Strong Hvar Presence at 11th Zagreb Vinocom

Hvar winemakers were well represented at Vinocom - possibly the biggest Croatian annual wine and gastronomy event held in the Hotel Esplanade in Zagreb in the past two days.

All the major Hvar winemakers are exhibiting their latest releases. Attending were:

Ahearne - Master od Wine Jo Ahearne, in her first Vinocom, is showing the 2015 Rosina Darnekuša Rosé. We were also treated to a sneak preview of the soon to be released 2014 'South side' Plavac Mali from Hvar. Made from fruit around Sv Nedjelja and Jagodna and matured in new French barrels. In 2016 also made some Pošip partial barrel fermented. We also heard some secrets about upcoming spring releases, single white varietals, long skin contact and wild yeasts.

Carić - showing the new 2011 releases of their full range. Three Plavac wines from the Hvar south side, white label Plavac Mali from around Zavala, blue label Plovac Ploški and brown label Plovac Ploški Barrique. Jub'ov red blend, and of the whites the 2016 Bogdanjuša, and the 2015 Cesarica. The joint effort by veteran Ivo Carić and young winemaker Ljubo Makjanić is really bearing excellent results. Also exciting was the preview of the 'Mlodo', a young 2016 Plavac from the south side that will be released in Split next week in a similar spirit to Beaujolais Nouveau.

Duboković - part of the GrandCro association, Ivo Duboković was showing his complete range of eleven different wines, plus an amazing 2007 Medvjedica and a 2003 Don Petar red prošek.

Plančić - marking the renowned winemaker's return after several years, showing their fresh and floral 2016 Bogdanjuša, the 2015 parč based Ager blend, 2015 Plavac Rosé, plus two reds, the fresh Plavac Mali and the big Pharos Reserva. To finish they poured their famed Plavac Mali Prošek.

Plenković - the Zlatan brand continues under the able leadership of the next generation. They were showing the full range of wines, including the Golden Pošip with real gold flakes and the very rare Zlatan Plavac Exclusiv, which is a step above the already amazing Zlatan Plavac Grand Cru.

Tomić / Bastijana were showing the white Pošip 2015, and the 2015 Beleca pošip/bogdanjuša cuveé. Of the reds, they had the 2014 Pavac, the 2011 Plavac Mali Barrique and the unique Caplar blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Plavac Mali. They had two prošeks, the Hectorovich white and the Moro red. To top it all off there was the EuForiJa range of grappa based liqueurs.

PZ Svirče were also there, represented through their distributor Badel. They showed the Ivan Dolac red Plavac Mali and the De Luxe Pošip white.

Hvar winemakers association President Ivana Krstulović Carić said how delighted she was that the biggest Hvar winemakers were all present, and proud how the quality of Hvar wines stands out amongst such strong competition from not just Croatia but also the surrounding regions.