The former Yugoslavia is one of the oldest wine-growing countries in Europe. The Phoenicians brought about 1200 BC Chr. Vines from their home country (today's Lebanon) as well as from their colonies from Cyprus and Crete and planted them on the Dalmatian Adriatic coast. Greek colonists started viniculture from the 7th century BC on the Istrian and Dalmatian coast near Trogir and on some (now Croatian) islands such as Korčula, Hvar and Vis. When the Romans conquered the area in the 2nd century AD, they already found an extensive wine culture and developed it further. Emperor Probus, who came from Illyria (now Croatia), promoted viticulture. Conquered around 1,000 AD Venice the coastal area. In the 14th century, large parts of the former Yugoslavia came under Turkish rule and through Islamic rule for centuries alcohol ban viticulture was severely affected. Many vineyards had to be destroyed for religious reasons and were by the in the 19th century Phylloxera disaster destroyed.
Today's Slovenia (Carniola) belonged to Austria-Hungary from 1335 and the majority of today's Croatia from 1699 to 1918. Winegrowing there is still influenced by it today. Until the change in 1991, the total vineyard area was 244,000 hectares, in 1990 5.95 million hectoliters of wine were produced. Due to the war events in the 1990s, Yugoslavia disintegrated into seven independent states. First obtained Bosnia Herzegovina. Croatia. Northern Macedonia and Slovenia independence. The remaining rest of the country was renamed Serbia-Montenegro in 2003. After a referendum held in 2006, too Montenegro a separate state and the remaining part Serbia renamed. The former autonomous Serbian province Kosovo finally proclaimed independent in February 2008.
