June 19, 2021 - Vinistra, this year, has been a celebration of Istria´s endeavours in containing COVID. Cancelled last year and postponed this year by a month, until everyone could be sure that it was safe, this year´s exhibition has moved from its usual venue in Porec to an open-air one on the seafront, where the safety of exhibitors and visitors is easier to maintain.

The awards were presented at a ceremony a week ago in Porec´s premier Hotel Parentium and this weekend, visitors have the opportunity to sample the best of Istria´s wines over a three-day period.

Vinistra is the culmination of a period of wine events, particularly the World of Malvasija, where Malvasijas from as far afield as Lanzarote and Greece are judged separately from the other grape types. Naturally, most are from Istria, but entries also came from Italy and Slovenia as well. 

The Vinistra judging encompasses all the grape varieties available in Istria, including ones like Refosk that are popular in Slovenia, from which entries came and which got a lot of Gold Medals.  Judging this year was a little different, as Caroline Gilbey MW, who normally leads it, was stuck in the UK with restrictions and was unable to come.

It isn't just about the big names, either. Denis Bernobic, who has a small winery in Markovac, was previously little known and doesn't even have a website, carried off the supreme award, over and above a Gold Medal, for his Young Malvasija. To have done so, while competing with the biggest and best wineries in the county, was no mean feat. Over 40 Malvasijas got Gold Medals this year, reflecting the very high standard.

Terans, Istria´s other main grape, was well represented with almost 20 Gold Medals of which Marko Fakin from Brkac picked up 5. His neighbour, Klaudio Tomaz, picked up another 3 of them. The Motovun area is clearly good for growing Teran, but the skills of these winemakers make the most of it. Kozlevic, Benvenutti and Degrassi also got Golds, as well as Deklic, from Ferenci, who picked up 2. Bruno Ferenac, his neighbour, picked up another Gold. 

The lack of opportunity last year to have wine judged meant that this year many wineries submitted the wines they would have done last year, as well as those for this year. It has resulted in a greater number of entries.

Talking to winemakers about the effects of COVID on their businesses revealed that while the closure of restaurants, both here and in the export markets, obviously hit sales, many of them picked up new business domestically, as buyers bought to drink at home.

I used to think that Cuvees was just a way of blending in different wines, but the skill of these winemakers ensures that the result exceeds the sum of the parts. Deklic picked up 2 Gold Medals for his ones, with Damjanic, down in Fuskulin, getting his usual Gold for his excellent Clemente. Kozlovic, Degrassi and Rossi got Golds, as did Moreno Ivancic and Pervino from Novigrad. Damjanic also picked up the only Gold for his Borgonija. Whilst a traditional grape, it needs careful management and bunches removing to maintain the best of the remaining ones.

Cabernet Francs were less well represented, with another Ferenci winemaker, Julio Ferenac, picking up a Gold for his, alongside Degrassi´s well-known Contarini from Savudrija. Fiore, from Barboj, were the only other entry and got a Silver.

Deklic has done well this year, as he picked up a Gold for his Cabernet Sauvignon, as did Pino Rossi from Bajkini. Rossi´ś cousins, also at Bajkini, picked up a Gold for their Chardonnay, as did Franko Cattunar at Nova Vas.

Siljan, from Marcana, another lesser know winery, got a Gold Medal Plus, for their Merlot, and Deklic, again, got another Gold for his, alongside Tomaz and Medea with Angelo Brcic getting a well-deserved one for his Merlot Barrique.

Benvenutti got a special Gold for his San Salvatore Muscat. That guy makes the best proper dessert wines in the county. Klaudio Tomaz picked up 2 more Golds for his 2018 and 2020 Muscats . Capo, from Fernetici, got a Special Gold for his Yellow Muscat.

The exhibition is well laid out, allowing for a degree of social distancing and being held later in the day, offers a particularly pleasant view across the bay.. This year, following an earlier tradition but missing in recent years, the price of admission includes a glass, which you can keep. It is also part of their thinking to keep patrons safe. Hastily rinsed out hired glasses weren't considered ideal.

