Are you ready for this year's FestiWine in the Pearl of the Adriatic?
For the fifth consecutive year, Dubrovnik's popular FestiWine will be held. From the 16th to the 22nd of April this year, wine experts, wine lovers, and those of us who just need a drink, will gather in the Pearl of the Adriatic to taste some of the best on offer.
The festival's history is an interesting one, and one which highlights the significance just a little exposure can have on the public, as the somewhat small event that began back in 2014 as a regional wine festival with the aim of promoting wine culture and autochthonous varieties of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, quickly snowballed into an international festival, opening its own doors to participants from far beyond the boundaries of Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
FestiWine's 2018 organisers have prepared a rich program where everyone will be able find something to suit their particular taste, whatever it may be. The festival begins with numerous Dubrovnik locals and guests visiting various city restaurants, taverns and wine bars bearing the "Wine Friendly" sign, and trying the best wines that blend perfectly with the numerous fine delicacies local to the wider Dubrovnik area.
The central event of 2018's program is the wine exhibition of this year's Dubrovnik FestiWine, which will be held on Friday and Saturday, the 20th and 21st of April 2018 in the beautiful setting of Sunset Beach in Lapad Bay. During the wine exhibition, in addition to the meetings of wine lovers and the winemakers themselves, there will be lectures and wine demonstrations, as well as very attractive wine and culinary workshops such as the "Gault & Millau" masterclass under the top Japanese chef Ippei Uemure.
"This year, Dubrovnik FestiWine is marking its fifth birthday, we're continuing with the positive steps of the strategy of wine growing and winemaking in Dubrovnik-Neretva County. We look forward to [seeing] all of the exhibitors and their wines, to all our visitors and wine experts, and we're looking forward to a healthy competition in which our county wines can further validate their excellence," stated Nikola Dobroslavić, the long-time Prefect of Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
As well as the above-mentioned events, as has become tradition during Dubrovnik FestiWine, a tasting and wine selection that best fits with the autochthonous delicacies, such as Ston oysters, will take place. In addition to the popular "Blind Date: In Love with Ston Oysters", the "Dubrovnik FestiWine Trophy" will be held, a wine evaluation in which an internationally recognised jury, composed of both domestic and foreign judges, declare the best wine of the festival.
The "Dubrovnik FestiWine Gala" gala dinner will be held on April the 19th, 2018, at the Excelsior Hotel, where the seven winners of last year's festival will present the creative cuisine of young, promising chefs. In line with the tradition over the past years, the overall income from the event is intended to pay for the scholarships of young talent from the field of culinary arts.
All further details and information about the festival, as well as the exhibitors and how to visit, can be found by clicking here.