After the cessation of vine growing in most of Europe due to phylloxera in the 1800’s, vineyards were started to get replanted in Šumadija in 1903 with the formation of the Venčac Vineyard Cooperative at the foot of the Venčac mountain in the village of Lipovac. The Cooperative was founded by the wine growers from the villages of Lipovac and Banja, later becoming the largest wine center in the Balkans. King Aleksandar Karađorđević I himself was an active member of the Cooperative.
DeLena Vineyards & Winery follows the traditions of the Cooperative. Our ancestors were founders, members and administrators of the Cooperative until its dissolution in the 1960’s. The great-grandfather of the DeLena’s founder was Jakov Savković from the village of Lipovac. Jakov was one of the founders of the Cooperative and one of the wealthiest and most educated vine growers of that time. After the destruction of vineyards by phylloxera in the mid-19th century, Jakov Savković brought the new rootstock from Italy to Serbia. The new vines were engrafted on the American rootstock which is phylloxera-resistant. Other notable ancestors were Milenko Avramović (member of the Cooperative board on several occasions) and Živojin Avramović (bookkeeper, secretary, treasurer and Cooperative administrator for several years).
