The 26th International Economy Fair – Mostar 2025 included a wine sample evaluation. According to Professor Bernard Kozina, domestic wines exhibit exceptional quality and are not inferior to their international counterparts.

MOSTAR FAIR 2025

As part of the 26th International Economy Fair in Mostar, the evaluation of about a hundred wine samples received from the entire region was held. An international commission composed of 15 excellent oenologists evaluated the wines according to the established method of 100 OIV points, with medal ranges from bronze, silver and gold. “After evaluation, it can be concluded that these are very good wines, in fact, wines of exceptional quality, which are truly not faulty. Such wine quality checks are necessary, because without them we cannot get a relevant assessment of the quality of domestic wines, and based on the ratings, the producers themselves get a realistic picture of the value of what they produce, that is, what they invest their efforts in. Also, end consumers can choose the highest quality wine based on the evaluation of samples – said the president of the committee for the evaluation of wines at the Mostar Fair, Professor Dr. Bernard Kozina for the official Mostar Fair website.

Professor Kozina has been successfully leading the campaign for evaluating wine samples at the Mostar Fair for almost two decades, so we asked him how much Herzegovinian wines have improved in quality compared to those twenty years ago.

“Without any doubt, the wines from those first evaluations and today's ones are completely two different worlds. At the beginning of this event within the Mostar Fair, I even reproached myself for being critical because I expressed views and assessments that many did not agree with at the time. However, today I can confirm, fortunately for all of us, that the level of technology and skill in wine production that winegrowers and winemakers in this region have is immeasurably better, which does not mean that we can relax”, said Professor Kozina.

The award ceremony for the best wines will be held at a ceremony as part of the Mostar Fair from April 8 to 12. The partner country of the fair is the Republic of Italy, and when asked whether local wines can be compared with the famous Italian ones, Professor Kozina gives an interesting answer. “No matter how one understands it, individual wines from the Herzegovina region can easily stand side by side not only with Italian, but also Spanish and French wines, so I can rightly say that what is offered on the domestic market is in no way inferior to any other wine-growing country in the world”, concludes Professor Kozina.

Evaluating the quality of wine at the Mostar Fair undoubtedly represents one of the most relevant events of this nature in BiH, and it is really worth the effort to preserve and develop it in the future.

On behalf of the Mostar Fair, director Dalfina Bošnjak said:

“I am glad that the tradition of wine evaluation has continued at the fair and that this year the evaluation committee has been strengthened by young oenologists who will continue to do this work in the future. Our task from the very beginning of the Mostar Fair is, among other things, the promotion of autochthonous Herzegovinian wine varieties - said the director of the fair, and invited all winemakers to come to the wine fair days.”