August the 12th, 2021 - Slavonia has unfortunately always been overlooked. With tourism still very much focused on the coast, even Zagreb continues to live in the Adriatic sea's shadow. Eastern Croatia can barely get a look in and Slavonian wine is often referred to as cheap. Could that all finally change with the Feravino winery's Slavonia-oriented projects? Maybe.

As Jozo Vrdoljak/Novac writes, back at the beginning of last year, in cooperation with the consulting company BlueRock Consulting, a strategy was developed for the development and long-term sustainability of Feravino, and consequently Fericanci in Slavonia as a destination.

The new vision of growth and development defined by the strategy undertaken by Feravino has the main goal of transformation into a modern boutique winery. In addition to the vision, the need for serious rebranding and new positioning was recognised because, given the complex market and the demands of today's consumer, Feravino faced significant challenges that need to be overcome. As such, Enosophia was created, a new brand that represents a new direction of the development of Feravino based on the long tradition of those vineyards, as well as investment, innovation, boutique production and a focus on quality.

A significant step forward

''The whole story began when we realised that we have to adapt and change in order to be able to alter our own perception on the one hand and the perception of Slavonia and Slavonian winemakers on the other. We saw the problem of the negative perception faced by Slavonian winemakers and the perception of Slavonia as a region where cheap wines are produced.

We decided to take these problems seriously, realising that we needed a strategic approach and a complete solution to tackle this issue. The result is a new development strategy, the development of which we worked on with expertsm'' said Ivan Maricic. With partners from the Bruketa & Zinic & Gray agency, the process of rebranding the Feravino winery has begun. A new brand architecture has been created with a new visual identity, and all the products it will launch in the coming years will also have a new air about them.

''Surrounding ourselves with the best in the industry, we've created a new brand that will be able to carry everything we've done so far and realise all our plans and ambitions. This is how Enosophia, our wisdom of wine, was created,'' explained Ivan Maricic.

The Feravino winery's brand new strategy implies a significant step forward in terms of wine production in the premium category, which ultimately aims to increase the share of sales in the higher price segment, especially the HoReCa channel. The strengthening of their portfolio with high-quality wines has also been confirmed by the first two brands of Enosophia, Grasevina TRS no. 5 and rose Matarouge. These are wines with which the Feravino winery wants to interest a younger audience. This is to be achieved by an innovative interactive label, the first of its kind in the Croatian wine industry. Intensive work is also being done on the development of more new products.

One of the most important projects for the adopted strategy is the development of continental tourism and Fericanci in Osijek-Baranja County as a destination. It is part of the holistic approach of the new winery, which, in addition to the excellence of the product itself, implies care for people, sustainable development and the proper positioning of Slavonia.

''Our idea isn't only to be among the best wineries in Croatia, but also a winery that will make Fericanci a desirable tourist destination and attract young people to return or come to live in Slavonia,'' emphasised Ivan Maricic.

Heritage hotel

The plan is to build a wine hotel with a capacity of 60 to 80 rooms, which will be built on the site of the old cellar.

''We'll set up a restaurant with all of the associated facilities in the vineyards, as well as some additional accommodation. Recently, we've had some horses and a stable built next to the location of the future wine hotel, which will further complete the future tourist offer,'' explained Maricic, adding that the value of these projects stands at over 20 million euros.

''We're also actively working on the construction of a heritage hotel, which will be realised with the restoration of the Mihalovic mansion. The project is worth six million euros and the hotel should be completed in the second half of 2022. It will be one of the more luxurious hotels in Croatia with fewer accommodation units, but with rich accompanying facilities,'' stated Maricic.

Along with tourism projects, the reconstruction and upgrade of the Feravino winery itself is planned, including the construction of a tasting room and showroom, with additional storage capacities. It is also a large investment, worth about five million euros in total.

''Over recent years, we've worked hard on raising new plantations and converting our vineyards. The conversion, which is the replacement of old vineyards with new ones, was done with the help of funds from the Wine Envelope, ie with cash from European Union (EU) funds. Last year, investments were completed in two new cellars, for fermentation and wine aging. One has a capacity of 570,000 litres of stainless steel containers, and the other 147,000 litres of large wooden barrels.

In total, more than five million euros have been invested in these projects in the Feravino winery in the last three years alone. We'd also like to emphasise our investment in new equipment for the production of sparkling wines,'' Maricic concluded.

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September 4, 2020 - A new season is nearly here, which can only mean one thing - the beginning of the wine harvest! The vineyards of Slavonia and Baranja have been revived.

