VINATLON 2023.

The Osijek-Baranja County has announced an exciting lineup for wine enthusiasts visiting Baranja Vinatlon this weekend.

The event features wine exhibitions and a diverse range of delicious Baranja cuisine. The attendance of wine experts from all over the region is announced.

On June 23rd, a conference at the Belje Winery in Kamenci is announced. The conference is called “Wine Tourism – Local Approach and European Perspectives.”

Prior to the conference, various cities and municipalities in Eastern Croatia will be signing the Charter of Cooperation of Wine Destinations alongside other European wine regions.

WINE LOVERS HEAD ON EAST

On June 23rd, the Belje Winery in Kamenci will host a conference entitled “Wine Tourism – Local Approach and European Perspectives.”

Visitors have the chance to indulge in the exquisite wines of the Danube region. They can also relish the rich cultural and artistic program offered at the “Longest Wine Table”.

This warm-up for the Wine Sports Games will follow on Saturday, June 24th, at the Reformatorski Surduk in Zmajevac.

The “Wine Circuit” will open at 10 AM, offering visitors a tour of the Baranja Wine Road. Tour guides and a boat ride in the Kopački Rit Nature Park are included.

At 3 PM, the Vinatlon (wine marathon) will kick off with the Bačvatlon (old barrel marathon).

With the weekend just around the corner, the wine barrels are ready and waiting. Registration is still open for those who want to participate.

The teams with the greatest skill and strength to push the barrels uphill will be rewarded with refreshing drinks. The organizers have generously prepared liquid prizes for the victorious teams.

Come and experience the exquisite wines of the Baranja region, showcased by the top regional winemakers.

The event will culminate with an evening performance by the renowned Croatian artist Goran Karan and his band, Vagabundo.

DO YOU WANT TO TRY CROATIAN WINES?

If you want to savor the exquisite flavor of Croatian wines, look no further than wineandmore.com. Offering a wide range of wines from various winemakers, you can easily find what suits your palate.

Do you need help selecting the right wine bottle? Try one of their curated wine cases, and find the perfect vintage for any occasion!

The post Get Ready for the Ultimate Vinatlon in Baranja appeared first on Total Croatia.

Pumpkin festival in Ivanić-Grad (in Croatian it’s called Bučijada and you can read more about it here and here has been held in the town of Ivanić-Grad for 13 years now, and it’s a central celebration in Central Croatia of all those wonderful fruits of autumn, with the emphasis on pumpkins. While, of course, native to North America, pumpkins have in the past been an important ingredient in many traditional recipes in the region, so it’s no wonder that there is a festival celebrating them in this part of Croatia. In the recent years many foreign influences and nutritional guidelines have made the old pumpkin grow even more popular, and now even the beverage that has sparked so much debate and interest in the past few years, the infamous pumpkin spice latte can be found in Croatia.

But why, oh why, you must be wondering by now, are we talking about pumpkins on an almost exclusively wine site? A more attentive reader of this site will probably be able to make the connection, as we have already mentioned Ivanić-Grad in our articles (http://www.total-croatia-wine.com/grapes/909-the-indigenous-grapes-of-croatia-skrlet and http://www.total-croatia-wine.com/croatian-wine-events/1231-skrletovo-2017, just to name a few). Škrlet is an indigenous wine variety of Croatia, more specifically indigenous to the Moslavina region, where the producers of the wine have organized the Škrlet wine makers association. And this year they decided to participate at the pumpkin festival, showcase their wines indigenous to the region and present how the wine they’re working hard on promoting blends with various pumpkin-based dishes. Their booth on the festival is called Škrlet Corner (ŠkrCo in Croatian, which is also a bit of a joke because it’s pronounced similar to what you’d call a cheap person), it is located right at the centre of the events of the festival, and most Škrlet producers from the association will be presenting their wines in Ivanić-Grad this weekend: Mikša, Florijanović, Kezele, Illovčak, Jaram, Trdenić and Voštinić-Klasnić. On Friday night, when the festival and Škrlet Corner were opened the Oridano Gypsy Jazz Band performed.

