Sun, Apr 26, 2026 page9

• Wild Balkan berries keep gin taste steady as climate shifts

  An industry body said that with reduced yields in parts of western Europe, the Balkans are positioned as an alternative source of juniper berry supply

  • By Ognjen Zoric / AFP, VRANJE, Serbia
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  As he threaded his way through the scrub in Serbia’s southern hills, Slobodan Velickovic stopped to inspect the small indigo berries that have made the Balkans a key part of the global gin industry.

  Although still months from the autumn harvest, the 34-year-old picker — who has collected juniper in the area since childhood — expertly plucks an almost ripe berry from the bush.

  “Strong aroma, beautiful taste,” he told reporters as he chewed the fruit.

  

  Juniper berry picker Slobodan Velickovic inspects berries on bushes near Vranje, Serbia, on April 15.

  Photo: AFP

  In Serbia, juniper is not farmed, but gathered from wild bushes by hand.

  Growing over a wide range of the northern hemisphere, the hardy plant thrives on rocky slopes and in harsh conditions where few others can survive.

  Despite that resilience, the presence of juniper has declined in parts of Europe in the past few decades — particularly in lowland areas where it once grew, under pressure from climate change, overgrazing and habitat loss.

  

  uniper berry picker Slobodan Velickovic inspects berries near Vranje, Serbia, on April 15.

  Photo: AFP

  For pickers like Velickovic, the increasing variability of weather extremes also affects the harvest in his region.

  “It depends on the year — whether it’s dry or rainy. Those conditions affect quality,” he said — a shift that can affect flavor during distillation.

  However, for Balkan producers, pressures elsewhere also offer opportunity.

  “In conditions of reduced yields in parts of western Europe, the Balkans are increasingly positioning themselves as an alternative source of supply,” the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia said.

  Serbia, with a long tradition of juniper picking, exports about 1,000 tonnes of juniper annually, the chamber said.

  “The quality in the Balkans is exceptional,” said Tommy Haughton of Beacon Commodities, a global juniper wholesaler.

  Haughton said the region offers larger volumes at lower prices than other sources, including Italy, with long-standing supply networks built over generations.

  However, hotter summers and fewer very cold winters could affect harvests, while forest fires can restrict access to picking areas and taint berries with smoke, he said.

  A rainy harvest can also pose a challenge for ginmakers trying to maintain flavor.

  “As gin distillers, our entire business is built around you having a product that’s the same yesterday as it was today,” said Matthew Pauley, a researcher at the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

  Rain during harvest can force berries to be mechanically dried with hot air, a process that can alter the volatile compounds in the berries, affecting what is extracted during distillation and, in turn, the flavor, Pauley’s research showed.

  As a result, distillers might need to source juniper from other regions or, in extreme cases, modify a recipe.

  “If we’re doing our job properly, there should be no difference,” Pauley said.

  Protecting the taste in the glass falls to distillers such as Ivan Lakatos, who runs a craft gin producer in the Serbian village of Belegis.

  “The quality of juniper doesn’t depend on the size of the berry itself, but on the intensity of its flavor, where it was picked,” Lakatos said, as vapors rise from a copper still in the basement behind him.

  To compete with the region’s dominant spirit, rakija — a brandy most often made with plums — it is vitally important to maintain quality in every one of the about 2,000 bottles of his Little Fat Gin he sells per year.

  “We’re proud of that, but we’d like that number to grow,” he said.

  For him, local sourcing remains key, with noticeable differences in taste between Serbian juniper and juniper from other parts of Europe.

  As climate change continues to shift where crops can be grown, Pauley said juniper sourcing was likely to evolve as well.

  “That shift isn’t going to stop anytime soon. In fact, it’s going to accelerate,” he said. “One way or another, we’re going to be forced to explore other regions that previously, maybe we haven’t used.”

  However, distillers are well versed in adapting to changes in their ingredients, he said.

  “Gin distillers have been rolling with the punches since the 16th century,” he added.
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