In the intimate ambience of the Bornstein wine shop packed to capacity, the successful project Wine & Cinema, created by Jelena Bulum, continued on Tuesday. It is primarily a wine tasting event, but not only that. It could be said that this is a project which in certain ways moves the boundaries by combining wine with both film and music.

The music and film part of the event was hosted by jazz fan Kornelije Hećimović, who selected five clips of famous jazz scenes from five films: “Knife in the Water" by Roman Polanski, “Elevator to the Gallows” by Louis Malle, “Whiplash” by Damien Chaziel, “Manhattan” by Woody Allen, and “Down by Law” by Jim Jarmusch.

Two different parts of Croatia and two distinct wine regions presented two different wine stories linking the same two things: sincere passion and love for wines on the one hand, and high ecological principles and persistence in the production of natural wines on the other.

The lovers of orange wines were delighted with the Lunika Winery, since the winemaker Danijel Bastijančić from Kanfanar in Istria brought to the tasting as many as three styles of macerated Malvasia: Malvazija Prima Volta 2017 with a two-day maceration, Malvasia Stazion 2017 with a 10-day maceration, and finally the Malvasia Viaggio Lungo 2015, that has been macerated for six months. Among more than 20 labels which come from the vibrant Baranja winery of Slavko Kalazić, the holder of the eco-certificate, two labels were presented: Rose from Frankovka 2018 and Pinot Noir Premium 2009.

At the Wine & Cinema, every evening is different and has a special charm. This time, the appeal was mainly provided by the jazz music from films, as well as by the two people who talked with incredible ease and passion about what they love – sommelier Siniša Škaberna spoke about wines, and journalist Kornelije Hećimović talked about jazz. With the glasses in their hands, the audience travelled through the film worlds with the well-known jazz songs. The culmination was when Lunika’s Malvasia Stazion was poured into glasses and guests were asked to cover their eyes with black bindings and taste the wine when the music started. Deep and mature notes of Lunika's wine with aromas of sorb, mature quince and apple compote mixed and amicably competed for two minutes with brilliant jazz of Miles Davis’ "Generique".

Another important moment happened with the Pinot Noir Premium 2009 by the Kalazić winery. The last year's champion among the black wines at the Festiwine in Dubrovnik presented itself in the best possible light with all the features of the pinot noir variety and proved that after ten years there is still in it at least five years of ageing potential. The wine of perfect fruity whose refinement is unbeatable was perfectly paired with foie gras with dried cranberries prepared by Bornstein. The connection did not include just the palate, but the ears as well, with "Jockey Full of Bourbon", which opens the movie "Down by Law" (1986), closing the evening.

We are waiting for new combinations of wines, films and – who knows what else.

More wine news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

The Wine Talks with Tomislav Stiplošek and guest wineries have already turned into a mini-brand, organised twice a month by the G.E.T. Report association for the table culture at the Procaffe in Tkalčićeva St. in Zagreb. It is a wine tasting event with an added bonus of a discussion with winemakers, with the audience actively participating and steering the conversation.

This time, the guests were small family wineries – Stručić from Ludbreg (near Varaždin, Podravina) and Mikulić from Mokal (Pelješac), while the guest commentator on the topic of wine festivals was Sanja Muzaferija, president of the Women on Wine (WOW) association and the organiser of the Pink Day – a rosé wine festival. She presented the upcoming seventh edition of the Pink Day, which will take place in Zagreb on March 30th.

The question was asked: are there too many wine festivals in Croatia? The answers were varied, starting with Sanja Muzaferija, who said there might be a little be too many of them since winemakers have neither funds nor time to attend one festival a month in Croatia, whether it is local, regional or international. On the other hand, journalist Tomislav Radić believes in the slogan “the more, the merrier”. The conclusion of the discussion was that festivals, apart from the several largest and most significant ones should specialise – just like the Pink Day. On the other hand, wineries, visitors and time will tell which festivals are worth the effort so that they will survive.