Photo from the Bučijada Facebook Page

Those who prefer beer to wine will also have something interesting to look for on the pumpkin festival, as Crafter’s Brewery will be offering their Pumpker Ale, a beer brewed using – yes, you guessed it right – pumpkin. With the addition of various spices usual for North American pumpkin deserts such as nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon and with almost no hops present, it is an interesting experiment with unexpected results, and if you like pumpkin (and why else would you be at the pumpkin festival?) you should give Pumpker a try!

The festival is being held this weekend, October 13th to 15th, so you still have the chance to hop onto the Bučko Express train leaving tomorrow morning from Zagreb Main Station around 9 am, or visit Ivanić-Grad by any other means of transportation, enjoy pumpkin-based delicacies at the festival and in most restaurants around the town, have some great pumpkin beer and, of course, enjoy some of the best Škrlet wines available.

The post Škrlet Corner at the Pumpkin Festival in Ivanić-Grad appeared first on Total Croatia.

So, around this time of year almost every weekend has a wine festival, or even a few. One of those weekends is the next weekend, 19^th and 20^th of May, when several such events are taking place, but one of those events definitely stands out in terms of longevity: The Fair and Exhibition of Zagorje Wines, taking place in Bedekovčina, will be held this year for the 50^th time!

Under the tents near the wonderful Bedekovčina lakes you will be able to taste the wines made by over 120 winemakers from Zagorje, enjoy delicacies coming from the region and prepared by some of the best restaurants in Zagorje. The wines made in Zagorje are now held to a high regard, although some not-so-good wines were also made there traditionally, but in the past decade or two a lot has been done to improve the quality of wines from Zagorje. So, many Zagorje wines were able to get awards, recommendations and become hit with the consumers, including well-known favourites, such as Bodren Winery dessert and ice wines which managed to get Decanter Gold medals in the past.

Ahead of the event itself the rating of the Zagorje wines was performed, lead by Professor Ana Jeromel from the Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture. Almost 150 samples of wine produced by the winemakers from the Krapina-Zagorje County were submitted to the rating this year, much more than last year, although the 2016 harvest was greatly influenced by the frost that impacted the grapes in the last year. The results of the rating were already made public (http://kzz.hr/poljoprivreda/sajam-vina-bedekovcina-2017-ocjenjivanje-uzoraka), and on 6pm Saturday evening the champions of the Exhibition will be announced, as the finale of the event (those of you who really know Zagorje wines will probably be able to guess who the champions will be, once you see the results, but don’t spoil it for the rest of us!). What we know now is that Bodren Winery won one “Big Gold” medal at the rating, for their 2011 ice harvest Traminac, and that Sever Zvonko from Klanjec managed to achieve unbelievable success with 3 Big Golds for his predicate wines, Yellow Muscat and Traminac. Around 30 “ordinary” Gold medals were also awarded by the jury, and you will get the chance to taste all of them near Bedekovčina lakes this Friday evening and after 3 pm Saturday, which is where you should be if you enjoy Zagorje wines!

The post 50th Fair and Exhibition of Zagorje Wines, Bedekovčina appeared first on Total Croatia.

This year, for the 24^th time, the festival will be held in the Žatika sports centre in Poreč, continuing its reputation of the leading exhibition of the wine and other indigenous Istrian products such as grappa, olive oil, honey, cheese and prosciutto. Three days of the exhibition will be filled with various events, lectures, workshops etc, because Vinistra is not just the local products exhibition, but an event where professionals get together to network, learn, teach and improve. In addition to the Istrian winemakers, there are also Slovenian, Italian and Hungarian winemakers participating in this year’s competitions and other events. The panel of judges for Vinistra consists of both the experienced wine professionals, and people who simply like and enjoy wine.

