January 22, 2022 - After its cancellation in 2021, due to the epidemiological situation, the seventh edition of WineOS will be held on 28 and 29 January 2022, in Osijek's Gradski vrt hall, with an extensive program that includes workshops led by wine masters, tasting of the best regional and international wines, and much more.

The seventh edition of WineOs wine fair will be held on January 28 and 29, 2022 (Friday and Saturday). Due to the great interest of exhibitors and visitors, and with the desire to further increase the attractiveness, the fair this year was located in the Sports Hall Gradski Vrt, Kneza Trpimira 23, Osijek where a large number of leading wine producers from all regions of Croatia and neighboring countries to embark on discovering new wine experiences.

The seventh edition of WineOS will present and taste wines, hold seminars and educational workshops for business people, traders, sommeliers, caterers, journalists, and all wine lovers.

"At more than 1,900 square meters, we have 90 exhibition spaces and more than a hundred exhibitors. In addition, we will once again be able to watch a culinary show on stage where specialties will be prepared by four top local chefs, recognizable wine workshops will be held in a separate space, and the day before the fair, on January 27th, a gala dinner will be held at Waldinger Restaurant, which will be taken care of by our famous chef Goran Kočiš", said the president of the Decanter, Boris Ocić.

"There is great interest in wine workshops. Even before we officially announced the program, interested parties came forward and all the places were quickly filled. The lucky ones who managed to get a ticket will once again have the opportunity to taste numerous exclusives represented by famous winemakers from Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina", said the head of the workshop program Željko Garmaz.

The association Graševina Croatica rejoined the organization as the largest and most important organization of wine producers in eastern Croatia. "WineOS is the central event for this wine region and is moving in the direction of transformation into the largest and most important fair in Croatia and the entire region. We will wholeheartedly help the organizers along the way. This year, as usual, we put the emphasis on Graševina as the broadest, most economically important, but also the most potent variety of this region'', Pavić added.

The organizers of the seventh edition of WineOS agreed on a greater engagement with the Osijek School of Catering and Tourism, which in this event recognized the opportunity for additional education of students and promotion of programs and projects. "Our students regularly go through internships in catering facilities, and this is an opportunity for them to learn how to work at big events. We have invested a lot in improving the program, additionally trained lecturers and mentors and now we want to apply it in the learning process", said the director of the School of Catering and Tourism Andrej Kristek.

Photo: Denis Despot

"Wine events are attracting more and more guests to the continental regions, and the events we have in our county are becoming a recognizable lure for domestic guests and tourists", said the director of the Osijek-Baranja County Tourist Board, Ivana Jurić. She emphasizes that WineOS, as one of the largest events of this type, is already well known throughout Croatia and neighboring countries. Therefore, supporting this event, she says, is a logical and simple choice.

"It is not difficult to support such an event, which has grown seriously in recent years in every sense. More and more good and positive stories are coming out of Osijek, and WineOS is one of them. Despite the difficult times, the organizers made an effort to make our city a real wine center once again. Therefore, I wish them good luck with the message that the city administration is always ready to support quality projects", commented the Deputy Mayor of the City of Osijek, Dragan Vulin.

Photo: Denis Despot

The Head of the Administrative Department for Tourism, Culture, and Sports, Tatjana Roth, addressed the audience on behalf of Osijek-Baranja County. "Wine and gastro tourism attract many guests, and we do not lack offers. WineOS is extremely important in the promotion of this segment and we were certainly happy to get involved in this story as sponsors. I am sure that the fair will fulfill its purpose in these challenging times and bring a lot of work to wine and delicacies producers".

The seventh edition of WineOS will be held on both days from 3 to 9 p.m. It will only be able to enter the hall upon the presentation of a valid COVID certificate or negative test. Tickets will be sold exclusively at the hall entrance at a price of 100 kuna for one festival day. Visitors will also be able to rent a festival glass at the entrance.

Anyone who does not have a COVID certificate and wants to visit WineOS will be able to do by testing in the medical office of Dr. Špiranović, at 54 Stjepana Radića Street, at a preferential price of HRK 50. The clinic will be open from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm on January 28 and from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm on January 29.