The visiting wineries Stručić from Ludbreg and Mikulić from Mokal are small wineries with similar family stories – young wineries at the very beginning of their development which lovingly continue their family tradition with the support of parents who are primarily active in the catering industry. And, as Stiplošek says, "Whenever possible, the green and blue Croatia should be linked."

Spouses Tomislav and Sanja Stručić presented a new direction for their wines, aged and macerated, and they offered for tasting their Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine, Natur Graševina and Chardonnay Sur-lie, with Natur Graševina being presented for the first time. Antonio Mikulić produces impressive wines of the Plavac variety at the Postup location, reflecting the love for the Dalmatian karst and the crystal blue sea. This year they made Pošip for the first time, using the grapes from Smokvica (the island of Korčula), but it is not yet ready for presentation, so the visitors tasted their Postup and the Don Josip - Postup Selection wine. This was the first public presentation of the Mikulić winery in Zagreb, apart from the Zagreb VINOcom festival.

The quality of the presented wines of both wineries was best described by journalist Sanja Plješa, who said that “these are serious wines for serious girls,” which everyone agreed with, except for the male part of the audience who complained they should be included as well.

In addition to exciting topics and tastings which offer a unique experience, each edition of the Wine Talks also bring a surprise to someone in the audience. This time, one attendee received a free lunch for two at the well-known "Sofra" restaurant located at the Green Gold Centre, which has become synonymous with the Bosnian gastronomy in Zagreb.

The next Wine Talks will be held on April 4, presenting the Krolo winery, and the chief commentator on the "wine and social networks" topic will be Jelena Bulum, who runs the Wine Time Experience blog and organises events like "Wine & Cinema" and “Wine Hotshot After Market”.

More news about wines in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

The organisers of the renowned Rovinj Weekend Media Festival, Tomo Ricov and Boris Kovaček, announced on Thursday at the Zagreb cafe "In the Backyard" their new project R'n'B Weekend. R'n'B Weekend Zagreb is a combination of a conference, a fair and a festival aimed primarily at encouraging excellence in the hospitality and food and beverage industries. The four-day event held at the HAZU Glyptotheque in Zagreb will bring together some of the world's experts in the field. The Glyptotheque of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences (HAZU) will host the R'n'B Weekend Zagreb (Restaurants & Bars Weekend) from 23 to 26 May.

Boris Kovaček said that the gastronomy industry is undoubtedly one of the most important parts of the tourism business and announced exciting panels that will cover, among other issues, the modern Croatian cuisine and the gastronomy development strategy. The festival will be divided into three topical categories – food, drinks and coffee.

Matija Belković and Matija Hrkać from the Cogito Coffee company announced masterclass workshops and lectures related to the industry and culture. "Since coffee has a special impact on the Croatian culture, it will also have a separate part of the programme – Zagreb Coffee Weekend, which will be based around lectures by leading world experts in the coffee industry, workshops and tastings of various types of coffee," explained Belković.

The press conferences and the barbecue "In the Backyard" brought together a number of well-known representatives from Croatian gastronomic scene, including Hrvoje Kroflin from Mano2, Jurica Jantolek and Borna Janeš from Pod Zidom, Matija Jagić from Brokenships Bistro, and Ivan Zidar from Mason Burgers & Stuff. Everybody enjoyed the barbecue, with meat provided by the Meat the King and prepared by chefs from the Lobby restaurant.

Additional insight into the festival programme was given by one of the most famous Croatian chefs, Mate Janković, one of the Weekend participants. "The festival is a kind of celebration of the synergy of people who run it and are strong in their niches – events, music, coffee, cocktails, food, drinks... The programme will enable professionals and everyone else to expand their gastronomic horizons. The festival will offer something for everyone. One of the topics will be the tuna and how to treat it, while other programme details will be revealed soon at several promotional events that will precede the festival itself," said Janković.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the festival includes food, and it was presented by the famous Croatian gastro-journalist and consultant Hrvoje Petrić. "This year the emphasis will be on salt, so we will have an interesting panel about Croatian saltworks and a masterclass on the application of salt in modern cuisine, which will further confirm Croatia as a salt country. Also, we are delighted to have the biggest stars of sourdough bread production in the region, and we have the best of the best of the Croatian pastry scene," said Petrić.

