Construction of Kamenica winery kicks off in Nis - First bottles to hit stores in 2013

(future look of Kamenica winery)

An old school in the village of Kamenica on Cegar near Nis will soon be transformed into a winery that will annually process about 100,000 kilograms of grapes. Production should start as early as after this year`s grape harvest, and this project is jointly implemented by the Nis Department of Agriculture Administration, the city borough of Pantelej and the Association of Orchardists and Viticulturists Cegar.

Construction of the fruit and vine growing center Cegar, better known as Kamenica, commenced on May 4th. It will be place for purchasing grapes, processing and bottling wines, while presentations will be held in the wine tasting room. This facility will also comprise a laboratory, which will be fully equipped to perform analyses in all stages of production.

- Aside from being used for the purpose of wine production, the winery Kamenica will also serve as an educational and tourist facility. Members of the Association of Orchardists and Viticulturists will get a space where they can hold educational courses, seminars or meetings, while there is also a possibility of organizing wine tours - Predrag Vlaisavljevic from the Nis Department of Agriculture Administration says to eKapija.

- The winery will be situated in the vicinity of the monument complex of Cegar, which attracts a large number of tourists, who will soon be able to visit Kamenica winery and taste and buy quality wines from this area.

(space for storing wine)

Reconstruction of the old school, that is, construction and equipping of the winery, will cost about RSD 35 million. The City of Nis has already provided funds for the first phase, which is worth about RSD 15 million, while the remaining 20 million dinars will be collected in association with the users of this space. Part of the equipment, which includes the state-of-the-arts grape press and crusher, has already been procured.

As our interlocutor explains, according to the adaptation plan, the first section of the winery will be a reception line for grapes, where grapes will be immediately classified by quality and then sent to the crusher. After that, the product will be stored in vessels in a fermentation room, where temperature will be controlled. As they explained to us, this is the reason why this section is equipped with special installations. The total surface of the fermentation room is about 80 square meters.

A space for storing wine will be located on a lower level, below the fermentation room. Some wines will be ready for bottling in three to six months, while some of them will be kept for few years in barrels before hitting the stores.

(wine tasting room)

- In order to make quality wines, winemakers need to be well-educated, which is why the educational purpose of this winery is very important. We will introduce orchardists and viticulturists to the latest methods of agricultural production - says Aleksandra Brzakovic, head of the Nis Department of Agriculture Administration.

There will be a room spanning about 50 square meters for presentations, educational courses and conferences, and it will also serve as a wine tasting room.

The tradition of Nis` vineyards dates back to the Roman period, while climatic and soil conditions have been enabling the production of quality grapes and wines for centuries. In the 1970s, as many as 6,000 hectares of land in Nis were planted with vine. Today, there are only about 100 hectares of vineyards in this area. However, the situation is improving given that the members of Cegar Association have made substantial investments in new vineyards.

- Viticulture in the Nis area is gradually recovering, and the focus is placed on new vineyards. Production was made difficult by the decline of large wine cellars, such as PIK, Sicevo and Malca, and the lack of good technology. This winery is an excellent project that will provide optimal conditions for making wine - people at the Department of Agriculture Administration explain.

This investment is also justified by the fact that there are about 50 hectares of new vineyards and 30 hectares of new orchards in Nis, while another 20 hectares or so are expected to be planted with vine in 2012.

(future look of Kamenica)

The village of Kamenica is situated in the very center of the vineyard area in Nis. The Ministry of Education has assigned the ownership of the old deserted school in a very bad condition to the City of Nis. Once the reconstruction is completed and winery is opened, the citizens of Nis will not be able to recognize this dillapidated building. As eKapija learns from Predrag Vlaisavljevic, the author of the technical design is MMD studio from Nis.

Silver wines

Already at the first official appearance, during the International Wine Fair Zupa 2012 in Aleksandrovac, Cegar Association won as many as six medals (four silver and two bronze medals) for white and red wines. The medals went to Zlata Vidanovic (silver for Sauvignon Blanc and bronze for Shiraz), Slobodan Todorovic (silver for Kratina), Zivojin Bojic (silver for Cabernet Sauvignon) and Slavisa Milojevic (silver for Medijana wine and bronze for Rose).

Wines from this area are currently available only in the wine cellars of manufacturers, and their prices range from 150 to 200 dinars per liter. Placement through Kamenica winery will make it possible for winemakers from Nis to directly participate in the market.

The wine Medijana, made of an autochtonous vine variety, is particularly interesting. As Nis' winemakers announce, they plan to make and present a special wine of the highest quality for the central celebration of the anniversary of the Edict of Milan in 2013.

Milica Stevuljevic