Pickers entered the Feravino vineyards to pick grapes for sparkling wines that need a little more acid in the first days of September. It begins at dawn with the sun's first rays; a common toast symbolically marks the beginning of the harvest toast. Toasts were made with Francesco and Grasecco sparkling wines and fine plum brandy and cider brandy, which was given by Ivan Ergović, President of the Management Board of Nexe grupa d.d., who himself attended the harvest.

Slobodan Kadic

First came Frankovka and Graševina, and the harvest will continue with the varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Graševina, and red varieties Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah.

Slobodan Kadic

"Each wine-growing year has its challenges, and each is special in its own way. The winter was mild and without precipitation, and the movement of vegetation in the spring was accompanied by a large number of sunny hours and a small amount of rainfall," says Lucija Kužir, harvest coordinator, emphasizing that there was no quarantine and work from home for vineyards.

Slobodan Kadic

However, at the beginning of August, the Našice area, where they have two vineyard sites, was hit by a storm that left its mark on the vine and the crop. The remaining grapes in these locations are in excellent condition, and the final stage of ripening is going very well. In addition to the permanent employees of Feravin, the vineyards are harvested by about a hundred seasonal workers who, in addition to organized transport, also have a hot meal this year.

Slobodan Kadic

"We are building two new cellars so that the capacity for controlled fermentation and aging of wine will not be lacking. One basement is equipped with stainless steel tanks with a capacity of 570,000 liters. The other has wooden barrels of various volumes of 1000-6000 liters, with a total capacity of 147,000 liters," explains Ivan Maričić, director of Feravina, emphasizing that quality is ahead of quantity.

Slobodan Kadic

Other winemakers from Slavonia and Baranja have also started harvesting. Most of them are satisfied with the first results and hope that the 2020 harvest will be successful and the wine flawless. The folk song says: I pick grapes, red and white...

Slobodan Kadic

And it'll always be wine in the end - tell your story, red, white or maybe rosé!

Slobodan Kadic

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August 22, 2020 - For years, Feravina wines have won valuable titles in numerous evaluations around the globe. The 2017 Frankovka Miraz received a quality certificate recently at the third International Frankovka Evaluation 2020 in Feričanci.

It is this town that is known for this incredible variety of elegant and calm aromas with a fine structure of delicate tannins. As we learn from Jenetta Marija Šimić from Feravin, every year, more and more fascinating samples of all categories arrive at the competition, from light and fluttering roses with accentuated freshness and fruitiness to ripe Frankovka, and the palette of pleasure, smell, taste, and colors are really endless in the experience of the taster.

Feravino

In a tough competition, 53 top-quality Franks from various wine-growing regions of Slovenia, Hungary, and Croatia competed. An international jury composed of renowned oenologists and experts chose Feravino Frankovka Miraz 2017 as the champion! "As a variety of our vineyards is experiencing its revival, Feravino proudly bears the epithet 'house of Frankovka'. With the new award, we confirm the continuity of quality.

Two months ago, Frankovka Miraz took the Champion Ribbon in Sevnica (Slovenia) at the 10th International Blue Franconian Festival 2020," points out Ivan Maričić, director of Feravino. In Feričanci, they want to show the original creativity of the variety, which is extremely appreciated by Croatian neighbors, and which is unfairly neglected in our country, with top quality Frankovka from the Miraz line and quality from the Dika line so any professional evaluation, thematic workshops, masterclasses or festivals, always come in handy.

"Thus, all producers of this variety are motivated to cooperate, stronger and more professional marketing performance that presents Frankovka as a variety that deserves more," said Maričić, mentioning that during this challenging year, the third Frankovka Festival in Feričanci will not be held. However, they are looking to the future and building a new strategy, so a Masterclass dinner will be held in Zagreb soon, at which the best-rated winemakers will be presented with awards.

Feravino

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When the WOW Association, bringing together nearly 200 women from all over Croatia, joins forces with an excellent wine producer like Feravino and a bar hidden at the yard of 50 Ilica St. in Zagreb – and the event is taking place on Valentine's Day – the success is guaranteed. And when the evening includes sparkling wines, a lot of love and a great atmosphere – all under the slogan “It's All About Love” – the memories remain forever.

In the past five years, the Swanky Monkey Garden Bar has expanded its wine list, which currently includes some twenty different Croatian and international labels. Despite the industrial design of the interior, with its energy and warmth, it has awoken positive energy among the wine fans gathered there on Valentine's Day evening. The presenters of sparkling wines were Maja Kuzmanović from WOW and Alen Britvarević from Feravino, while Swanky’s chief barman and co-founder of Art of Bar, Filip Lipnik, designed exclusively for Feravino two signature cocktails based on sparkling wines and carefully selected liqueurs which were ideally paired with them.

