The new, 27th edition of the Wine and Char Festival was officially opened today in Virpazar, and on this occasion a large number of lovers of fish, wine and local specialties visited the Crmnica region. This year, the festival also allows local winegrowers and fishermen to present their products, while visitors have the opportunity to enjoy traditional local products, as well as various handicrafts, music and the natural beauty of Virpazar.
The festival featured stalls from Bar, as well as producers from various parts of Montenegro. Traditionally, priganice were a hit at every stall, and the line for the free ones, along with the free fish, was long.
The organizers of the festival are the Crmnica Local Community and the Winemakers' Association, and the patrons are the Municipality of Bar and the Bar Tourist Organization. The program was officially opened by the President of the Municipality of Bar, Dušan Raičević. He said that he is pleased with the fact that this festival is gaining a regional character from year to year, which they have worked on and are particularly proud of.
"We invite you to enjoy the delicacies prepared as part of the festival activities and try all the wines that the valuable exhibitors from Crmnica, but also the region, presented in this part of the exhibition space. We are also proud of the fact that in one segment of the festival it also takes on an educational form where wine producers have the opportunity to learn about new trends and practices, to exchange experiences, to be even more successful, and to have their products marketed in the region," said Raičević.
Raičević emphasized on this occasion the support that the Municipality of Bar provides to winemakers and winegrowers, as well as the rest of the agricultural sector, and that the local government continuously supports agricultural producers. Including the funds planned for this year - direct placement through subsidy measures for agricultural production from the local government level has exceeded one million euros.
"Wine producers and winegrowers have taken advantage of all the benefits offered through these support measures, and it is in this area, as well as in the field of olive growing, that we have achieved the greatest successes," said Raičević.
The educational segment of this year's edition of the Wine and Char Festival was also highlighted by the president of the Crmnica Local Community, Tomislav Tomo Ukšanović.
"As part of the program, we organized a roundtable with current topics, so we could hear more about the latest news about production, labeling and excise taxes, and we also had good interlocutors," said Ukšanović.
The festival is also known for its competitive nature, and on the second day of the 27th Wine and Char Festival, awards will be given for the highest quality wines.
"This year we have 28 exhibitors, we are especially proud to have six exhibitors from the region and 59 samples. The evaluation is based on a 100-point system, the number of medals is limited to one third. We can boast about the quality of the wines exhibited this year," said the president of the Crmnica Local Community.
The great importance of the Wine and Char Festival is also emphasized by representatives of wineries who traditionally participate in this event and win awards for their wines.
"I am very happy to attend the Wine and Char Festival and present my white, red and rosé wines there. I can say that my wines have aroused great interest and have won awards. Two years ago I was the champion with my white wine Istarska Malvazija. I hope there will be an award this year too, but I am primarily here to socialize and enjoy wine and fish specialties," said Budimir Miranović from the Miranović winery.
For the tenth time, the Jokaš winery is presenting itself at the Wine and Char Festival.
"This festival is very important for us, it is increasingly visited by foreign citizens living in our country. We started as guests at the invitation of the people of Crmnica, and in recent years we have been regular exhibitors. This year we are also in the competition for awards. We are very satisfied," said Peko Sekulić from the Jokaš winery, as reported by Media Biro.
In the entertainment part of the program today, visitors enjoyed performances by the Folklore Ensemble "Rumija", the always interesting poet and humorist Rajko Joličić, the Čardak band, the popular Petar Mitić, as well as the singer of Montenegrin songs Nikola Bušković.
The rich program of the 27th Wine and Char Festival will continue tomorrow, March XNUMX, when, in addition to enjoying fish specialties and quality wine, visitors will be able to enjoy performances by the "Jedinstvo" cultural and artistic group, Dino Beharović and Nikola Bušković, as well as a concert by Emir Aličković from the Lapsus band.
Bonus video:
