Wijnroutes van Kroatië

1) WIJNROUTES VAN ZAGREB, ISTRIE EN KVARNER

1e dag

Aankomst op de luchthaven van Zagreb. Na zijn ontmoeting met uw gids en chauffeur, rit naar Samoborsko Gorje en PIeivica wijnroute, waar u bezoek 2 wijnkelders en worden ingevoerd om de traditie van wijn maken in Pleivica regio. Bij aankomst, een bezoek aan familie Mr Korak wijnkelder en wijnproeverij van enkele van de beste en meest herkenbare soorten wijn. De heer Velimir Korak was de beste wijnmaker in Kroatië voor het jaar 2008.

Na deze ervaring zullen we een bezoek een ander wijnhuis in de buurt waar je kunt zelfgemaakte maaltijd te genieten met zorgvuldig gekozen wijnen geïntegreerd in het menu. In de avond terug te keren naar Zagreb naar uw hotel voor overnachting.

2e dag

Ontbijt in uw hotel. Rit naar Klanjec; bezoek aan een prachtig museum en een bezoek familie Sever`s wijnhuis-familie met langdurige familietraditie van wijnstok teelt. Na een traditionele huisgemaakte brunch en wijnproeverij zullen we nemen u mee naar een populaire kerk te bezoeken in de regio, genaamd "Kathedraal van Zagorje". Rijden naar kasteel Veliki Tabor, een van de beste preservecl middeleeuwse en renaissance Casties van Continental Kroatië, geclassificeerd als een prime categorie UNESCO monument. Bellow Veliki Tabor is een gezellig familierestaurant waar zelfgemaakte diner met lokale wijn en ouderwetse douane zal uw ervaringen over de cultuur en traditie van wijn en gastronomische traditie van Hrvatsko Zagorje vervullen. Keer terug naar Zagreb naar uw hotel voor overnachting.


3e dag

Ontbijt in uw hotel. Rij richting Rijeka en Istrië en tot in het kleinste stadje van de wereld - beroemde Hum. Rij door Glagolitische weg naar Buzet en Mirna vallei van de rivier, onder de oude stad van Motovun aan uw

hotel vestigen en korte rustpauze. Korte rit door de verborgen routes naar een landelijke huishouden met een prachtig uitzicht op de Cicarija, Motovun en Groznjan. Op 200 jaar oud stenen huis, nu een taverne, zul je beste smaak hij een van Malvasia, "ontmoeten" de slimste ezel in Istrië en genieten van de smaak van de lokale keuken. Keer terug naar uw hotel en overnachting.

4e dag

Ontbijt in uw hotel. Rijden naar Porec en Rovinj voor individuele bezoeken van bezienswaardigheden. Daarna nemen wij u mee naar een mooie 6 generaties oud verhaal, een verhaal van de familie Poletti, altijd op dezelfde plaats. U brengt een bezoek aan hun wijnkelders en die vervolgens proeven wat wijn met lokale snacks. En dan nog een verrassing - de lunch op basis van truffels in het restaurant van de meest bekende Istrische truffel plukkers. Keer terug naar uw hotel, `s nachts

5e dag

Ontbijt in uw hotel. Rij richting het eiland Krk en Jurandvor te bezoeken van Baanska ploëa - het oudste monument van de Kroatische cultuur (van het jaar 1100) geschreven in Glagolitische brief. Rit naar Vrbnik waar u de lokale wijnen te proeven en vervolgens genieten van een ongewone en unieke diner op basis van lahtina wijn op wijn Toljanic familie`s huis. Accommodatie in uw hotel en overnachting.

6e dag

Ontbijt in uw hotel. Na het ontbijt wat vrije tijd en dan terug te keren naar Vrbnik voor een wijnproeverij in de traditionele Konoba op de Dobrinoviô familie wijnhuis. Rijden naar Zagreb in de middag; vestigen in uw hotel, diner en overnachting.