This year, there aren't any food events and there isn't a lecture programme, but, overall, they have made a good job of organising it in difficult circumstances.

For more on lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

June 19, 2021 - A victory for Croatia against Scotland is now imperative for 2nd or 3rd place in Group D. 

The second round of EURO 2020 Group D finished on Friday and Croatia currently sits in third place. After two draws on Friday, Croatia and the Czech Republic 1:1 and England and Scotland 0:0, the Czech Republic is in first, followed by England in second, Croatia in third, and Scotland in fourth, reports Gol.hr.

Croatia must beat Scotland on Tuesday if they want to go further and can no longer pass as the group winner. Finishing first in the group is not the best option, anyhow, as first place in Group D crosses over with the 'group of death' - Portugal, France, Germany, and Hungary.

Croatia's position will also depend on the second game in the group. Namely, if the Czech Republic and England play a draw in the last round, Croatia can only continue from third place, no matter how large the victory against Scotland. However, they will need a better goal difference to be placed among the best third-placed national teams.

If England wins minimally, Croatia must beat Scotland by three goals for second place, and any major England win will mean that Croatia needs a goal less to skip the Czech Republic. 

If they have the same goal difference as the Czech Republic, second place will go to the team that has fewer yellow and red cards.

If Croatia doesn't go as second place, it seems that being among the best third-placed national teams in the competition is a probable option.

It should be noted that Scotland can also win third place with a victory, so it will be an all-or-nothing match.

Second place in Group D crosses over with the second-placed team from Group E (Spain, Poland, Sweden, Slovakia). If Croatia finishes third, they will play the winner of Group B (probably Belgium), the winner of Group E (Sweden or Spain), or the winner of Group C (Holland).

Theoretically, Croatia could go even further with a draw against Scotland, i.e. with only two points, but a lot has to coincide. Namely, Switzerland and Turkey have to draw in a direct clash for third place, Germany would have to lose to Portugal and still draw with Hungary in the end. 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

June 19, 2021 - Slovenia claimed their second victory in the Croatia basketball friendly preparation series held this week in Rijeka and Ljubljana.

In the second friendly preparatory match, Slovenia defeated Croatia at Arena Stožice in Ljubljana. Croatia looked more determined and coherent than in the first game in Rijeka. 

Croatia was led by the excellent Mario Hezonja, who scored 37 points with 10 defensive rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Captain Roko Leni Ukić scored 23 points and assisted five times, and Miro Bilan reached double-digits with 10 points.

The very beginning of the game was not particularly promising. Slovenia took a 23-8 lead in the first quarter on the wings of Luka Dončić and Klemen Prepelič. Mario Hezonja broke up the bad spell with a three-pointer, and at the very end of the first quarter, Miro Bilan scored with a dunk for 26:15. Slovenia still had a serious lead.

Croatia took off in the second quarter, scoring 37 points in 10 minutes. Despite the good synergy between Luka Dončić and Mike Tobey, Croatia with Hezonja and Ukić showed that it could do much better than the predictions before the game.  

The second half started with an advantage for Croatia, and in the third quarter, Croatia achieved the biggest advantage at 56:64 after a dunk by Luka Babić. The game was then even at 65:65 and 70:70, but Slovenia concluded the third quarter with 77:70 and ultimately sealed the victory in front of 8,000 home fans (97:88). Slovenia's most efficient players were Prepelič (31 points), Tobey (26 points), and 10 points with an incredible 17 assists from Dončić.

Coach Veljko Mršić: “The match was offensive on both sides. We played better than a couple of days ago in Rijeka, but we failed to keep that rhythm with a shortened rotation. We played a good game against a great team, and we managed what no one in the NBA did - keep Luka Dončić at 10 points (laughs), but we didn't manage to reduce his assists. He was impressive and emotional in front of the home crowd. Jokes aside, we took a step forward from what we did a few days ago. Now we are completing the team - the day after tomorrow, Ante Toni Žižić is arriving, and we are expecting a clash between the Clippers and Utah to see if Ivica Zubac or Bojan Bogdanović will come. We expect to be at an even higher level in 10 days and to achieve what we want - qualifying for the Olympic Games."