The relaxed atmosphere "In the Courtyard" was created by the music played by DJ Tomo Ricov, while Marin Nekić performed a live cocktail show and announced the barista part of the festival. "The panels and workshops will cover the bar industry, which includes hotels, restaurants and bars in Croatia, with the aim of raising the quality of the touristic offer and the awareness among professionals and customers. We are preparing interesting topics, and one of them, which I believe will be especially interesting to the audience, is what is the new gin," Nekić announced.

More news about festivals in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

The finals of the recently concluded competition for the best sommelier of the world – ASI Contest for Best Sommelier of the World – featured four wines offered for tasting, including 2015 Kabola Malvazija Amfora. It is a rare achievement for the Croatian wine industry to have a Croatian wine in the finals of such a prestigious global competition.

“We are exceptionally proud with this great acknowledgement for our winery. The inclusion of 2015 Kabola Malvazija Amfora in the same group as some of the best wines of the world confirms the quality of our wine, but also of our work in which we rely on nature. The use of amphora in the process of wine production is a primordial way of turning grapes into wine, and you can taste the real flavour of the variety and terroir,” said Marino Markežić, owner of the Kabola winery.

The 2015 Kabola Malvazija Amfora wine is characterised by a beautiful straw yellow colour with golden edges and is crystal clear and vibrant. Initially, you can feel the quince compote note followed by the note of dry fern, and then followed by the note of star anise and vanilla and the notes of aromatic herbs. The wine is dry, partly warm and soft, and on the other hand, it has lovely freshness, mildly present tannins, excellent minerality and full body.

The 2015 Kabola Malvazija Amfora is a well-balanced wine, with the pronounced intensity of flavour which lasts for quite a while. The wine is harmonious and delicious, and the aftertaste features the note of butter and ripe peach and bitterness of almond.

The selection of the 2015 Kabola Malvazija Amfora wine for the finals of the prestigious world sommelier competition represents a significant success for the Istrian winery and is another proof of its quality, as well as a major accomplishment for Croatian wines.

The winner of the competition was German Marc Almert, followed by Nina Højgaard Jensen from Denmark and Raimonds Tomsons from Latvia. Croatia was represented at the competition by Ivan Jug from the Noel restaurant in Zagreb, who has achieved a notable result.

More news about Croatian wines can be found in the Lifestyle section.

March 18, 2019 - One of the most eagerly-anticipated Croatian wine events of the year is almost here again. Organiser Sanja Muzaferija talks Pink Day 2019 in Zagreb.

Pink Day returns for its 7th edition later this month. Tell us about the concept and how it got started.

On the 30th of March, Pink Day returns for its 7th edition in Mimara Museum in Zagreb. At the WOW (Women on WIne)  association, we have been working hard for almost eight years, meeting at least once a month to taste, discuss and study wine.

So far we have organized or co-organized more than 100 events and on various occasions tasted many interesting wines, promoted Croatian wines, learned about foreign wines and varietals; enjoyed, socialized, and visited wine cellars and vineyards both in Croatia and in Europe.

Our most important and biggest yearly event, Pink Day Zagreb, has rocked the wine scene a bit, especially when it comes to women and rosé wine. It was my idea to slightly provoke the predominantly male wine scene - since seven or eight years ago women in the wine world were still rare birds and more often than not mocked for not being able to differentiate anything but whites and reds.

