Belje vineyards throw the biggest “Vinceška” in Baranja

St. Vincent’s Day is celebrated every year in Croatian vineyards as the start of the new wine-growing year. This year, Baranja’s largest “Vinceška”, the popular local name for an event celebrating St. Vincent’s Day, was held at Vina Belje’s winery in Banovo brdo, with more than 500 guests from across the region in attendance.

As is the traditional custom, the vineyards were decorated with kulen and sausages from Baranja, and Damir Leko, President of the Management Board of Belje plus, Ivan Čerkez, Direktor of Vina Belje, Marijan Knežević, Chief Oenologist, and Tomislav Pintarić, Head of Viniculture, pruned the vines. Parish priest Ivo Zečević blessed the vineyard and the grapevines, and the vines were sprinkled with wine to ensure a good yield and high-quality grapes this year.

“We organised our traditional ‘Vinceška’ again this year, after a two-year pause caused by the pandemic. This is the most important holiday of the year for our winegrowers, honouring the work they do in the vineyards throughout the year, and the synergy between winegrowers and winemakers in the production of premium quality wines. After our wine sales hit a new record last year and after the successful launch of the La Belle sparkling wine range and the successful introduction of new Goldberg wines, our goal for this year is to increase the presence of our wines at hotels and restaurants”, said Damir Leko, the President of the Management Board of Belje plus.

Vina Belje cultivates a total of 564 hectares of productive vineyards, in which graševina is the dominant grape variety, accounting for 85% of the plantations. Renowned international wine experts believe Croatian Podunavlje is a global benchmark for graševina, as attested by the many awards and recognitions Belje has received for the quality of its Graševina. Vina Belje received a hundred awards for its varieties and wine ranges last year alone.