That evening the cocktails were mixed and presented by the young Karlo Bošnjak, named Carlito for the occasion, while Britvarević said at the beginning: “Last year, the cellar in Feričanci was equipped with new filling equipment for filling still and sparkling wines. It is now a modern plant with three autoclaves for the production of sparkling wines according to the Charmat method, which is a completely new technology in our cellar since we used to produce sparkling wines according to the classic method of in-bottle fermentation. Our new products – Grasecco and Francesca – are 100% Croatian products and they are produced by this new method which is typical for the production of Italian prosecco wines. We are extremely pleased with the market's response, so I must congratulate our young oenologist Antonia Čeme and the guest oenologist Matjaž Lemut,” he said, emphasizing the affordable price of 50 kuna of both sparkling wines.

The Grasecco and Francesca sparkling wines, which had their gala premiere at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb in September, were the real stars of the evening. They are refreshing and light, perfect for the summer, but also for spring, autumn and winter, said guest sommelier Mario Meštrović. Grasecco is wholly-made from Graševina, while Francesca is wholly-made from Frankovka, both with modern, crazy, hipster and entirely different labels than those we are used to from local producers.

“The author of the brilliant, modern, hipster, trendy label is the well-known Croatian designer Miran Tomičić, the creative director of the Octopus Ink brand design agency, and it is inspired by our consumers who are reflected in it. The idea was to create a contemporary, playful, youthful brand based on the local approach and tradition. Consumers today do not just want a product, they are looking for something more – they are looking for a story. They do not just use a brand, they follow it, listen and talk to it. They care about the rationale of the brand and its visual identity,” said Britvarević.

At Swanky, the evening began with the Extra Brut Grasecco of a gently greenish colour that was matched with the Granny Smith apples and Smoki, which revealed the strength of its beads and the excellent pairing of its scent of green apple and a delicious almond bitterness of Graševina for the aftertaste. The evening continued with the tasting of Grasecco in the Brut variant with tortilla chips, and everyone was delighted to welcome Francesca, which wins you over with delicate pink colour and the subtle scent of ripe pomegranate, and a rich and long-lasting flavour dominated by strawberries and raspberries. Francesca was excellently paired with a delicious liver pate that was prepared according to a unique recipe by Ivan Srpek from the Bornstein Wine Shop and Wine Bar. The event organiser Vlasta Pirnat presented Karlo, the bartender who made excellent cocktails for the conclusion of the evening. These were Miss with Francesca and Brko with Grasecco.

Andrija Pirnat, the host and co-owner of Swanky, welcomed the guests and briefly introduced his already well-known bar. One thing is sure: we had a wonderful time, perfectly tailored for Valentine's Day, and we will drink these sparkling wines and cocktails on other occasions as well. Now we have a Croatian answer to Italian prosecco and fantastic cocktails at the excellent Swanky Monkey Garden ambience. WOW!

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Feravino has traditionally marked the Feast of Saint Martin with the young Frankovka and the young Graševina wines. This year, the celebrations were held at two separate locations – in the centre of Zagreb and at the Old Cellar in Feričanci.

“The Feast of Saint Martin is an ideal occasion for us to thank our partners, distributors, journalists and buyers for their loyalty and support. We are pleased to announce that we expect excellent wines in the year 2019 as well and that new bottles will be filled with our highly sought after sparkling wines – Grasecco and Francesco, whose premiere we had earlier this year,” said Luka Vrga, a member of the Management Board of Osilovac, which is Feravino’s parent company.

Along with the Slavonian specialties and the “obligatory” tamburitza music band, the party in Feričanci lasted until the early morning hours, and the Feravino’s Old Cellar was open to all wine fans. However, the Feast of Saint Martin was not the only reason to celebrate since the vineyard of Makloševac, which was planted in 1989, this past week organised the selected harvest of Graševina grapes.

“The weather conditions were ideal. The grapes are of exceptional quality. Dry and very warm autumn and the extremely high temperatures which are rarely seen in this part of the year have given us wonderful raw material with promising potential. We expect high sugar content and, of course, excellent must, as well as supreme predicate wine. Feravino is known for producing predicate wines of all categories,” said Ivan Maričić, the general manager of the Osilovac company.

He added that the vineyard was particularly proud of its Frankovka 2016 ice wine, which was produced in a limited series. That is the first such wine made in Croatia and the region.

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