In fact, women are active in wine business and industry, women own wine bars, work as sommeliers, oenologists, in wine marketing…so we wanted to somewhat subversively start a Festival that highlights rosé wine – like Barbies playing with pink colour – in spite of everybody thinking both women and rose wines are frivolous. And see what happens. What has actually happened is that rosé became highly popular and that women working in wine are much more appreciated that they used to be.

Pink Day has grown year on year. What can we expect from this year's event?

Every year the focus is slightly different. In the beginning, we were trying to show the audiences and the wine community that we mean business, so we were serious, “scientific” and scholarly with the international experts who we flew from around the world over to do workshops at Pink Day.

Over the years we have changed and shifted the focus every year – always trying to stay fresh and a little different from other festivals. Sometimes we focus more on extra virgin olive oil within our Green in Pink Festival in Festival, but I think it is safe to say that we constantly grow. Not in numbers, because we are a boutique festival with no intention to gain more exhibitors due to the Museum space which we intend to keep as our home, but in quality.  And popularity. I think there is hardly anybody who is anybody in the wine business that doesn’t know about WOW and Pink Day.

With the focus shifts of Pink Day, we hope to remain interesting and fun. This year’s event is focused on Croatian rosé wines and is designed to be even more optimistic, fun, feminine and fashionable than before. Since we have noticed that the exhibitors try hard to be creative with their space and that both their clothes and their tables are regularly adorned with pink details and flowers – we decided to give out an award for the best table of the Festival. The award is pink stilettos by Jimmy Choo worth more than one thousand dollars. We think it will motivate exhibitors to be even more creative and that it will contribute to the overall atmosphere. Although, we are not complaining – our festival is always lively, happy, full of great wines and beautiful women. 

Tell us a little about the rosé scene in Croatia. What are the main trends, grape varieties, and what does Croatia do differently?

Croatian rosé is somewhat different because of the grape varieties and terroir – from, French rosé from Provence or Spanish or Hungarian... But so is every wine from some other wine. Nothing specific there. I think Croatian rosé can easily compete with any other from the world.

And, of course, the wines from Istria or the ones from Slavonia; those from Kvarner or those from the surroundings of Zagreb or the ones from the south are not the same…That’s exactly why you have to come to this years’ edition of Pink Day. We have prepared three interesting workshops – covering three different areas of Croatia. “Istria & Kvarner” by Mario Meštrović, “Slavonija and Podunavlje” by Dario Grabarić and “Pink Souih” by Jelena Šimić Valentić. Total exploration of Croatian rosé was this year’s topic. 

Pink Day was the first public appearance of the wines of Jo Ahearne MW, the first Master of Wine in Croatia a few years ago. Tell us about her Rosina and also the impact of her decision to make wine in Croatia.

It would be much better if Jo would present her wine herself. It is so great to have such an expert and such a nice lady as Jo here in Croatia. We have collaborated with her on a few occasions, not only at Pink day and it was always nothing but pleasure and delight. Just as all her wines. My favourite is Wild Skins that she makes so perfectly. She deeply understands wines and she definitely knows what she is doing, regardless of the colour of the wine. Many winemakers decide to wait until Pink Day to fill their bottles – so Pink Day is a sort of En primeur festival for rosé wines.

As I understand, Pink Day is not just Croatian winemakers. Which other countries will be represented this year?

We have many different countries participating. There will be French, Italian, Austrian, Slovenian and Serbian wines present –as far as I know. Croatian wines are the majority, however – which is in perfect tune with this year's orientation. Next year will be somewhat different again. 

Your thoughts on how the Croatian wine industry is developing in general?

Shen I first started with WOW and today – incomparable. Much, much better now. Both our wines and the export and the marketing and branding. But there is still a long way to go. It could be much better branded abroad, to begin with. But, no criticism now – we are approaching the most optimistic and fun Festival – Pink Day. For one day in a year we should all deliberately wear pink glasses and enjoy.

You are a multi-talented lady wearing many hats, one of which is running Women on Wine (WOW). Tell us a little about that and how new members can get involved.