7e dag

Ontbijt in uw hotel. Na het ontbijt vertrek voor een rondleiding van Zagreb. Vrije middag voor sommige wandelen, winkelen of om wat musea te bezoeken, galeries, etc. Terug naar uw hotel voor diner en overnachting.

8e dag

Ontbijt in uw hotel en transfer naar luchthaven van Zagreb, afhankelijk van uw vluchtschema

PRIJS: vanaf 765 Euro per persoon

Prijs is gebaseerd op min. 15 betaalde arrangementen

 
Arrangement is inclusief: 7 dag bed and breakfast in 3-sterren hotels met verblijfsbelasting inciuded, transfers zoals in het programma, alle bezoeken aan wijnhuizen en wijnkelders als in het programma, alle wijnproeverij en extra maaltijden zoals in het programma met inbegrip van diners, toegangskaarten als in programma, begeleid Zagreb City Tour, de gids tijdens de reis, het programma organisatie

1) WINE ROADS OF ZAGREB COUNTY, ISTRIA AND KVARNER

1st day

Arrival at Zagreb Airport. After meeting your guide and driver, ride to Samoborsko gorje and PIeivica wine road where you will visit 2 wine cellars and be introduced to the tradition of wine making in Pleivica region. Upon arrival, a visit to Mr. Korak’s family wine cellar and wine tasting of some of the best and most recognizable wine types. Mr. Velimir Korak was the best winemaker in Croatia for year 2008.

After this experience we will visit another wine house nearby where you can enjoy homemade meal with carefully chosen wines integrated in the menu. In the evening return to Zagreb to your hotel for overnight.

2nd day

Breakfast in your hotel. Ride towards Klanjec; visit to a beautiful museum and visit family Sever’s wine house- family with long standing family tradition of grape vine cultivation. After a traditional homemade brunch and wine tasting we will take you to visit a most popular church in the region, called “Cathedral of Zagorje”. Drive to fortified castle Veliki Tabor; one of the best preservecl medieval and Renaissance casties of Continental Croatia, classified as a prime category UNESCO monument. Bellow Veliki Tabor is a nice family restaurant where homemade dinner with local wine and old fashioned customs will fulfil your experience about culture and tradition of wine and gourmet tradition of Hrvatsko Zagorje. Return to Zagreb to your hotel for overnight.

3rd day

Breakfast in your hotel. Drive towards Rijeka and Istria and to the smallest town in the world - famous Hum. Drive through Glagolitic road to Buzet and Mirna river valley, below the ancient town of Motovun to your

hotel, settle down and short rest. Short ride through the hidden routes to a rural household with a beautiful view of the Cicarija, Motovun and Groznjan. At 200 year old stone house, now a tavern, you’ll taste one of he best Malvasia, “meet” the smartest donkey in Istria and enjoy the taste of local cuisine. Return to your hotel and overnight stay.

4th day

Breakfast in your hotel. Drive to Porec and Rovinj for individual sightseeing. After that we will take you to a beautiful 6 generations old story, a story of family Poletti, always on the same place. You will visit their wine cellars and then taste some wine with local snacks. And then another surprise — lunch based on truffles in the restaurant of the most famous Istrian truffle pickers. Return to your hotel, overnight

5th day

Breakfast in your hotel. Drive towards Krk Island and Jurandvor to visit of Baanska ploëa — the oldest monument of Croatian culture (from year 1100) written in Glagolitic letter. Drive to Vrbnik where you will taste local wine and then enjoy an unusual and unique dinner based on lahtina wine at Toljanic family’s wine house. Accommodation in your hotel and overnight stay.

6th day

Breakfast in your hotel. After breakfast some free time and then return to Vrbnik for another wine tasting in traditional KONOBA at the Dobrinoviô family wine house. Drive to Zagreb in the afternoon; settle down in your hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

7th day

Breakfast in your hotel. After breakfast departure for a guided tour of Zagreb. Free afternoon for some strolling, shopping or to visit some museums, galeries etc. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

8th day

Breakfast in your hotel and transfer to Zagreb Airport, depending on your flight schedule

PRICE: from 765 Euro per person

Price is based on min. 15 paid arrangements

Arrangement includes: 7 day bed and breakfast in 3 star hotels with stay tax inciuded, transfers as in program, all visits to wine houses and wine cellars as in program, all wine tasting and additional meals as in program including dinners, entrance tickets as in program, guided Zagreb City Tour, guide during the journey, program organization

1) VINSKI PUTI SREDNJE I JUŽNE DALMACIJE

1.dan

Dolazak u zraènu luku Split u poslije podnevnim satima, vožnja prema Skradinu i Plastovu u posjet vinariji obitelji Bibich. Kušanje odabranih sorti vina. Kratka vožnja do hotela, smještaj u sobe, veèera, noæenje.

2.dan

Doruèak u hotelu. Nakon doruèka odlazak u NP Krka. Osjetite kakarteristièan miris rijeke Krke...

razgledajte mlinice s pripadajuæim sadržajom: etno zbirka, stupa, valjavice, mlinovi te tkalaèka radionica uz struènu prezentaciju i demonstraciju. Povratak u Skradin brodom kroz kanjon Krke. Odlazak u Šibenik na razgled grada u pratnji vodièa. Povratak u hotel na kraæi odmor. Slijedi odlazak u Skradin na odlièan domaæi Debit i finu zakusku te šetnja gradom i posjet utvrdi bana Pavla I Šubiæa Bribirskog. Veèer uz glazbu nastavljamo u ambijentu jednog od najpopularnijih barova jadrana; kušanje skradinskih specijaliteta te slobodno veèer za isprobavanje razlièitih vrsta cocktaila. Povratak u hotel, noæenje

3.dan

Doruèak u hotelu. Odlazak na obilazak arheološkog lokaliteta Bribirsku glavicu, tzv. Hrvatsku Troju.

Nakon razgleda prema Imotskom. Po dolasku u Imotski posjet vinskoj kuæi eko proizvonaèa Nikoliæa na kušanje vina zlatne kujunjnuše, vrhunskih domaæih likera i hladne zakuske. Obilazak stare imotske tvrne te slijedi odlazak do Modrog jezera. Nakon ugodne šetnje posjet vinskoj kuæi i podrumu obitelji Grabovac, najpoznatijoj vinskoj kuæi u regiji. Kušanje rijetkih, starih autohtonih sorti crnog vina. Vožnja prema Metkoviæu, smještaj u hotel, veèera, noæenje.

4. dan

Doruèak u hotelu. Odlazak na Foto safari dolinom rijeke Neretve pri èemu æete uživati u vožnji kroz

kanale i rukavce uz razgledavanje bogate flore i faune neretvanske moèvare, jedine Hrvatske delte.

U poslije podnevnim satima vas vodimo u posjet Mostaru, povratak u Metkoviæ na veèeru, noæenje.

5. dan

Doruèak u hotelu. Vožnja prema poluotoku Pelješcu I Stonu. Dok smo u Stonu, iskoristite priliku popeti se na zidine koje povezuju Veliki i Mali Ston i s prekrasnog vidikovca jedne od kula uživajte u pogledu na prostrana polja soli i Stonski kanal. Tijekom vožnje po poluotoku ne propustite pogledati Pelješke vinograde a vašim osjetilima dopustite užitak kušanja vrhunskih vina kao što su Plavac i Dingaè. Vino i domaæe specijalitete æemo degustirati u jednom od tradicionalnih vinskih podruma gdje æete èuti interesantne prièe o dugoj povijesti tradicije vinarstva i vinogradarstva u ovoj regiji. Dolazak u Dubrovnik u kasnijim poslije podnevnim satima, smještaj u hotelu, veèera, noæenje.

