The trip to Ilok
Before I got my temporary resident visa in Serbia one of the requirements is that you may only stay as a tourist for 90 days. A typical practice was to leave the country for a day or two and return to get a new entry stamp in your passport. So, with this in mind we decided to turn this mundane task into a weekend trip and visit some wineries and see the sights in western Serbia, enter Croatia and visit the town of Ilok.
Ilok is the easternmost town in Croatia situated on the Danube river. It like much of the former Yugoslavia has been batted back and forth between the Ottomans and the Hapsburgs since the 1500s. Before that it was settled by Romas in the 1st or 2nd century, then by Slavs, part of the Bulgarian and then Hungarian Empires. At the beginning of the 20th century, it became part of what would eventually be the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and then after WW2 the state of Yugoslavia.
It is about an hour and a half drive mostly over the four-lane highway this is only lightly traveled. There is a toll both ways that can be paid in Serbian dinars (local currency), Euros or all major credit cards including American Express. I have said before it is pleasure driving on Serbian highways. They are very well marked and with the light traffic, it makes for an easy commute. The border crossing is a small stand on both sides and as you leave Serbia you are entering the EU zone.
Our first stop was the winery Iločki podrumi which is just out of the town of Ilok. Wine has been produced on the property since the Roman times through to the present day even during the occupation of the Ottomans. In the late 1600s the Pope granted the Odescalchi family significant portions of the land around the town of Iloc and the family over the years had a significant impact on wine production in the area. The site of the winery today was a summer home to enjoy the breeze away from town. The property was nationalized in 1945 by the Yugoslav government. In 1999 it returned to private hands and is now owned by the various shareholders.
They have moved beyond just creating fine wines into tourism. There is a four-star apartment complex for rent on the property, a three-hole golf course and driving range, a restaurant, and lots of trails for jogging or bike riding.
Up on the second floor is a balcony that overlooks the hills of Fruška Gora with the Danube and the town of Ilok in the distance. It makes for an enjoyable break from driving to enjoy a glass of wine. They have a number of wines to chose from we selected their Traminac(Gewürztraminer) a common white varietal in the area. Serbia and Croatia both make delightful white wines. These are not as complex as a French Montrachet but quite refreshing and delightful on the pallet. The wine had a floral hint on the nose and a lovely smooth mouthfeel. It was crisp with hints of citrus in the mouth. It had a nice crisp finish and is perfect for sitting looking out of the hills enjoying the vast view.
In part two of Ilok, I will tell you about the restaurant and little winery in town we visited as well as the hotel (bed & breakfast) we stayed for the night.
Prijanto!
Web: https://www.ilocki-podrumi.hr/en/
Twitter: @vinoteke