The main event of each Vinistra is the wine rating competition, which is considered the undisputed main rating of Malvazija wines in the world. Those ratings have already been performed; a couple of weeks ahead of the festival itself, and the results of the ratings have already been published. So, we know now the winners in various categories for various grappas, and olive oil (this year’s winner for olive oil are Marko Radola Family Farm, Azrri, Gržinić Marko Family Farm, Dolija 08, Zigante, Gamballeta D. Family Farm and Monte Rosso) – and you probably know that Istria has again been given the title of the Best Olive Oil Region in the world (http://www.total-croatia-news.com/made-in-croatia/17399-istria-is-the-best-olive-oil-region-in-the-world-again )!

As for the wines, there are many categories, and there were well over 300 applicants to the competition. The winners in the category of Best Indigenous Istrian wines are Malvazija istarska 2016 by Privitelio Nino Family Farm (young Malvazija), Festigia Malvazija istarska 2013 by Vina Istria (mature Malvazija), Fuga 2016 by Dobravac Winery (young Teran), Teran 2012 by Dešković Winery (mature Teran) and Refošk 2009 by Slovenian Bordon Winery (mature Refošk).

The World of Malvazija competition, rating various Malvazija wines, saw 53 still dry wines worth the gold medal; semi-dry wines category had 3 golds, in natural sweet/dessert wines category four golds were awarded etc.

On Thursday Oz Clarke will host a masterclass workshop on Teran wines, a workshop on how to pair various Istrian delicacirs will be held on Saturday, as well as the workshop on getting the money from the EU. On Sunday, the application “Local Winery Istria” will be presented (www.localwinery.eu), and tastings of various grappas and sparkling wines will be held. Vinistra Gourmet events will be taking place right next to the wine exhibition, and various restaurants, such as Špin Estate, restaurant 2. Peron in Cerovlje etc., will be given the opportunity to showcase their cuisine. Many bars and restaurants in Poreč will provide after-hours parties and entertainment for those who come to the town for Vinistra.

If you enjoy Istrian wines, Vinistra is an event you can’t afford to miss!

The post Vinistra 2017 appeared first on Total Croatia.

It’s the 18^th year in a row that Međimurje is organizing Urbanovo festival, a multi-layered event taking place during May. Broadly, the event can be divided into three sections: the Pušipel festival, Open Cellar Days in Međimurje and the celebration of the patron-saint Saint Urban and a Wine ball. (Pušipel is the wine variety of many names; in Međimurje it’s known under that name, but others call it Moslavac, or Šipon or Furmint…)

Before the event itself a wine grating is held in Trebotz castle in Štrigova this weekend, with emphasis on Pušipel wines, but other wines were welcome to participate in the other category. During the Wine ball in the castle the winning Pušipel wine will be the star of the show.

Urbanovo Gurman Week is part of the celebration that takes place in the restaurants all over Međimurje: around a dozen restaurants have prepared special menus, inspired by this event, where for 100 kuna you will get 3 courses paired with some of the best Međimurje wines in the week between 2^nd and 9^th of May. Urbanovo nights are the evening events in different bars and restaurants in Međimurje with presentations of Međimurje wines, mostly held on weekends.

Pušipel festival (this year it is to be held on 20^th and 21^st of May) is a festival of winemakers of Pušipel wine, but also a place where a lot of winemaking equipment is presented, and where winemakers from Međimurje can learn about new technologies. There are around 30 winemakers from Međimurje each year, with guests from other winemaking regions from Croatia and abroad. During the festival many workshops and lectures are also held, aimed mostly at winemakers and with the clear intention to educate them.

One weekend after the Pušipel festival (26^th, 27^th May) the Open Cellar Days will be held, during which participating winemakers will offer you their wines in their cellars and tasting rooms, and Wine Games are held in Sveti Urban, where teams compete in their knowledge of viticulture and winemaking. And in early June, as a finale of this event, the wine ball in the Trebotz castle is held.