6. dan

Doruèak u hotelu. Odlazak na razgled grada sa struènim vodièem te slobodno vrijeme za individualni

obilazak grada. U poslijepodnevnim satima posjet jednom od vinara dubrovaèke regije, kušanje

odabranih sorti vina. Povratak u hotel na veèeru, noæenje

7. dan

Nakon doruèka izlet autobusom na Prevlaku. Povratak prema Cavtatu. Slobodno vrijeme za individualni obilazak Cavtata. Vrijeme je za još jedno kušanje vina i domaæih specijaliteta konavoskog kraja. Povratak u hotel na veèeru, noæenje.

8. dan

CIJENA: od 695 Eura po osobi

Cijena je bazirana na min. 15 uplaæenih aranžmana

Aranžman ukljucuje: 7 noæenja s doruèkom u hotelima 3* zvjezdice s ukljuèenom boravišnom

pristojbom, transferi prema programu, sva kušanja vina i dodatni obroci prema programu, foto safari po dolini Neretve, razgled Dubrovnika u pratnji struènog vodièa, ulaznica za NP Krka, poludnevni izlet u Mostar, pratitelja tijekom èitavog putovanja, organizaciju programa

Hvar Island - Home of Zlatan`s Grand Cru

Posted 12 26 2008 by katherine     
 

The Plenkovic vineyards hovering above the town Sv. Nedjelja

We’re on Hvar to visit the single winery in all of Croatia, called Zlatan Otok, that produces a Grand Cru wine. Zlatan Plenkovic, the owner, is not available to us, but his son Marin (who is finishing his studies to take up a position at the winery) takes good care of us for the twenty-odd hours we’re here. He drives us from Jelsa over the top of the island to the south side, where the winery is, via a single-lane tunnel with rough rock walls carved through the mountaintop. Marin pauses about 100 meters into the tunnel and points to a room off to the side where stainless-steel tanks are visible through the doorway—they store some of their white wine here without need for refrigeration (because of the cold rock). When they need the wine, they simply pump it out through hoses connected to a tank truck parked outside the tunnel. Come to think of it, those tanks must have been constructed inside the rock room, as they wouldn’t fit through the door!
The Plenkovic vineyards hovering above the town Sv. Nedjelja. The roadway is precipitous, with switchback curves and not a guardrail in sight. At one point we encounter a Range Rover (what folly!) that has to back up so we don’t slip off the one-and-a-half-lane road, onto the roof of a house, trying to pass it. We have a brief tour of the winery, then settle at the family house and pension lodgings three minutes away. The family is building a small tourist empire here, in this quiet, rural town Sveta Nedjelja which is isolated by the mountain looming above and by the lack of a direct road from here to fashionable Hvar city down the coast. In addition to the pension, the Plenkovic family have built a quite nice restaurant below the house on the waterfront, with a small marina attached, but have battled the winter waves each year, which wreak havoc on the underwater pilings and the restaurant windows.     

Tasting Croatia’s Only Grand Cru     

We sit around the family table with stoneworkers who are building a terrace in front of the house, and taste wine over supper of salad, sauteed mushrooms, roasted eggplant and octopus, and blood sausage, with a not-too-sweet walnut spice cake for dessert.
The vineyards on the Southern slope towards the Adriatic Sea.    Zlatan makes a couple of whites from bogdanusa and posip grapes, of which the Otok Hvar is now being imported to the U.S. for the first time. It’s the plavac mali, the red grape that predominates in southern coastal Croatia and is closely related to zinfandel, that goes into Croatia’s grand cru. We taste the three Zlatan Plavacs side by side. The “Barrique” and the “Grand Cru” are available in our wine shop.  

ZLATAN PLAVAC 2005 is 100% plavac mali matured in 5000-liter neutral barrels. It has a black cherry aroma and only medium tannin and extract, with flavors also of black cherries, blood, dry leaves/tobacco, and a tobacco finish. (This is great with the homemade spiced blood sausage we’re eating.)     ZLATAN PLAVAC Barrique 2004 spends 18-24 months in barrique. It has pronounced oak on the nose, laid over plums, blueberries, and slight tar; fairly intense flavors of black cherries, plums, dry tobacco, and new oak. A well made wine good for sipping now, or hold for two to three years. Fantastic with parmigiano.  

