September 21, 2021 - Today marks the first official celebration of International Plavac Mali Day! To celebrate this special event, Croatian Premium Wine Imports, Inc. gathered top experts, sommeliers, winemakers, and connoisseurs for a fun online symposium on Croatia's "King of Red Wines".  Sip back, relax and have a look into the wine-growing regions, wine industry, and wine tourism of Croatia. Also, don't forget to use the official hashtag #internationalplavacmaliday!

As TCN wrote a week ago, Croatia's gradual rise in the international gastronomy scene allowed more and more people to discover the exceptional quality of Croatian wines, and rightfully so. Thanks to their growing popularity, three international wine days dedicated to Croatian wines came to life this year alone: the International Pošip Day (May 21st), the International Croatian Wine Day (June 25th), and last but not the least, the International Plavac Mali Day (September 21st). 

Photo source: Kyla Ibero

TCN was invited to take part in an online symposium on the plavac mali variety, which was initiated by the people who are largely responsible for the undeniable progression of Croatian wines to the international market. The talk was hosted by Mirena Bagur, the Vice-president of Croatian Premium Wine Imports, Inc., and Anna Vidučić, the founder and president of Aroma Wine Co.. Together, they invited participants from all over the world including experts from the Croatian Chamber of Economy, Croatian sommeliers and winemakers, oenologists, wine connoisseurs, and importers.

The talk was conducted the day before the International Plavac Mali Day at 6pm CET and was attended by more than 30 experts in the wine industry. The guests who graced the event with their informative talks on the Croatian wine industry, Plavac mali grape production, and international promotion include:

• Leo Gracin, Doc. Dr. Sc. - Oenologist, Vino Dalmacije winemakers' association president, assistant professor of Meditteranean Agriculture at the University of Split
• Siniśa Lasan - three-time Croatian National Champion Sommelier, Decanter Judge and head sommelier for Rixos Dubrovnik Hotel
• Ivo Jeramaz of Grgich Hills, Napa & Grgić Vina, Pelješac
• Antonija Car-Antunović of Saints Hills Winery
• Marko Šuman of Terra Madre Winery 

At the beginning of the symposium, Mirena and Anna delighted us with the story behind the Croatian Wine Alliance. Anna Viducic, a French-born Croatian wine buyer from Paris, found herself in the USA in 1998 after following her passion for the hotel and restaurant business. "I arrived in the US at the time when most people did not even know where Croatia was", she said. Later on, she started to work at a wine magazine. Anna recalled the time when no one wanted to write about Croatian wines but now, according to her, Croatia is a country that is known for its wine and its food culture. Fortunately, she met Mirena who shares her passion for Croatian culture. Eventually, the two decided to team up and promote Croatian wines in the USA and internationally - thus, the Croatian Wine Alliance was established. 

Mirena Bagur also said that although Croatia has many wine varieties to offer, they are, at present, focused on promoting wines from the region of Dalmatia because Dalmatian wines such as Pošip and Plavac mali are the ones which are primarily consumed in the USA. 

Meanwhile, Leo Gracin, the president of Vino Dalmacije pointed out that in recent years, associations in Croatia have been working hard to accomplish legal and administrative work to secure funding. "Many organizations didn't have funding until recently.", he said. The highly esteemed oenologist on Croatian wine earned his Master's and Ph.D. with a special focus on plavac mali and its polyphenol and aroma content. "When compared to other variety, you will see that plavac mali is really unique. It is the most tannic variety but if it's ripe, it's good. It has perfect acidity", he told the group. 

Sommelier Siniša Lasan shares the same opinion on the unique "little blue" grape varieties and their current elevated status on the international market. He also commented that there are a lot of beautiful Croatian rosé wine selections that come from the plavac mali variety which consumers need to try out.

Ivo Jeramaz of Grgic-Vina shared the history of plavac mali which is very significant to their company because it featured his uncle, the legendary Napa Valley winemaker who founded Grgich Hills and also discovered and traced the close relationship between Zinfandel and Plavac Mali, the great Miljenko "Mike" Grgich. Their remarkable story can be read here.

Winemakers Antonija Car-Antunovic of the Saints Hills Winery and Marko Šuman of Terra Madre Winery both talked about wine production and wine-growing region of Pelješač, Istra, and Komarna. According to Marko, Komarna is the youngest wine-growing region in Croatia, and that the region produces the lightest kinds of wines. Meanwhile, the Dingać wine-growing region has always been known over the centuries as one of the best vineyards of Plavac mali variety.