My background is first and foremost journalism. I have been writing about theatre, fashion, film – and wine is my hobby and my passion. Pink Day evolved from the idea of WOW. The women who surrounded me at the time in the association when I have just started it – were working very hard and earned no money. Just like me, but that was my choice. It wasn't necessarily theirs.

So I wanted to create a commercial festival in order to give primarily them (and myself) an opportunity to earn some money and do something good for the wine scene – at the same time. That is my characteristic. Typical me:  trying to do as many things at the same time as possible and trying to aim for the win-win situation.

In the meantime, some of the ladies left and now they are successfully doing businesses of their own while I am still trying to help out the winemakers, entertain and educate the members of WOW... But, I am not sorry – WOW  is steadily growing – there are almost 200 of us in Zagreb, Split and Rijeka. Everybody can join as long they are female – (maybe we are the only women-only club in Croatia) and pay the membership fee (700 kuna per year in Zagreb, 350 if outside Zagreb)...And - Pink Day is doing well, it is very successful and it does earn some money. Clearly – it makes everybody involved, including the visitors, happy. Me happy!

Working hours of the Festival12 (noon) – 7 p.m., March 30, 2019.

Mimara Museum, Zagreb

150 kuna entrance fee

Take a look at a video overview of the 2015 Pink Day below:

Follow the Pink Day story on Facebook. 

To learn more about Croatian wine, check out the Total Croatia new information site - Croatian Wine in a Page.

ZAGREB, March 14, 2019 - The new bill on wine, which was discussed in the parliament on Wednesday, is expected to simplify the legislative framework and facilitate access to the market for Croatian wine makers, while lawmakers warned that wine production had dropped and that more concrete measures were necessary to fight flavescence doree, a disease of the vine.

Domestic wine production has dropped by around 40% since Croatia joined the EU, Davor Vlaović of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) and Ivan Pernar of the Živi Zid warned during the debate.

The situation in the wine sector is not satisfactory, exports amount to 5,000 tonnes and imports 26,000 tonnes, and particularly worrying is the growth of imports of bulk wine and low-quality wine, said Vlaović.

The new bill on wine is "a step forward that aims to help wine makers" but more could have been done with incentives and direct payments as well as with more administrative unburdening, said Vlaović.

Božica Makar of the Croatian People's Party (HNS) said that apart from the grey market and negative production and import trends, wine growers also had to deal with problems caused by the flavescence doree vine disease and needed help in fighting it.

Josip Krizanić of the ruling HDZ party proposed budget allocations for the purchase of insecticide to fight the disease.

Tugomir Majdak, the State Secretary at the Agriculture Ministry, said the bill aligned domestic legislation with EU law, adding that 10.2 million kuna had been set aside for its implementation.

The bill envisages decentralisation of wine quality assessment, greater supervision on the ground and a 33% cut in administrative levies.

The bill also abolishes fees for documents necessary to put wine on the market as well as registration labels currently needed to put wine on the market and introduces labelling based on four new wine-making regions - Slavonia and the Croatian Danube region, the Croatian Istria and Kvarner, Dalmatia, and the central and hilly Croatia.

More news about Croatian wines can be found in the Lifestyle section.

During my visit to Požega last month, I was impressed by the enthusiasm with which Igor Marač, the owner of the Luks Bike Adventure agency, spoke about an event he was organising on the occasion of the day of the town of Požega, which he named the Bike & Hike Grgurevo. It was a good reason for me to spend the second Saturday in March in Požega, the largest town in central Slavonia.

Požega is hidden in the hills, somewhat isolated, but for that very reason surrounded by a slightly mystical aura. Other major urban centres in Slavonia are located in the lowlands of the great rivers, the Danube (Vukovar) and its direct tributaries, Sava (Slavonski Brod) and Drava (Osijek), while Požega has the Orljava river and the Golden Valley.