It should also be noted that after the press conference, a wine workshop was held and led by the famous master sommelier Eric Zwiebel. On that occasion, those present were able to taste 13 Graševina from five vineyards in eastern Croatia, and the distinguished guests pointed out the good potential of the variety that stylistically fits into current market trends. Tonight, Zwiebel will hold another workshop to present Riesling wines from the French region of Alsace.

Here's the complete schedule for the seventh edition of WineOS:

• Thursday, January 27, 2022 - Gala dinner "SLAVONIA ON A PLATE AND IN A GLASS" by Goran Kočiš and Graševina Croatica

Time: 7:30 pm

Location: Hotel Waldinger

Entrance: 400 kuna

Menu:

Duck liver torchon / brioche / black walnut

Beetroot risotto / blue cheese

Catfish / holandaise / black pig

Rabbit ravioli / parsley

Deer / red cabbage / chestnut

Bags / plum / cream

• Friday, January 28, 2022 - Workshops

14:00 pm - Sauska - Hungarian wine giant with cover; entrance 100 kn

15:30 pm - Michael Gross - Austrian wine prodigy who brings glory to Slovenia with his wines; entrance 150 kn

17:00 pm - Josić Winery - Croatia Baranja fights back to Villany, and we have Cabernet Franc for the race; entrance 100 kn

18:00 pm - Luka Krajančić - Great vertical of Intrade, the most important white wine in Dalmatia; entrance 150 kn

Daily ticket for all workshops: 400 kn

• Saturday, January 29, 2022 - Workshops

14:00 pm - Vlado Krauthaker - The Wonderful World of Graševina, entrance 150 kn

15:30 pm - Grabovac Winery - Blue Lake Riserva, Dalmatian "Superzagorac", entrance 100 kn

17:00 pm - Božo Aleksandrović - Pedigree, the best wine in Serbia, entrance 100 kn

18:30 pm - Josip Brkić - Good Bye, Limousine!, entrance 150 kn

Daily ticket for all workshops 400 kn

Source: Osijek 031, Vinske Priče

Croatian wines and grapes are among the best in the world, and you can find more information about them in Total Croatia’s Guide to Croatian Wine HERE.

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

August 26, 2021 - After a year-long hiatus from the pandemic, one of the most popular and traditional events in the town of Jelsa on the island of Hvar marks its long-awaited return. The Jelsa wine festival starts tomorrow and includes sports, cultural activities, a great gastronomic offer, and of course, the best from its wineries.

As written by Turističke Priče, the first Jelsa wine festival was held back in 1952 on the initiative of the community of the Cooperative Association of Jelsa called the District Cooperative Meeting. In 1954, Cooperative Day was held, and since 1956, this event has been called the Wine Fair or Cooperative Rally. The Wine Fair in 1966 was held on August 14 and that day was declared the Day of Tourism in Jelsa. The festival has been held for years in the first half of August, from Friday to Sunday. The crowd would start in the morning and last until dawn the next day. Huge quantities of wine were poured because the idea was to free the taverns by selling old wine for the new one that will come with the upcoming harvest.

This year's Wine Festival is held on August 27 and 28 and in recent years this event has returned to its original purpose: to be a cheerful event to promote Hvar wines, especially the best in the Jelsa ring, a wine-growing region where we find many original varieties of islands such as Bogdanusa, prča, plavac mali, but also the popular international cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and syrah, and thus various wines, from white and red, rosé, to the popular opol and prosecco.

Jelsa Wine Festival

For the last thirty years, these wines have stood out for their quality, won prizes in competitions, and delighted guests for whom the Wine Festival is a real opportunity to taste and feel the differences between wines from the southern slopes of the island, positions from Jelsa slopes and valleys and fields by the sea. The wine festival is an experience that tourists remember - the sun and the sea have long been the only assets of the island, but also tradition, wine, gastronomy, Dalmatian songs... the spirit of the Mediterranean as it once was.

Various sports and entertainment competitions have been announced: water polo matches are played in the port, rowing competitions are held, international regattas as well, and prosciutto is removed from the top of a ten-meter-high mast. Everything is, of course, spiced with a gastronomic offer and accompanied by concerts. This year, Four Tenors and Zorica Kondža are in charge of good music.