Wine tourism and international promotion of Croatian wines

Nikolina Trojić and Vanja Kaludjer from the Croatian Chamber of Economy were also present in the meeting. They assured us that the HGK is devoted to promoting Croatian wines locally and internationally. On wine tourism, Nikolina commented that Croatia is a relatively small country compared to other established wine countries such as France and Italy and that the already limited production of Croatian wines is largely consumed "by the doorstep" mostly by tourists consumers. According to her, the highly regarded health benefits of the Meditteranean diet and the country's selection of delectable wine varieties are a huge plus for Croatia's tourism sector. She also noted that 47% of Croatian wine production comes from Plavac mali. 

The symposium ended with Q&A as leading experts in the wine industry and connoisseurs from all over the world participated. One gentleman from Switzerland asked if Croatia will resume its international Croatian wine campaigns which were previously conducted in Zurich and Geneva a few years back and expressed that he thinks that this is a very important thing for Croatia to do in order to be recognized as a wine country. Vanja Kaludjer, from the Croatian Chamber of Economy, answered that Croatian wine promotions are conducted all over Europe including the USA, Canada, and even China. However, it is basically up to the council of wine associations to decide which country the promotion would take place in and that HGK is not in the position to decide on this matter. He also added that due to COVID-19 and earthquake damages suffered last year and this year, the funding was transferred to crisis measures and housing measures; but rest assured, the Croatian Chamber of Economy is doing its best to resume the international promotion of Croatian wines.

Sam Ramic, the Director of Sales at Wine Worldwide, Inc., commented that if he were to compare the Italian wine industry which conducts hundreds of promotional activities versus Croatia's significantly less number of events per year, Croatia's promotional efforts seem like baby steps. He then proceeded with a very important question: What is the next step to take Croatian wines up a notch? "Now everybody knows Croatia and so I think, we need to push it", he remarked. 

Vanja Kaludjer answered, "It's all about the budget for us. We have done many administrative and legislative works in the construction of regional association development and we have resolved a lot of issues with basic financing and legal establishment for the past few years. There are also ongoing projects to promote Croatian wines to foreign markets and also many individual efforts of local wineries, winemakers, and importers are being done."

Leo Gracin also emphasised that the promotion and production of Croatian wines were held back due to the previous problems in organising the associations which have now been fixed. He retaliated, "Now, it is ready for promotion. With better marketing, we can make better results twice. With the newly secured funds, we can get better-protected marks on the bottles. Upon saying that, we have more jobs to do for stronger marketing and obtaining protected trademarks. It will come, I promise you."

Mirena added that associations are finally legally established and can now receive proper funding from the European Union and Croatia. "There is still more work to be done. For starters, importers like us are promoting Croatian wines by selling in other countries.", she said. Mirena also hopes that through the alliance and its member associations, words about Croatian wines will spread fast. 

The Q&A portion of the event ended up as a productive open forum on different promotional strategies and limitless possibilities of Croatian wines. 

Photo source: International Plavacmali Day Official Facebook Page

How to Celebrate International Plavac Mali Day?

• Follow Plavac Mali’s adventures on https://www.facebook.com/internationalplavacmaliday
• Tag that page when you post your own content and use hashtag #plavacmali and #internationalplavacmaliday
• Create your own tastings, wine pairings, giveaways, or educational events – in person or virtually, and tag the social media handles
• Write articles about #plavacmali
• Invite the media to the virtual event on September 20, at noon Eastern time to present Plavac mali and the wine industry in the region.  Media can register for the Zoom link, here:  http://eepurl.com/hGY1xf
• Encourage others to participate in celebrations.

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Find out more on the latest Croatian news.

December 1, 2020 - Croatian Premium Wine Imports, Inc. (CPWI), importer, distributor and online store for shipping Croatian wine in the US, announced a donation program to assist non-profit organizations in their fundraising campaigns.

"Most organizations are holding online fundraisers this year, so on this Giving Tuesday we will unveil a program donating premium wines from boutique Croatian wineries to help them achieve their fundraising goals," said Mirena Bagur, co-founder at CPWI.  "We will select ten organizations from across the US that answer the Call for Participation to receive a package of premium Croatian wines of approximate value of $100, which they can auction off and use the funds for their organizations. This is easy to coordinate - we give the organization a description and a photo of the wines they select, and we will ship to their highest donors on virtual auctions." 