If you love Croatian continental wines, many events of the Urbanovo festival are something you can’t miss!

The post Urbanovo 2017 appeared first on Total Croatia.

ŠkrletOVO 2017 is a one-day boutique wine festival, held for the first time this year in Ivanić Grad on 20^th of May 2017. The goal of the festival is to help brand the local indigenous wine variety Škrlet as the symbol of Moslavina.

The event is divided into two parts, with the first being oriented towards the winemakers and wine professionals and is invitation-only, while the second “session” is oriented towards the public, and will include wine tasting, music and basic afternoon-evening enjoyment of wine and good company.

The schedule of the event is as follows:

13 – 14 Škrlet – How to Create a Regional (National) Brand out of a Local Wine?

A moderated panel-discussion, hosted by Zvjezdana Marković, PhD, assistant professor at the Department of Viticulture and Enology of Zagreb’s Faculty of Agriculture (and a local expert, as she grew up in Moslavina). The panellists will be also chosen by her, and have not yet been confirmed. The panel discussion will be held at the Small hall of the Ivanić Grad Civic Centre, in the centre of Ivanić Grad.

14 – 15:30 – Škrlet – colours and flavours, a guided tasting will take place, led by Saša Špiranec, one of the leading Croatian wine experts. The tasting will include a blind tasting of Škrlet (and grading!), and the second part will be designed to show those participating the differences in styles of Škrlet. Again, this tasting will be held in the Small hall of the Civic Centre, and will be invitation-only, aimed at experts, winemakers, wine merchants and journalists.

After 15:30 a lunch will be held in the Small hall for the participants of the panel discussion and the tasting, where Škrlet will be paired with the best local food prepared for the event.

And, after 4 pm is when the party for the public starts: in front of the Civic Centre, in the relaxed atmosphere “Škrlet wine makers association” members will provide the wine, DJ Jogarde (who is also a winemaker!) will be in charge of the music, local producers will provide the finger-food for the occasion, for entrance fee of 50 kuna you will get 5 “shots” of wine from the winemakers and any additional wine will cost you 10 kuna. One important thing to mention here is that there will be a Škrlet hour (which is actually two hours), during which only Škrlet will be poured, and after that each of the winemakers will get the chance to promote two of their other wines – until 9 pm, when the end of this wine party is planned.

The post ŠkrletOVO 2017 appeared first on Total Croatia.

The Festival’s gala dinner was also held in the Dubrovnik Palace Hotel.

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As this year’s Urbanovo wine festival in Međimurje approaches, wine lovers in Zagreb will get the chance to enjoy the wines from Međimurje in a one-night event, held on the 22^nd of April in the centre of the city. Ilica 1, that is the address of a well-known skyscraper on the Zagreb main square, is where the Petit café bar is located, at the ground floor. This is where Eno Expert, a company specialized in wine consulting and event organizing, will host the tasting of various Međimurje wines in Zagreb. The event is one of a series called Wine and Music, and the music will be provided by Small Change Duet, Eduard Jimmy Matešić (one of the top Croatian blues guitar players) and Ana Lovrenčić.

The wines for the evening will be from the best Međimurje winemakers. We have already written about many of them: Štampar, Kerman, Dvanajščak Kozol, Preiner, Cmrečnjak, Kocijan, Kojter, Horvat, Agromeđimurje wineries. Perhoč Family Farm, of course also from Jurovčak in Međimurje will present and offer their products, charcuterie they make from deer and musk ox they breed on their farm. The new visual identity of the Urbanovo wine festival will also be presented at the event.

The organizers explained to us what exactly the entrance fee of 100 kuna includes: at the entrance you get the glass, and with that glass you’re welcome to drink as much Međimurje wine as you wish during the evening (the event begins at 7pm, and is expected to be finished by 10 pm), and you get to take your wonderful Urbanovo glass home with you.

