Historical overview of wine production in Herzegovina

Prema povijesnim podatcima vinova loza se na području Hercegovine uzgajala i u vrijeme starih Ilira, odnosno plemena Daorsa. Ljetopisi navode da su Rimljani, Dubrovčani, Turci i Habsburgovci bili pohlepni za ovom zemljom upravo zbog vinove loze i grožđa. Za turske okupacije razvoj vinarstva u Hercegovini bio je prilično usporen i ograničen. U to doba proizvodnja vina u smanjenom obujmu održala se na području Hercegovine, iz koje se vino uvozilo u Bosnu. Dolaskom Austrougarske na ove prostore vinarski sektor je revitaliziran, zbog čega je proizvodnja vina doživjela svoj maksimum 1912. godine. Nositelji razvoja vinarstva koncem 19. i početkom 20. stoljeća bili su privatni vinari i podrumari. Progresu vinarskog sektora pridonijeli su i franjevci koji su proizvodnji i preradi vina pridavali veliki značaj. Svjetski ratovi, vinske krize, poreska opterećenja na vino i rakiju, pojava filoksere i mnogi drugi činitelji utjecali su na vinogradarstvo i vinarstvo ovog područja.According to historical data, the vines were grown in the time of the ancient Illyrians or the Daors tribe. The chronicles state that the people of Romans, Dubrovnik, Turk and Habsburgs were greedy for this land just because of the vines and grapes. During the Turkish occupation the development of winemaking in Herzegovina was rather slow and limited. At that time wine production in a reduced volume took place in Herzegovina and from there wine was transported to Bosnia. With the arrival of Austria-Hungary in this area the wine sector was revitalised and wine production reached its maximum in 1912. The bearers of winemaking development in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries were private winemakers and cellarmen. The Franciscans also contributed to the progress of the wine sector giving great importance to the wine production and processing. World wars, wine crises, tax burdens on wine and brandy, the emergence of phylloxera and many other factors have influenced viticulture and winemaking in this area