"Our preference will be on organizations that assist Croatia or are creating awareness of Croatia and its culture in the US," said Bagur. "Since we carry about 50 boutique, indigenous wine labels, we will gladly adapt the donation to represent the regional wine according to the organization's requests -- such as a wine from the Dubrovnik county to the Dubrovnik county community, Istrian wine to Istrians, and so on. This is a way to thank the Croatian communities for keeping focused on Croatian culture in the US during this difficult year."

Each selected organization will be contacted directly, and the announcement will be posted on the CPWI social media by December 9th.

Focus on Croatia's Indigenous Wines

CPWI started by importing and promoting the wines from the Dubrovnik-Neretva county, including Zinfandel/ Tribidrag, Plavac Mali, and Pošip, and now represents wineries from various parts of Dalmatia, including vineyards in Konavle, Pelješac, Dingač, Šibenik, and Brač with other autochthonous varieties, such as Malvasija Dubrovačka, Babić, Debit, and Vugava.   

In addition, the company selected wines from two Istrian wineries, both of which produce Malvazija and Teran - one based in the old medieval hilltop town of Motovun, and one with vineyards close to the Adriatic in the old Roman town of Poreč.  Collaborating with eight wineries in the Medjimurje area around Zagreb, part of the Croatian Uplands wine region, CPWI has a selection of white wines, including Pušipel (aka Furmint), Graševina, Sauvignon Blanc, and two dessert Yellow Muscats. 

About Croatian Premium Wine Imports (CPWI) Based in Boston, Mass., CPWI imports, distributes and promotes boutique Croatian wines in the US. The company expanded its wine portfolio from the Komarna region, Dubrovnik county, to the larger Dalmatia, Istria and Uplands. 

If you're interested in getting involved, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by December 8.   

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

October 10, 2020 -  Croatian Premium Wine Imports, Inc. (CPWI) and Vinum.IN magazine have launched a joint campaign called "Game of Wines 2020", which aims to help Croatian winemakers by exporting wine to the United States.

Croatian Premium Wine Imports, Inc. (CPWI),  is an importer, promoter and online store for delivery in the US, Based in Boston, Mass. CPWI imports, distributes, and promotes boutique Croatian wines in the US. The company expanded its wine portfolio from the Komarna region, Dubrovnik county, to the larger Dalmatia, Istria and Uplands. Together with Croatian wine magazine, Vinum.IN, CPWI has jointly launched across the ocean, under the title  "Game of Wines 2020".

It aims to help Croatian winemakers, primarily by expanding knowledge about the quality boutique wines in the United States and ultimately increasing wine exports. Project partner Mirena Bagur, Mag. Oecc., VP/Brand Management at CPWI, a Croatian born USA citizen with a Boston address, founded a company for the import of Croatian wines to the USA one year ago, all the while actively working on spreading knowledge about Croatian wines in America.

"Collaboration with VinumIn means a lot because we want to actively connect Croatians in the homeland  - with their families or friends in America, so that together they can not only enjoy the taste of Croatia through quality Croatian wines, but can directly help spread information and knowledge about the current state of Croatian winemaking," says Mirena Bagur.

Americans, as well as the Croatian diaspora, are now given the opportunity to get closer to Croatia through wines. It is especially important in a year when they could not travel, and at the same time they can directly influence the increase in demand for Croatian wines, adds Bagur, whose company actively cooperates with other importers of Croatian wines in the USA and Canada.

The Game of Wines 2020 is open for participation to all over the age of 18 in Croatia, or 21 in the USA - and more detailed information and instructions on how to participate can be found at the link: https://www.vinumin.eu/post/game-of-wines- 2020.

Based in Zagreb, Croatia, Vinum.IN is the only wine industry magazine in Croatia. Published quarterly and distributed via wineries, tourist centers and newsstands, its goal is to present the Croatian wine scene and educate primarily about Croatian wines, inform about the events on the wine and gastro scene, and share recipes and tips on how to best pair wine and food.  For more information, visit www.vinumin.eu or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Dijana Grgić, owner of Vinum.IN, and a partner in this collaboration says: 

"As the owner and editor of the only wine magazine in Croatia, I am extremely sensitive to the issue of winemakers, especially in these challenging times. That is why I strongly support every attempt to help them sell wine, especially abroad. CPWI already has almost 50 different wine labels in its portfolio: from three distinct Croatian wine regions, and has so far built two distribution channels, an online store that delivers to almost all US states, www.CroatianPremiumWine.com,  and a traditional distribution that has so far established in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Georgia and California. The company continues to work on creating distribution in other states as well."