Captain Roko Leni Ukić: “We played a better game than two days ago. We can be somewhat satisfied, and above all, offensive, although there is certainly still plenty of room for improvement. We had a chance to play against one of the best players in the world. Even though he was not in perfect shape, it was obvious how much he means to his team, how much he plays everything around him, and that is the best test for what awaits us. I think we can get a lot of positive things out of today, but we have to be aware that we have to play better defense if we want to win."

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

June the 19th, 2021 - Many are hoping that the Croatian Government's aid and job preservation measures will continue being paid out until the end of the year, and the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) is one of the loud voices in that particular crowd.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the Association of Hospitality Activities of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce is asking that the government measures designed to help enterprises in this sector, which has been among the hardest hit by the anti-epidemic measures in Croatia, continue until the end of the year.

The aforementioned Association within the Croatian Chamber of Commerce desires this outcome regardless of epidemiological measures in place at any given time throughout the rest of this year, warning that in the first five months of 2021, only 50 percent of the turnover recorded back in pre-pandemic 2019 was achieved. This means that there is a continued pressure being placed on the Croatian hospitality and catering sector, despite the more favourable epidemiological situation, eased measures and the gradual return of tourism from abroad.

The Association from within the Croatian Chamber of Commerce suggests that the threshold for granting an exemption from needing to pay contributions on top of employee salaries of 4,000 kuna be lowered to those with a proven 30 percent drop in turnover. They propose the same conditions for the exercise of the right to reimbursement of paid fixed costs, and to ensure the payment of this support for the duration of epidemiological measures, they want this to be the case for the entire period in which the business of those in this line of work is limited.

"Recovery will continue long after the pandemic is over. Therefore, we propose that the permanent reduction of VAT on coffee, beer, wine, soft drinks and beverages and its equating with the accommodation and serving of food/desserts to 13 percent be taken very seriously.

We believe that this is a measure without an alternative that is needed to make the hospitality sector more stable and competitive, which will directly affect the increase of employment and investment,'' says the President of the Association, Drazen Boban, adding that to save tourism in Croatia this year, we need to urgently simplify the employment procedures required when employing third country nationals.

For more, follow our business section.

June the 19th, 2021 - Tourism Minister Brnjac has taken to Twitter to tweet that 200,000 tourists were staying in Croatia as of the 18th of this month, which is a fantastic sign for things to come as the very height of the summer tourist season rapidly approaches.

The current favourable epidemiological situation across Croatia and across most of Europe as the vaccination process picks up its pace and warm weather returns has allowed for a significant drop in coronavirus infection rates and the return of some sort of normality that we took so much for granted before the pandemic struck back in early 2020.

As such, more and more foreign tourists are arriving in Croatia, ready for some vitamin D and a swim in the glorious Croatian Adriatic sea after over a year of lockdowns and uncertainty surrounding travel, especially travel for leisure and tourism.

Croatian Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac took to social media to state that 200,000 tourists are holidaying in Croatia, and as things make a slow but steady return to semi normality, we might get a summer that looks something like it usually would have done in pre-pandemic times.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Minister Brnjac's recent tweet reads: "According to the first data from the eVisitor system, the number of 200,000 tourists in one day was exceeded today (the 18th of June). Namely, there are currently 213,000 tourists in Croatia, of which 183,000 are foreign tourists and 30,000 local tourists.''

"This is a confirmation that tourists see Croatia as a safe destination for their stay and holiday. We have created all of the preconditions for that, and compliance with the epidemiological measures is still crucial in order to maintain this favourable epidemiological situation and to achieve a successful season,'' she added.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centres across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

For travel to and within Croatia, click here.

June the 19th, 2021 - The prices of some of Croatia's favourite Slavonian delicacies are rising, with the price of the much loved Slavonian kulen potentially rising by as much as 100 kuna.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the price of some Slavonian delicacies, such as kulen, could increase by 100 kuna, as was reported local portal Glas Slavonije.