So, if you’re in Zagreb and enjoy Međimurje wines, there are no excuses, see you on the 22^nd in Petrićev prolaz, in Petit café!

The post Wine and Music: Urbanovo appeared first on Total Croatia.

As Total Croatia News has already written about, later in April 2017 the first “I am Tribidrag” conference will be held in Split. In a five-star Split hotel Park, on April 27^th and 28^th some of the world’s leading experts will gather to discuss the wine variety that likes to be called all different sorts of names: Tribidrag, Pribidrag, Crljenak Kaštelanski in Croatia, Primitivo in Italy and Zinfandel in the USA (and basically the rest of the world).

“I Am Tribidrag” Conference is organized by the Tribidrag Association of Zagreb, founded by wine enthusiasts Davorka Krnić-Trick, Fani Prodan,and Iva Drganc, in collaboration with Edi Maletić and Ivan Pejić.

And when we say “world’s leading experts”, we are not kidding: the conference will include lectures by Professor Carole Meredith of the University of California, Davis, the most important person in the quest to find the European origins of Zinfandel, which was eventually resolved in Kaštela over 15 years ago (and that was one of her many successful studies of grape genetics), her colleagues from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Professors Ivan Pejić and Edi Maletić, leading Croatian grapevine researchers and geneticists, Professor José Vouillamoz, Swiss grape geneticist trained with Prof. Meredith at UC Davis, one of the world’s leading authority on the origin and parentage of grape varieties through DNA profiling, Jancis Robinson, wine critic and book author described by Decanter magazine as ‘the most respected wine critic and journalist in the world’, co-author of Wine Grapes, the first book in English to introduce Tribidrag as the prime name for this variety.

Her logic in deciding that Tribidrag should be used as the prime name for the variety is that the oldest name gets the title! While the first written reference to the name Primitivo dates from 1799 and to Zinfandel from 1837, the first reference to Tribidrag dates all the way back to the 15^th century, so that’s what everyone should be using. The organizers of the conference have agreed with her, and during the conference’s two days those attending will get the chance to hear the Story of Tribidrag, told by Professors Meredith and Pejić, hear about the Zinfandel in the States with the tasting (that will be a very unusual tasting, as it is supposed to take place at 10 am – not sure if it’s legal to drink wine that early in a day, though it is Dalmatia, so it probably is), about Primitivo in Italy with tasting, about Croatian Tribidrag with tasting and finally about the variety as it is made all over the world. Over 20 different wines made from Tribidrag grapes grown all over the world.

If you wish to participate in the conference, you can still register here.

The post The Wine Events of Croatia: I am Tribidrag Conference, Split appeared first on Total Croatia.

The town of Zadar and the Zadar County are currently among the fastest growing wine regions in Croatia, with ever increasing number of winemakers, national and international recognition of their wines and major investments into winemaking in the region. Therefore, this region needs to have a wine festival, especially since the region is an important market for Croatian winemakers during the tourist season. So the festival is presenting the wines made by the local winemakers, but winemakers from all around Croatia were also welcome, as it is important to offer a wide variety of wines to the customers.

The festival will last for two days, in the unique ambient and it will include wine workshops for the beginners and restaurateurs, held by the lecturers from the Croatian Sommelier Club, education on how to build your wine list for bars and restaurants, education on how to get the EU funding for the winemakers, a lecture on the Zadar wine region, presentations of the young wines from Istria and Slavonia, gala dinner and a lot of fun and entertainment.

Zadar Wine Festival is supported by the Town of Zadar, Zadar County, Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Croatian Sommelier Club and others. The organizers sommelier Ivan Stiblik and restorateur Danijel Peroš say that they managed to attract 82 presenting winemakers to the festival, including all of the winemakers from the Zadar region. The total number of wines being presented is over 450, with 11 sparking wines.

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