For more information, inquiries or to place an online order, visit www.croatianpremiumwine.com/shop-online,  contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and follow us at Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

January 19, 2020 - On the 10th of January this year – a small but important anniversary was celebrated in Boston, MA. Croatian Premium Wines Imports celebrated one year.

A year ago, Mirena Bagur and Winfried Burke, both business professionals with experience in the high tech industry, global companies and startups, concluded that the timing was perfect for introducing Croatian wines to the US market on a much larger scale than it has been done to date. Enter a year of hard and smart work, including many wine tastings, participations at wine festivals, and assertive marketing and product placement, Croatian Premium Wine Imports, Inc., based in Boston, Massachusetts, has already made a significant impact on the US market. There were several market dynamics that indicated a good timing to start importing Croatian wines to the US: the wine lovers, be they wine professionals or consumers in the US are now ready to experience wines from regions with which they are not familiar. 

Also, more often than before, Croatia tops many travel lists as a must-see place and more Americans have actually traveled to Croatia and had the opportunity to taste Croatian wines. Many of them simply loved the wines but could not easily find them in the USA. Last but not least, the quality of Croatian wine is consistently growing. The confluence of all these market factors, and particularly the winemaking renaissance that took place in Croatia over the last decade, has convinced us that it was perfect timing and opportunity for creating a successful business, said Mirena Bagur, Co-founder/VP Brand Management at Croatian Premium Wine Imports, Inc. 

“Obviously, with my Croatian roots, for me, this is not all just about business: exporting Croatian wines to one of the largest global markets would clearly empower wineries and many people who work for them back home. My passion is beyond just business – it is about making an impact on people in my beloved homeland," says Mirena, who was born and studied in Croatia but now lives in Massachusetts, USA where she is a prominent member of the Croatian community and has worked to promote Croatia and its culture over the years, including helping American groups visit and learn about Croatia. She is also an active member of the Board of the Croatian community in Boston – New England Friends of Croatia, www.friendsofcroatia.org, and participates in various efforts in the business circles, including the American Association of Croatian Professionals, www.croampro.org. 

The company Croatian Premium Wines Imports is actively working on creating distribution channels not only in Massachusetts but also in other US States. In addition, the company opened up an online store with shipments to most of the US States, www.croatianpremiumwine.com/shop-online. In just a year, they managed to ship two containers of wine from Croatia to Boston, positioned Croatian wines in wine stores and restaurants in Massachusetts and there are currently 15 liquor stores and 8 restaurants that carry Croatian wines on a regular basis.

"We have been very happy with the responses we have gotten when we feature Croatian wines, said Howie Rubin, one of key influencers in the Boston wine scene, and a general manager of the 50-year old boutique wine store on Newbury Street, Bauer Wines. They perform well, there is a genuine interest on the part of our customers, and thus we have expanded the section."

Croatian Premium Wines Imports also hosted a group of wine experts and writers from different countries to Croatia, collaborated on a first project with the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the Croatian Embassy for the Martinje tasting event in Washington DC.  Many important connections with leading Croatian winemakers in different wine regions have been established in order to prepare to introduce their wines in the US in 2020. Fast pivoting in a startup is not new for Win Burke, an MIT computer scientist for whom CPWI is his eighth start-up company. In previous businesses, he positioned companies for successful exits, including taking one company public, and selling the last one to Google. 

“At the time we incorporated, our business strategy was to focus on Massachusetts restaurants and specialty wine stores, and we were planning to be cautious in the introduction, as Croatian wines were not well known here,” said Win Burke, CEO/Co-founder of CPWI. 

“We thought that importing a small container of wine would give us the opportunity to explore and expand gradually. However, it turned out Massachusetts loves Croatian wines - the market acceptance has been so great that we decided to speed up the growth process. So, we ordered the second container, developed an online channel and also started looking for distributors in other states – all within the first year – happily,” concludes Burke. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.