What to eat in Sremski Karlovci
Karlovci is remembered for the glass, not the plate — bermet is an aromatised wine tied specifically to this town, and a tasting is arranged with the cellar before you even set off for it.
- Bermet
- An aromatised dessert wine
- Cellars
- About fifteen in Karlovci itself
- Grape harvest 2026
- 11–13 September
What gets ordered in Karlovci isn't a dish but a glass of bermet — an aromatised dessert wine made with herbs and spices, tied to Fruška Gora and to this town specifically. Some fifteen cellars and wineries keep the tradition alive, but none takes visitors without a call first.
Bermet — the wine that carries the town's name
Bermet is an aromatised dessert wine made with herbs and spices, its name protected in Serbia since 2007 and in the World Intellectual Property Organization's international register since 2011. It isn't made only in Karlovci — the protection covers the whole of Fruška Gora — but this is the town most often tied to it.
About fifteen cellars, always by appointment
Karlovci has about fifteen wineries and family cellars, but none takes visitors on the spot — a tasting is arranged with the cellar before arriving in town, by phone or email. Anyone who shows up without calling walks past a closed door.
The Karlovci grape harvest
Three days in September when the centre works differently: stalls and tastings with no need to call ahead, along the streets around the Gymnasium and the cathedral. In 2026 it runs from 11 to 13 September.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What is bermet?
An aromatised dessert wine made with herbs and spices, tied to Fruška Gora, its name protected since 2007.
Can a tasting be arranged the same day?
Not advisable. Cellars in Karlovci take visitors by prior arrangement, usually a day or more ahead.
Is bermet made only in Karlovci?
No. The protected name covers the whole of Fruška Gora, including places like Banostor — but Karlovci is the town most often tied to it.
Ready for Sremski Karlovci?
Where to next
The best time to visit Sremski Karlovci
→Sremski Karlovci can be visited year-round, but September pairs comfortable temperatures with the Karlovci…
Novi Sad · 9 km
→A fortress, a river, and a city in no hurry
How well does Sremski Karlovci suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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