For the third year in a row, in cooperation with the Hvar Winemakers Association and the Wine Stars project, a Summer Wine tasting by Wine Stars is held as part of the Jelsa Wine Festival, with an emphasis on original varieties and what makes them different from other wine regions. Book the last weekend in August for Jelsa where the hosts invite you and guarantee good fun. This year's program will be conducted in accordance with current epidemiological measures and the entire program can be found at this LINK.

Vineyard on the hills of Jelsa (Photo: Mario Romulić)

After the wine festival, when you are in Jelsa, be sure to look up and discover the starry sky. Apart from the sun and the sea and top wines, Jelsa also offers tourists a starry sky, and the stars are disappearing in modern times precisely because of light pollution, and observing the starry sky is becoming a tourist attraction that you cannot often see.

The stars will be the brightest tourist product of Jelsa, which should acquire the status of the International Dark-Sky Community by the end of the year and become the first municipality/city in Croatia to proudly bear that title. This title confirms Jelsa as a destination that has an exceptional quality of the night sky and respects high environmental standards in terms of light pollution, which together make a big step towards creating an astro-tourist offer in the area of ​​Jelsa.

Croatian wines and grapes are among the best in the world, and you can find more information about them in Total Croatia’s Guide to Croatian Wine HERE. Now in your language!

Jelsa is a slice of safe, authentic lifestyle heaven on Croatia’s premier island, with wine and beach treasures galore. Everything you need to know about Jelsa, you'll find it in our Total Croatia's Jelsa on a Page HERE.

Follow the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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

May 14, 2021 - Starting tomorrow, the Pelješac Cellar Festival will take place in one of the most famous wine regions, and it will include discounts, workshops, and more!

Pelješac is well known for its wines, derived from the iconic Plavac Mali grape, which is responsible for the powerful reds made in the region. For some Croatian wine experts, the Plavac from the slopes of Dingač and Postup are among the best wines in the country. 

The fame of the peninsula among wine lovers is indisputable, and to their delight, starting tomorrow a new edition of the Wine Festival will take place in Pelješac, the Pelješac Cellar Festival, and will last for a month.

As hrturizam.hr reports, wineries, shipowners, shellfish farms, family farms, restaurants, and taverns… 53 of them from all over the peninsula joined the largest event on Pelješac so far, the Pelješac Cellar Festival, which starts from Saturday, May 15 until June 15, 2021.

During the festival, the wineries participating in the project will offer their visitors discounts on wine (20% on certain wine palettes), and restaurants and taverns will have menus with traditional Peljesac specialties with a glass of local wine designed specifically for the festival (two menus, one of 120 kuna and one of 180 kuna). The festival will also include educational workshops, professional lectures, and various other events of interest to wine lovers.

‘‘We are glad that a large number of winemakers have joined the Pelješac Cellar Festival, which focuses on Plavac Mali, a trademark of our peninsula and one of the largest wine brands in Croatia. All research confirms that the eno-gastronomic offer is among the first three motives for tourists to come to our country, and our wine empire with famous vineyards such as Ponikava, Dingač, and Postup, has become a real tourist attraction and not only for wine lovers. As part of the Festival on June 4th and 5th, we are organizing the traditional Pelješac Cellars Open Days, an event that usually takes place in December. We hope that this June version will become another traditional wine festival’’, said Slobodan Rosić, secretary of the associations Pelješac Wine Routes and Plavac Mali Pelješac.

The director of the Ston Tourist Board, Fani Slade, pointed out that all four tourist boards from Pelješac are participating in this project in addition to Ston: the Tourist Boards of Janjina, Orebić, and Trpanj, and the idea was realized in cooperation with Feel IQM. He says that the Festival would not have been possible without the support of the associations Ston's Shellfish, Pelješac Wine Routes, and Plavac mali Pelješac, as well as the Ston Walls, Solana Ston, and the Maritime Museum in Orebić.

‘‘We have taken care of epidemiological measures, so there is no mass gathering during the event, and we plan to hold an accompanying program such as wine workshops and conferences online. We also recommend all visitors announce their arrival at the winery, family farm, restaurant, or tavern in advance. We believe that next year the pandemic will be behind us, so the second edition of the Pelješac Cellars Festival will offer a rich entertainment and educational program’’, says Slade.

