Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a country that comes to mind when one thinks about wine. Indeed, there is far less information available on wine from Bosnia and Herzegovina than there is on wine from most other wine producing countries. Yet the country produces some very good wines. Some estimates say that there are about 30 wine producers on a commercial scale and about 11,000 households producing their own wine.

Two grapes predominate: white Žilavka and red Blatina - which are, according to some, unfamiliar to most sommeliers. Trnjak, Vranac, Plavka, Smederevka, as well as some international varieties are grown too. Watch a video about the grapes you'll find in Bosnia and Herzegovina here. Most wine is grown in Herzegovina, and not Bosnia, due to the climate. Apparently wine production in Bosnia and Herzegovina dates back to the Illyrian times (the Tvrdoŝ Monastery has produced wine since the 13th Century, for example), though the industry was set back significantly by the recent conflict in the '90s - apparently fewer acres of land are cultivated for wine production today than before the war.

While there is the Sarajevo Wine Weekend, usually held in October, it is much more scenic to go out to the wine producers themselves and try the wines where they are made. To do this, you'll generally need to head south and west to warmer climes. Specifically, there are two clusters of wineries: one around Trebinje and one around Međugorje, so you can choose based on your route/itinerary. Check out the winery map here, where you'll also see a couple of wineries to the north.

The list below includes just a selection of the producers that you can visit. Most don't have the best information available on visiting them, so I recommend you contact them in advance to clarify the details.

If you don't manage to leave Sarajevo but you still want some wine, Petrakija is the best place to buy wine in the city and there is also the Hedona Wine Club on the outskirts of Sarajevo where you can dine and do wine tasting.