Introduction
South Bačka is Novi Sad's own district, and beyond the fortress and the pedestrian old town already famous elsewhere, it holds a centuries-old wine tradition, a genuine city beach, and the legacy of a title that put Novi Sad on Europe's cultural map in a way it never had been before.
Overview
The Fruška Gora hills south of Novi Sad have grown grapes since Roman times, and the district's most distinctive wine, Bermet, is a spiced, fortified dessert wine made in Sremski Karlovci according to recipes that vintner families have guarded for generations — historically prestigious enough that it reportedly appeared at European royal courts, and today a genuinely unusual thing to taste, since Bermet is made almost nowhere else in the world. Modern Fruška Gora wineries, many family-run and open for tastings, sit among the same monastery-dotted hills that give the region its heritage reputation, wine and religious history sharing the same slopes. Down at the river, Štrand is Novi Sad's own city beach on the Danube — a long stretch of sand and grass a short walk from the pedestrian centre, genuinely busy with locals through the summer rather than a tourist-only attraction, with cafés and a swimming area that make it a real part of daily Novi Sad life rather than a sight to view from a distance. Novi Sad's more recent claim is institutional rather than historic: in 2022 it became the first non-EU city ever to hold the title of European Capital of Culture, a designation that brought genuine new cultural infrastructure and a full year of exhibitions, performances and festivals to the city, leaving a lasting cultural-venue legacy beyond the headline year itself.
Discover South Bačka
Fruška Gora has grown grapes since Roman times, but the hills' most distinctive product is Bermet, a spiced, fortified dessert wine made in Sremski Karlovci to family recipes guarded for generations — historically prestigious enough to have reportedly reached European royal courts, and today genuinely rare, since almost nowhere else in the world still makes it. Modern family-run wineries across the same Fruška Gora slopes that hold sixteen Orthodox monasteries offer tastings of Bermet alongside more conventional reds and whites, wine and monastic heritage sharing the same hillsides rather than competing attractions.
Ways to Experience This Destination
Bermet, a spiced fortified dessert wine made almost nowhere else, plus family-run wineries across the same hills as sixteen monasteries.
Novi Sad's own Danube city beach, genuinely busy with locals through summer — a real part of daily life, not just a sight.
The first non-EU city to hold the title (2022), leaving lasting cultural venues and programming beyond the headline year.
Frequently asked questions
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