Prokupac: A New Identity for the Iconic Grape and Wine of Serbia and the Balkans

IN BREVE

Prokupac Day 2025 in Belgrade showcased the evolution of Prokupac, Serbia’s flagship grape, which now boasts a new, more elegant identity.
The Prokupac Riedel Performance glass marks significant growth for this wine, bringing it closer to the world’s great wines.
Today, Prokupac represents only 5% of the vineyard area in Serbia, a sharp decline from 60% in the 1970s.
Recent improvements in cultivation and winemaking have led to more elegant and profound wines, as seen in the varied styles presented during Prokupac Day.
There is growing interest in Prokupac in international markets, thanks to its competitiveness and the renewed appeal of Balkan wines.

Sometimes the past tells the story of the present better than a photograph taken here and now with the latest Polaroid model. The snapshot of Prokupac Day 2025—held in Belgrade in mid-October—reveals the profound change made by Serbian producers to what was, and is even more so today, one of the iconic grape varieties of the Balkans. Farewell to the pitch-black, concentrated, and high-alcohol Prokupac that everyone was used to and from which the general public gradually began to distance itself. Prokupac, Serbia’s iconic grape and wine, now has a new identity.

Defined by a more or less pronounced ruby color. By an elegant spiciness accompanying crunchy red and black fruits, ready to bite into. Structure, yes. But also inviting drinkability, even when young. An aspect that does not at all compromise its extreme aging potential. Observed from a distance, the footage of Prokupac Day 2025 could take on the appearance of a Barolo or a Barbaresco. Or even a Pinot Noir, a Nerello Mascalese, a Beaujolais. A Vosne-Romanée. A Pommard. Or a Santenay.

No oversight. Nothing requiring an eye exam. Only those in the know understand how much Prokupac’s change of pace—and its climb toward the launchpad of definitive consecration among the world’s great wines—has to do with Riedel’s decision to dedicate a specific glass to the Serbian grape, the Prokupac Riedel Performance. The same one with which the famous Austrian glassware house recommends drinking the prestigious Italian and French denominations mentioned. It was 2022. In the harmonious shape of that crystal lies the certification of a colossal change of pace. One of those that shuts the door on the past and opens the view to new, unthinkable perspectives.

AT THE ORIGINS OF PROKUPAC, SERBIA’S INDIGENOUS GRAPE

The toponym “Prokuplje” first appears in a written source in a charter from 1395 in which Princess—in Serbian Kneginja—Milica, regent of the Principality of Serbia after the death of her husband Lazar Hrebeljanović, assigns properties and rights to the Ravanica Monastery. The term derives from the Latin Vicus Procuratoris or Proculpa, which in the medieval Serbian context is linked to the territories and villages of the current southern area of Prokuplje and Toplica, traditional for Prokupac.

Historically widespread also in the Župa Aleksandrovačka area—considered by many to be the true home of Prokupac—cultivation has expanded over the years to Šumadija, the Negotinska Krajina regions, and eastern Serbia in Timočka Krajina, on the border with Romania and Bulgaria. The Serbian Vineyard Registry indicates that Prokupac today represents 5% of the total vineyard area, whereas in the 1970s it occupied a full 60%.

This amounts to about a thousand hectares of Prokupac, out of a total of approximately 20,000 hectares of vineyards in the Balkan country (2024 data). The goal is to increase the area of this late-ripening variety to about 5,000 hectares. However, the global decline in red wine consumption is dampening the enthusiasm of Serbian producers, leading them, in some cases, to favor new white wine plantings, especially in the most suitable regions, with excellent results.

THE NEW IDENTITY OF PROKUPAC

In recent years, Prokupac has benefited from a change of approach in the vineyard and cellar. A more calibrated use of wood, parcel selection, and well-controlled fermentations of perfectly ripe (only rarely overripe) grapes have given life to authentic and modern interpretations capable of expressing elegance and depth.

On the occasion of Prokupac Day 2025 in Belgrade, different styles emerged, yet all were consistent in telling the story of the grape. From lighter wines focused on freshness to more structured single-vineyard versions designed for aging, and even rosés, though there is still much work to be done on the latter.

Producers highlighted growing interest from importers and the restaurant industry. The renewed appeal of Balkan wines, combined with their competitive value for money, seems to favor Prokupac’s entry into key markets of other traditional Italian and French denominations that already enjoy an excellent reputation. Progress is also being made on the “premiumization” of the Serbian grape and wine, with interpretations from single vineyards and parcels.