After Našice, we leave the flat Slavonia and follow the winding road over Krndija. After the Gradac pass at 355 metres above the sea level, we descend on the Slavonski Brod road and turn left towards Požega. At Bektež, a village known for sparkling wines produced by the Josipović family, we descend southwest towards Požega, crossing the Golden Valley and enjoying the views offered by the surrounding hills. To the right or north of us are Krndija and Papuk, behind which there is the Podravina plain, and to the left or south is the Dilj hill, behind which is the Posavina plain. Unlike some other roads in Slavonia, this road is excellent, with occasional bends and windings breaking the monotonous driving experience.

At the entrance to Požega, large crowds, commotion, bustle. It is not surprising, given that this is the day of this town. We find out that there is also the oath-giving ceremony for the 24th generation of volunteer conscripts, some 360 of them, which has brought additional visitors to the town. On our way back, we will hear more about this event on the radio, including the fact that this is the second largest generation of female volunteers since the beginning of voluntary military training. It is appropriate news given that the day before was the International Women’s Day. Emancipation of the female gender has (finally) reached the Croatian armed forces.

The town centre hosts a local delicacy fair, bringing together producers from all over Slavonia (and Baranja). I meet Petar Dobrovac from Kneževi Vingradi, and Pero immediately offers me his sausages and pork rinds. He is always on the move, and in a couple of days, he will go to a fair in Dubrovnik.

A parade of historical units followed the modern soldiers. We sit at a nearby cafe and watch the show: people from Herzegovina, Lika, historical groups from all over Slavonia. This militarisation of the town’s celebration is quite understandable. According to the folk tradition, on 12 March 1689 (on Grgurevo), f. Luka Ibrimimović expelled the Ottomans from Požega. After a living history performance at the cathedral of St. Teresa of Avila, which evokes this historical period, it is the finally time to head to the Požega Hills to enjoy the wines and local delicacies.

After passing by the St. Vid chapel and enjoying the town panorama, we first visit the Jurković wine house. Tamburitzas, čobanac, wine, brandy, cakes... a winning combination. However, the čobanac stew was mild, not as spiced with paprika as I am used to, but quite delicious. Besides, there is no accounting for taste. A mild čobanac can always be spiced up, but the spicy hot čobanac can be made any milder. What is important is for it to be delicious to as many visitors as possible, and there were a lot of them.

The entry ticket for this event was a glass in a convenient canvas wrap which cost just 25 kuna and included the food, wine and music at three locations. The next site was the Sajfert wine-house. There, in addition to the wine and brandy, we also tasted the traditional dish called gojtani with jam. It is an old-fashioned dish preserved thanks to the "Museum in the Pot" project implemented by the Požega Town Museum since 2012, developed by ethnologist and museum director Maja Žebčević Matić. The three essential ingredients needed to make the gojtani are flour, milk and eggs, prepared by frying them in the lard, and you will need a funnel as well. It is a particular dish of Cvelferija, the southernmost part of Vukovar-Srijem County, brought there in the 18th century by immigrants from the German-speaking countries.

After tasting the gojtani, I pour the house wine, and the boss, Sajfert, leads me to the terrace of the wine house which features beautiful views. He offers me his own “kulenova seka” sausage, which is really great. And it has to be, given that he used to work as a food technologist for the Papuk meat industry in Požega, after being educated in Petrinja where the practical part of the courses was done together with the Gavrilović meat industry. We discuss the tourist potential of the Požega area, and I jokingly tell him that it is somewhat selfish from him that he is keeping these views just for himself and that he did not open the accommodation facilities in the house. He explains that it is not impossible something similar might happen in the future, and the participation in this event is actually the first step toward that. He also tells me that his cousin is successful in tourism, through the Zlatni Lug complex, which includes a restaurant, a bed and breakfast, and a campsite.

