Savina Winery: Montenegrin wine paradise

The wonderland around Herceg Novi hides one of the best wine-making secrets in Montenegro, Savina winery. Set in Meljine, the owners of this marvelous vinyards soon obtained the reputation as one of the best wine makers in the region.

Besides the wine and its quality, the location of the vines is also a marvel on its own. From Savina, you can enjoy the view of the entrance to the Bay of Kotor from above. This is a sufficient reason to consider visiting Castel Savina and see why this is a unique tourist destination.

To help you with this, we bring you some insightful details about Savina winery that will convince you why this is exclusive destination not only of Montenegro but of the entire Adriatic coast.

Only Winery on the Coast

The area of Meljine near Herceg Novi has been known for centuries as a wine-producing region. This history dates back to the Middle Ages until the middle of the 20th century, before the expansive construction of tourist facilities began.

Although it sound unimaginable Savina winery is today the only wine producing establishment on the coast of Montenegro.

However, Savina Winery is trying to bring back this tradition of winemaking in the Herceg Novi region, and it has been successfully doing so for the past 20 years. This family owned business started the wine story lead by the history and the family values. As they claim, Savina Winery is the story of wine, family and monastery.

The owners felt encouraged as this spot on the map where the vineyard is now was once marked on Venetian maps as the wine region.

Wine, Family and Monastery

Savina winery and its facilities are a family-owned business that started the journey from stratch. The owners collected wine-making knowledge in France and Italy to bring it to Montenegro. Their winery slowly developed, closely tied to the traditional wine production technique.

Because of the desire to keep the old ways alive, the Savina Winery began cooperating with Savina Monastery. This famous Orthodox Monestery is very respected and visited among locals and tourists. Situated around 200 metres away, Savina Monastery has a long history dating back to 1030, however the earliest records mentioning it are from 1648. It has been producing its own wine for the same period of time which is why the cooperation between Monestery and Winery seemed like a great idea.

Now, the family and monastery produce the same wine under a unique label available at the property.

The Wine

Castel Savina brought its first wines to the market in 2014 and still has the same four labels today with few additions. In question are Chardonnay and rosé from Grenache, both wines emphatically elegant, as if created for summer and this climate. Their two red labels, Merlot and Cabernet, are structurally complex, each with 20 percent Shiraz. They also have one other species of wine which will soon be on the market, one indigenous white varietal, Žižak (zhizhak), similar to Dubrovnik’s Malvasia.

The Savina winery products are known for its accentuated fruitiness, pleasant acids and serious aging potential. As visible from their signature wines, this winery is dedicated to fully embracing authentic Mediteranean spirit and the autohtone species in all of their products.

Wine Tasting Tour

If you want to try and experience what is Savina winery all about you can do so. Vineyard is only open by reservation which you can schedule on their website. Your reservation includes a tour that tells the history and genesis story of the vineyard, as well as wine tasting and a variety of canapés.​

During the wine tasting at Savina Winery you can experience a feast for your tastebuds, The tour includes sampling of all wines available in the winery including the glass of single rose accompanied by by a platter of fresh olives, veggies, and bread sticks.

Futher on the feast continues with red wine that is also followed by the traditional Montenegrin meze with meat, cheese and pie. After this you will be ready for one glass of white wine and two shots of local rakija including the melon liquor which is local specialty for a complete experience.

Through this experience Savina winery allows you to enjoy in a true Montenegrin dining and wine-tasting.

Getting to the Savina Winery

The Savina Winery is not too difficult to find. You can reach it by car or a taxi, but you can also hike up here. You first reach the summit near the monastery. Closeby is the Wineries main gates which are on the walking distance. If you visit during summer, we recommend using a car as the Montenegrin heat is harsh.

Final remarks

With impeccable offer of wines, astonishing setting with picturesque nature and peaceful atmosphere Savina winery has a lot to offer. Therefore we hope this family-owned business with long history and tradition will find its way to your itinerary list. We are sure that in this way, your journey to Montenegro will be complete.