Croatian wines and grapes are among the best in the world, and you can find more information about them in Total Croatia’s Guide to Croatian Wine HERE. You can also learn more about what the Pelješac peninsula can offer you on your next trip, in Total Croatia’s Pelješac peninsula on a page, HERE. Total Croatia’s articles are now available in your language!

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

March 24, 2021 - Zadar Wine Festival 2021 gathers winemakers, caterers, hoteliers, and wine lovers across Croatia. 

The city of Zadar, the Zadar hinterland, and nearby islands have created a significant market for discovering the best wines in Croatia and around the world. The Zadar Wine Festival provides you with an excellent opportunity to present wines, find your new favorite, and make new connections.

The festival aims to achieve successful business cooperation while enjoying the best wines and for exhibitors and visitors to understand why the Zadar Wine Festival is increasing its popularity. 

The festival will be held on Friday, April 23rd and Saturday, April 24th in Zadar's Arsenal, a unique zero-category monument built in the 16th century. The multipurpose space has been described as an "indoor town square" due to its size. Its unique mix of tradition, culture, and modern design makes it the perfect location for a first-class experience such as the famous Zadar Wine Festival. 

With its unique location, next to the Zadar city walls and the Muraj promenade, visitors and exhibitors get to enjoy a unique experience and witness the beauty of Zadar and its most famous attractions the Sea Organ and Greeting to the Sun. 

Zadar Wine Festival 2021 is supported by the City of Zadar, Zadar County, the Tourist Board, the Croatian Chamber of Crafts, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, the Croatian Sommelier Club, the Association of Winemakers, and others. Whether you're going for the experience, finding your new favourite wine, or making business connections, there is something for everyone to enjoy at the Zadar Wine Festival. 

You can check out the two-day program on their website, grab a ticket and enjoy the beauty of Zadar while sipping on Croatia's best wines.  

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

March 2, 2021 – Good news for all wine lovers, experts, and winemakers, as the 27th Vinistra wine manifestation will take place from 7 to 9 May 2021 in Poreč, together with its traditional overture, 12th International Evaluation "World of Malvasia."

If there are no surprises and if the epidemiological measures allow it, the 27th Vinistra wine manifestation will be held this year after a one-year break due to the coronavirus pandemic. The preparations are underway, and this year's organizers have a somewhat more difficult task because everything should follow the Headquarters' measures and recommendations.

"As we did not hold the traditional En Primeur in Zagreb this year due to epidemiological measures, Vinistra will be an excellent opportunity to present new vintage wines, excellent in all characteristics, especially for red varieties. For us winemakers, the only positive side of 2020 was the exceptional harvest. The last two years have hit the wine and tourism sector hard, so we are very much looking forward to this year's event, meeting our partners, customers, and lovers of Istrian wines," said Nikola Benvenuti, president of Vinistra, winemakers' association, and winegrower.

He adds that the location and accompanying program will depend on epidemiological measures.

Vinistra

Traditionally, the best overture for Vinistra is the international evaluation named the World of Malvasia, which will be held for the 12th time, from April 12 to 16, 2021, at the Parentium Plava Laguna Hotel in Poreč. Year after year, the World of Malvasia breaks records in quality and number of samples.

"The informal world championship of the most famous Istrian variety is being held this year as part of a three-day international evaluation of wine and spirits, which brings together the most famous wine experts from Croatia and the region. Of course, everything will be in line with epidemiological measures because our health and safety come first. As usual, the evaluation results will be made public as part of the 27th Vinistra," says Benvenuti.

As 24sata recalls, the traditional Vinistra fair was held in the Žatika hall in Poreč for years before the tradition was interrupted for the first time last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Almost all important politicians, presidents, businessmen used to come to Vinistra, as well as those who wanted to be photographed or filmed by journalists while they are enjoying the top drops of 'grape' juice.

Vinistra is a regional and international exhibition of Istrian wines and equipment for viticulture and winemaking. The longest-running exhibition of this type is traditionally held in the Istrian town of Poreč. The fair consists of an evaluation and exhibition part, and besides wine, olive oils and brandies are also evaluated.