The third venue is the Vukušić wine house. There, the visitors are obliged to make a very difficult decision. They can either choose to grill their own bacon and sausage on a stick over the open fire, or they can just eat the ones made beforehand by the hosts. Of course, the tamburitza band and the wines in large quantities were also there.

We chose to walk along this route, but there were many cyclists and even horse riders who joined us. Cannon shots could be heard from the hills, probably so that the Ottomans would not come back and spoil the party. Who knows, if they had a more liberal attitude towards wine, they might have stayed longer in these parts.

More news about Slavonia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

Ahead of the 7th edition of the Pink Day Festival, taking place on March 30 at the Mimara Museum in Zagreb, which focuses on pink – still and sparkling – wines, the WOW association members from Split have awarded their prize for the best rosé wine – selected among the wines exhibited at the GAST festival in Split. In co-operation with the Vino.like agency, they decided to choose the best of the best for the third year in a row. They were given the task of visiting the wine stands, tasting rosé wines, evaluating them and selecting their five favourites. They left signed lists with their personal preferences at the VINO.LIKE central stand, where the WOW rollup proudly stood. After the vote, the jury consisting of Kristina Jukić, sommelier; Adela Visković, leader of the Split WOW circle; Adela Gizdić, a WOW member; and Siniša Koceić and Alen Gulan from Wine.like, added up all the votes and announced the top five.

The votes of the WOW (Women on Wine) members highlighted their five favourites: ROSÉ ROSALIA 2017 by the IURUS winery from Slavonia, ROSÉ JOKAN 2018 by the SUŠIĆ winery from Imotski, ROSÉ ROSALIA 2018 by the IURUS winery from Slavonia, ROSÉ 2018 by the SVIJETLI DVORI winery from Baranja, and ROSÉ CRVENO JEZERO 2018 by the GRABOVAC winery from Imotski. The last one was ultimately chosen as the champion, and the comments were: “It is so good, breezy, seductive...” All the top five wines received a diploma designed by the WOW art director, Vlasta Pirnat.

In addition to the still rosé wines, pink sparkling wines were also tasted this year, so it was decided that the one with the most votes would also receive a diploma. The winner was DK PLEMENITA ROSÉ BRUT-PJENUŠAC by the DVANAJŠČAK-KOZOL winery.

The WOW members presented their selection at a workshop where, along with the guided tasting, a lot of useful and exciting information about rosé wines could be heard: how they are created, what is the secret of their seductiveness and growing popularity. The event was hosted by the WOW member and sommelier Kristina Jukić, and it also featured the authors of wines, wine producers who took advantage of the opportunity to present their wines and wineries. In line with the workshop theme and the colour of the offered wines, everyone was dressed in pink or at least with pink details.

The crew from VINO.LIKE, Alen Gulan and Siniša Koceić, also received diplomas for again helping with the organisation, wine procurement and serving wine at the workshop.

More news on Croatian wines can be found in the Lifestyle section.

Co-author and photos by Adela Visković 

Zagreb County is inviting all interested winemakers from its area whose wines are sold in bottles to apply and take part in the 2nd edition of the review of the best wines of the Zagreb County, which will be held on March 25 at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb, reports Agrobiz.hr on March 4, 2019.

This is an opportunity for the best winemakers from the county to gather in one place and present themselves to wine experts, caterers, hoteliers, tourist officials and wine fans with their high-quality wines and thus promote the "Zagreb Green Ring" as an exceptional wine-growing region.

Zagreb County, as the organiser of the 2nd best wines review, will provide the exhibition space with tables, tablecloths and chairs, glasses, water and pouring pots to all those who sign up.

In addition to tasting top quality wines and their pairing with local cheeses produced at the Zagreb Region Cheese Road, as well as with the meat products, which are both brands of Zagreb County, all visitors of the review will be able to participate in topical workshops and guided wine tastings.

To apply for this unique wine event, winemakers should fill in the application form published on the official website of the Zagreb County.