Producers of dried meat products from the Eastern Croatian regions of Slavonia and Baranja, when compared to the producers of some other products, only partially felt the negative effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The bigger producers of these typically Slavonian delicacies, who pointed out back in June last year that the pandemic had indeed caused certain problems with placement, especially from mid-March to mid-May, felt the most issues of all.

"People weren't going out and buying our products, and their purchasing power was reduced. However, the decline in those spring sales was partially compensated for during the summer and autumn of last year,'' said the director of the company Baranjka, Miodrag Komlenic.

Smaller producers of such produce claim to have managed to sell their stocks, and production, despite the pandemic, has thankfulyl not really been reduced - some have even expanded their offer.

"I can't say that the pandemic has stopped our sales. The demand is growing more and more, so I left only a certain amount in stock to meet the needs of our long-term customers,'' said Slobodan Stankovic.

He is also considering selling his items in smaller packages (of 100 or 200 grams), and is adamant that one kilo of kulen in his next ''round'' is going to cost 250 kuna (the current price is around 200 kuna per kilogram).

"One kilo of my kulen has been 200 kuna for years. But I think that the real price should be between 250 and 300 kuna,'' said Milodrag Stojkovic, the owner of a family farm (OPG) which produces Slavonian delicacies. He manages to rationalise this decision because of the raising of the price of fodder, which should soon increase by as much as 35 percent.

"Corn has already risen in price, I have to pay 200 kuna for 100 kilograms of that. I have to charge people these price increases because doing business will be impossible and completely unprofitable otherwise. Rising prices for various items are common, so it must be the same with cured meat products,'' Stojkovic concluded for Glas Slavonije.

For more, follow Made in Croatia.

For all you need to know about the wide variety of Croatian food, recipies and traditions from up and down the country, check our our dedicated section.

June the 19th, 2021 - If there is one question that has been firmly stuck on the lips of more or less everyone across the world for the past year or so, it is more than likely something along the lines of: when will the pandemic end? With hopes that vaccination will finally end this dark chapter that has held the entire planet in its grip, when will Croatia make its own declaration?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Minister of Health, Vili Beros, has spoken about the topic in further detail at a recently held press conference of the National Civil Protection Directorate, which has become the daily norm since the beginning of 2020 when the virus struck the country.

"Bozinovic said that Beros is going to be the one do declare the pandemic end, at the suggestion of the Croatian Institute of Public Health. That's exactly right. That will happen when we deveop enough immunity to the point where the profession says that we're safe from the spread of the virus.

"Today's measures are a turning point and are indeed finally leading us towards the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Let's look around, in Europe we're witnessing events that remind us of the old normal, covid certificates are working on guaranteeing our safety, we're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but we all need to get vaccinated,'' he added.

"We've been noticing that some of our fellow citizens are planning to be vaccinated only in autumn, that's a wrong approach, at this moment in time, it's known that the vaccine offers protection from the virus for at least eight months. We're doing something much more important - by vaccinating people we're preventing the appearance of a new wave of infection by the time autumn rolls around,'' Vili Beros concluded, having confirmed that he will be the one to declare the pandemic end here in Croatia.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centres up and down the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and choose your preferred language.

ZAGREB, 18 June 2021- Chief epidemiologist Krunoslav Capak said on Friday, last week saw a 42% drop in new coronavirus infections and called on people to be vaccinated despite the good epidemiological situation.

Speaking at a press conference of the national COVID-19 crisis management team, Capak said there were 814 new infections from Monday through Friday last week and 468 this week.

The team said the epidemiological situation was favourable and that Croatia ranked 12th in the EU in terms of 14-day incidence per 100,000 population.

Health Minister Vili Beroš said citizens who planned to be vaccinated in the autumn were making a wrong calculation. Vaccination now, at the start of the summer, prevents a new virus wave, he added. "At the moment we know the vaccine protects for at least eight months, and most probably longer.

Asked how possible manipulation with digital EU certificates would be prevented as of 1 July, for example a person showing someone else's certificate to attend an event, Interior Minister Davor Božinović said it was always possible to identify the certificate bearer and that he was confident that manipulation of that kind would be rare.

For more news from Croatia, CLICK HERE.