Istria is continually improving wine quality and is a top eno-gastronomic destination. This is confirmed by the constant increase in the number of indigenous varieties' samples, more quality of average wine samples, and new names awarded by an expert jury every year.

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

November 26, 2018 - With more than 300 exhibitors and a multitude of excellent wines and food delicacies showcased in its 13th edition, Zagreb VINOcom festival has once again confirmed itself as the leading regional festival of the finer things in life.

Much satisfied with this year's attendance, the festival's director and founder professor Ivan Dropuljić said the whole project has been well accepted by people and thus, although wine as a culture was perhaps a little neglected, in recent years we see that trend changing, while events such as VINOcom even more so boost awareness of this culture.

During the two days of VINOcom which once again took place at the historic Esplanade hotel on November 23rd and 24th, festival visitors had the chance of tasting some of the best wines from this part of Europe in an informal walk around the hotel ballrooms which allowed them to sample at their leisure and learn more about their favorite wines by talking to the exhibitors.

When it comes to wines, we could say that Croatia is full of surprises, and the biggest surprise of this year's show was by far the 2015 Amfora bubbly of the Tomac family vinery: this rare gem macerated and fermented in clay amphorae is made with a coupage of 50% Chardonnay and 50% of local grape varieties hailing from the Plešivica hills. The extraordinary Amfora sparkling wine had its premiere at the 2018 VINOcom although the 2010 Amfora Brut Nature was previously listed as one of the "75 Stellar Buys of 2016" in the January 2017 issue of the prestigious Decanter magazine and is the first Croatian wine to receive such recognition.

However, this is not the first wine to put Croatia on the world wine map as our other wine regions like Istria and Dalmatia have been long known to produce amazing, top quality wines that can easily go side by side with their much more famous counterparts from France and Italy. In addition, we shouldn't miss mentioning the coldest wine region of Croatian Uplands which has been pioneering in the domestic production of icewines.

Apart from Croatian wines, at the 13th Zagreb VINOcom, visitors had the chance to taste wines from our neighboring countries like Slovenia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia.

To complement the vino, this year's festival boasted an impressive selection of olive oils and other culinary delicacies. The tasty bites included classics like Istrian and Dalmatian prosciutto, Slavonian kulen, and various other cold cuts; but also smoked fish, as well as truffle-flavored chips, salami, and even chocolate.

In conclusion, the 13th VINOcom was once again a big success, leaving us with the impression that Croatia is thirsty for more of such events.

For more related news, make sure you follow our designated gourmet page, and if you want to know more about what else happens in the Croatian capital, then Total Zagreb is your go-to web destination.

The 13th annual Zagreb VINOcom wine and culinary arts festival was opened yesterday, November 23, 2018 at the Esplanade hotel, HINA reported.

At the opening ceremony, more than 300 exhibitors of this year's VINOcom were welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolušić who took the opportunity to express his hopes that the new Croatian wine law will right the wrongs of some past injustices, and financially unload domestic winemakers. In addition, Tolušić stated that his only goal in the winemaking sector is to make winemakers' more successful and their businesses more lucrative, assuring them that the Ministry of Agriculture would do its best to help them. He also said that thanks to its winemakers and top quality wines, Croatia is becoming a recognized enology and wine tourism destination.

In his statement to the media after the festival opening, Tolušić said that the new Croatian law is set to establishment four marketing and wine regions, announcing the decentralization of the wine-rating system as well as an increase in production control.

Following the minister's statement, Vice President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy Dragan Kovačević said Croatia has a tremendous potential for wine growing, however, with annual production of 70-80 million liters of wine, and with our exports covering in value only 45% of imports, Kovačević concluded that we certainly cannot be satisfied.

He hopes that the new wine law, as a prerequisite for the growth of the winemaking industry, will soon result in positive changes, and act as a flywheel for the Croatian economy. Also, he believes that in the future, our gastronomic offer together with the wine industry will play a much greater part in building Croatia's tourism identity, contributing to the extension of the tourist season.

The participants of the 13th VINOcom festival were also welcomed by Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, and Ambassador of the Russian Federation Anvar Azimov, since Russia plays an important role at this year's VINOcom as a partner country.

Stay tuned for more related updates by following our designated gourmet page, and if it's just Zagreb you're interested in, make sure you follow Total Zagreb.

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