Last year, the 1st edition of the review brought together wines with a protected designation of origin produced by some 30 winemakers from nine wine areas of Zagreb County. Visitors had an opportunity to taste more than 150 international and autochthonous wine varieties and several types of high-quality cheeses made by producers from the county.

With its five million vines, planted on more than 900 hectares, Zagreb County is at the very top of Croatia by the number of winemakers, wine labels, wine roads, and winemaking and wine projects in general. Some of the most successful projects are the county brands – such as the Kraljevina Zelina and the Portugizac Pleševica, as well as the wine promotion project with the Wine Queen which have been continuously crowned in the County since 2003.

Translated from Agrobiz.hr.

More news on Croatian wines can be found in the Lifestyle section.

There are more and more wine events in Croatia. Cheers to that! But when it comes to innovative and creative wine events, it is the WOW members who usually take the lead. One of them, but very much independent, Jelena Bulum, definitely creates some of the most interesting larger wine shows, as well as smaller events that win you over with their charm and simplicity. In addition to the "Wine and Cinema" project, which very imaginatively combines films and wines, she has now created a brilliant little project called “Vinska Faca Poslije Placa” (Wine Hotshot After Market), a new urban wine event for all Zagreb wine fans who prefer daytime gatherings compared to those that take place during the evenings.

“The idea is for our fellow citizens of Zagreb to have a place where they can leave their bags after their Saturday morning visit to the farmers’ market and before returning home for lunch – and enjoy the most excellent wines of winemakers who will be personally present to introduce and promote their wines.”

In addition to the winemaker who will present the wine, the event will always include a well-known “Hotshot” who will present the vital role of wines in their business or life, and thus offer a slightly broader context for understanding and enjoying wines. Equally important, visitors will also be able to buy the wines at slightly lower prices.

The event was conceived following the footsteps of the Wine and Cinema project, which does not present the wines just as a gastronomic experience, but as an integral part of the lifestyle, so they are linked to other aspects of cultural and social life. The project emerged when two women deeply involved in the world of wine, and both members of the WOW association, Manuela Maras and Jelena Bulum, joined forces with the owners of the new wine shop near the Dolac farmers’ market, WITRINA ZAGREB, and created the interesting wine-gastro concept. They hope that the project will entertain attendees on Saturdays, but also offer an opportunity to introduce and taste the wines of small family wineries and local products of Croatian family farms. This is also the range of products proudly offered by WITRINA ZAGREB.

On Saturday, February 23, the first Hotshot is an extraordinary lady, Đurđica Orepić. She is a woman who for a long time did not know what sport is, but in the meantime, she has completed the five most challenging triathlon races in the world known as IRONMAN and is a subject of a film...

“It all started one night in a wine tavern...,” says Đurđica, and she will tell the rest of the story to all those who visit the new event.

Of course, the stories about the wines will also be heard from some of the hotshots who produce them. This Saturday, the presenters are the greats, Ivica Matošević and Boris Šujić (Boškinac). Four labels will be offered for tasting: MATOŠEVIĆ AURA, 2018 (Chardonnay, Istrian Malvasia, Sauvignon Blanc), MATOŠEVIĆ GRIMALDA, 2016 (Merlot, Teran, Cabernet Sauvignon), BOŠKINAC OCU, 2015 (Magnum; 100% Gegić) and BOŠKINAC 2013 (Double Magnum; Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon).

In addition to the wines, this Saturday’s event will feature the award-winning BELIĆ - OLEUM VIRIDE BELIĆ olive oils. Specifically, six olive oils will be tasted: five single-variety: Buža, Istrian Bjelica, Ascolana Tenera, Leccino, Vodnjan Crnica; and a blend – Belić Selection. The snack will be prepared by WITRINA ZAGREB, together with the KUSANOVEC family dairy and the ZIGANTE truffles. The wine and food tasting fee is 50,00 kuna.

More news about Croatian wines can be found in the Lifestyle section.