Wojciech Bońkowski
Master of Wine

Exciting Croatia

Posted on 23 December 2010

Here are some belated notes from my trip to Croatia last November. I attended the Zagreb Vino.com international wine salon as well as visiting four wine zones in the inland part of the country.

A few years ago, 2002–2008, I regularly tasted Croatian wines at various wine fairs for the Croatian chapter of my wine guide. While I found many of good quality and several that were distinctive and interesting, intercourse with Croatian producers was a challenge. The wine industry seemed rather disorganised and (sorry for this) provincial in its perspectives. The good mixed indiscriminately with the bad, the appellation system was a nightmare of confusion, and there was an obvious lack of coordination and vision in the rudimentary marketing.

Producers from Kutjevo gathered at Vlado Krauthaker’s for a group tasting.

I must say that this trip – my first to Croatia – has been a big positive surprise. The improvement in wine quality is obvious throughout the country – the coastal regions (were sales are always easy due to the abundant tourists) are less patchy than I remember, and continental Croatia seems to be making qualitative leaps. More importantly, I noticed a change in attitude. Croatian wine is no more a bunch of solo arias in different keys. While it’s not the Berlin Philharmonic yet, at least some people are trying to sing together. The producers of Istria are a good example – 30 of them agreed to label their basic white Malvazija with a common logo. And in the four regions I visited, producers gathered at one of the wineries to present their stuff to journos during a joint session. It sounds like a natural thing to do, but I can tell you it’s a rare occurrence in Mediterranean Europe to get producers to cooperate on any level.

These semi-dried figs from Central Dalmatia were among the best I've ever tasted.

Another good surprise was the level of infrastructure. Good roads, renovated buildings, clean streets, busy restaurants. Flights are on time, hotel personnel are responsive and helpful. The young lady at the confectionery shop speaks excellent English and gets me a perfect local cake to take home. The local green market in Zagreb on a Saturday morning is full of locals and sells fantastic produce. Small details that contribute to a successful stay and a positive impression.

The change of attitude is to be felt everywhere. I’ve not heard the word ‘Yugoslavia’ once in a week’s stay – although travelling east towards the border, there was talk of ‘the neigbouring country’ on the other side of the Danube (that ignominious neighbour of course is Serbia). The organisational and mental disasters of Communism seem largely gone. Croatia is gathering momentum and running forward increasingly fast. The streets of Zagreb are not much different from those of Warsaw or Vienna, and it’s only for secondary political reasons that the country still falls short of the EU. Its wines fully belong to the European family – distinctive and expressive, they show plenty of terroir character and qualitative potential. More about this in the next few posts as I explore the regions of Ilok, Baranja and Plešivica as well as presenting my best shots of the Zagreb Vino.

Nineteenth-century Zagreb.

Disclosure

My trip to Croatia including flights, accommodation and wine tasting programme is sponsored by the Zagreb Vino.com festival and the Croatian National Tourist Board.
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