The medieval cellars
Cut into the hill since the fifteenth century, and still in use.
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**The easternmost town in Croatia**, on a hill directly above the Danube facing Serbia, and at the same time the country''s **oldest wine region** and its highest point on the plain. At its centre is the walled **Ilok fortress**: a preserved medieval complex above the river holding the eighteenth-century **Odescalchi** palace (now the town museum), a church, and the **tomb of John of Capistrano** — the Franciscan friar who took part in the defence of Belgrade against the Ottomans in 1456 and died here. Beneath the fortress are fifteenth-century **wine cellars** cut into the hill. **Ilok wine** has an unusual record: a **Traminac** from here was served at the **coronation of Queen Elizabeth II** in 1953, and bottles set aside for it are still kept in the same cellar. Note: Ilok also has a **mosque** — a remnant of the Ottoman period that ruled this region for a century and a half, a layer of Croatian history a visitor to the coast misses entirely. Note: the town was **occupied between 1991 and 1998** and then peacefully reintegrated, and its population today is mixed.
Cut into the hill since the fifteenth century, and still in use.
Walls and a preserved complex overlooking the river and Serbia.
The friar who helped defend Belgrade in 1456.
Ilok — about 65 km south-east of Osijek
Eastern Croatia is a **continental** wine region rather than a Mediterranean one, so its wines are mainly white and entirely unlike Dalmatia''s. The most widespread variety is **Graševina** (Welschriesling), the most planted grape in all of Croatia. **Ilok** is known for the more aromatic **Traminac** (Gewürztraminer), the wine that built its reputation. The two principal areas are **Ilok** and **Kutjevo** to the west. ⚠ Practically: Ilok''s historic cellars receive visitors for a tour and tasting, but it is **better to book ahead** than turn up. ⚠ The **Banska Kosa** slopes in Baranja near Osijek are much closer (about 30 km) if time is short. ⚠ This region was badly damaged in the war and rebuilt its industry almost from nothing after 1998.
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