Bermet
Bermet is a wine-based flavored drink that has a long tradition in Serbia and Croatia and is now again produced in a few family businesses in Sremski Karlovci and in some Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Fruška Gora, but also in the small town of Samobor near Zagreb . Its origin may also lie in these monasteries, but this has not been proven. The exact manufacturing process and the recipes are not standardized and differ not negligibly in the manufacturing companies. The recipes are only passed on as a secret within the manufacturer families or the monasteries. During the disintegration and armed conflict in the wake of the break-up of Yugoslavia , Bermet production did not come to a complete standstill. The Bermet continued to be produced, especially in the city of Samobor. In Vojvodina it has only been resumed in recent years. Production is currently around 20,000 bottles a year. A white and a red version are available in stores.
In Serbia, Bermet enjoys a special veneration. A protected designation of origin is planned for him. It was also known at the royal courts of Europe and is said to have appeared on the Titanic's drinks menu .
Manufacturing and characteristics
The manufacturing processes and recipes are guarded in the manufacturing companies. The basis of the Bermet are wines from the Fruška Gora, a low mountain range in Vojvodina in northern Serbia. Different varieties are likely to be fermented, since the Fruska Gora traditionally produced a mixed set , Welschriesling or Blauer Portugieser and Vranac are likely to be represented. Up to 20 different herbs, spices and fruits, including wormwood , vanilla , cloves , cinnamon and grapefruit, macerate in the fermentation material . It is not known whether it is also fortified , but the high alcohol levels of 16–18 percent by volume suggest this. The production thus shows overall similarities with the vermouth production, in particular with that of a Noilly Prat , but the Bermet cannot be compared with a classic vermouth .
Overall, a successful bermet is an idiosyncratic, alcoholic, not too sweet drink, with vanilla and cinnamon, but also nut and fruit flavors, on a slightly bitter base. However, since the composition of the base wines and the recipes differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, the products are also quite different in taste.
Bermet is usually drunk unchilled as an aperitif.