 600 wine samples from regional wineries.
For the fair exhibitions and programs, six halls will be used, along with two additional ones for gastronomy, covering over 44,000 square meters of total exhibition space. Hall 5 will host a culinary spectacle with chefs from around the world, masterclasses, and cooking competitions. Hall 11 will present food exhibitions with various types of dishes and spices, especially from the Balkans. Other halls will feature wineries, with Hall 1 dedicated to wines from Serbia, North Macedonia, and Albania, while Hall 4 will present wines from around the world. Distilleries and the finest Serbian rakija will be located on the gallery of Hall 1.
The sales segment of the Fair will take place exclusively in the specialized store in Hall 1A.
The culinary program, Food Vision by Open Balkan, will take place in Hall 11, where the best regional chefs will compete in preparing traditional Balkan dishes. Visitors can attend presentations, masterclasses in gastronomy, cooking demonstrations, and chef competitions.
The Young Chefs Club of Serbia will organize a competition for professional chefs called the Open Balkan Chef Culinary Challenge 2023, which will also have a humanitarian character. All prepared and unused food will be donated to a food bank.
Within the rakija segment, over 50 distilleries will present their products, emphasizing the essential place of rakija in Balkan authenticity, while the Serbian plum rakija holds a position on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.
True wine enthusiasts can take part in masterclasses and lectures about Tuscan wines, terroir of North Macedonia, the diversity of Chinese wines, marketing strategies for Balkan wineries, basic tasting principles, food and wine pairing skills, and an exploration of Serbia’s grapevine genetic diversity.
SERVICE INFORMATION
Working hours of the fair are from November 16th to 18th, 12 PM to 8 PM (on November 16th, entry is allowed only with accreditation), and on November 19th, 12 PM to 6 PM.
The price of a single ticket is 700 RSD, group tickets are 500 RSD, and family tickets 1,400 RSD.
Parking fee within the fairground is 200 RSD per hour.
One-day ticket + car parking is 2,000 RSD, and a three-day ticket + car parking is (November 17th to 19th) 5,000 RSD.
Renting a wine tasting glass is 500 RSD.