ZLATAN PLAVAC Grand Cru 2003 spends the same 18-24 months in barrique as the wine above, but the best juice is selected for this wine. The difference is higher extract, more fruit on the nose, and a mild, sweet oak; incredible deep black fruit on the palate, much more depth, subtler oak than the barrique wine, and better integrated, with excellent balance. This will develop nicely for eight to ten years.     

Up the Mountain to Vineyards and a Monastery    

In the morning, it’s still raining off and on. Marin drives us up the hillside behind the winery on loose stone tracks that are just wide enough for the Jeep. The rocks around us are a hard conglomerate of sharp white stones glued together with iron-red silt. The thick red soil where the grapes grow is “made” by feeding the conglomerated stone through a rock grinder that breaks it down. The vineyards here are all plavac mali, but it’s unclear whether they belong to Zlatan or to one of the growers he buys from. He buys all the grapes produced between the winery below us and a point about 4km to the west, toward Hvar town. Marin tells us all the growers are organic. Ultimately the best juice ends up in the grand cru wine.
Hidden and overgrown: the ruins of an Augustine Monastery.    We’re at the very top of the steep vineyards, just beneath the rocky mountaintop, so we hike just a little farther up to a cave where there’s a tiny Augustine monastery dating to the 1500s. The mouth of the cave is huge. Just where the opening begins, there is a retaining wall with a stone staircase leading up through a gate to a level terrace. In the center of this yard there’s a well with a wooden cover, a cross, and an empty and dilapidated stone hut that now has grafitti inside from hikers and campers. On the right is a chapel which is still used at least once each year, when there’s an Easter procession up the hill through the vineyards with a statue of Christ on the cross. Up a few steps to one side of the cave is a shrine to the Virgin Mary, and up steps to the other side one can go to the back of the cave, behind the shrubbery surrounding the monastery. There’s a large chamber that Marin says once led through the mountain to two different destinations, but the access point is now purposely blocked with boulders.  

After lunch we head to Hvar city, a lovely resort town that we don’t have time to see because we’re catching a ferry to Korcula. It has finally stopped raining, and we sit in the cushioned outdoor lounge in front of one of the new boutique hotels drinking Cuba Libres and espresso until the boat arrives. Tags: croatia    hvar    katherine camargo`s travels    katherine camargo``s travels    plavac mali    posip    zlatan plenkovic   
 

A Call to Ivo Caric

Posted 07 23 2007 by miquel   
 
Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          As is usually the case in a small place, everyone seems to know everyone and this was perfectly illustrated when we were tasting at Svirce and they realized we hadn`t met with Ivo Caric, another local wine maker on Hvar.
Ivo with his wineDespite the fact he is technically the competition, they called him up and told him to stop by with some of his wines to for us to taste. Just a bit later, in the door walks this large man, dwarfing the bottles he carried (no, that`s not a split he`s holding up in the photo, it`s a full 750ml) who, like most wine makers was delightful to talk to.     Ivo started making wine as a full enterprise in 1993. Like most who started in the nineties, he was born of a long family tradition of wine making that stretches back five or six generations. He is something of a small producer making 50,000 liters a year. The grapes that go in to the production come from four hectares of his own and grapes he purchases from his neighbors. He makes two different Plavac wines (or Plovac in the Hvarski dialect) as well as a Rosé, Bogdanuša, a white blend called Cesarica, and then `stolno` level red that he sells in bulk.
The Cesarica    Ivo`s 2004 Plovac Ploški is a wine that starts out rather light in the nose, but opens up very quickly. The body is buttery and very well tempered with good, round qualities that carry in to the finish and even give a touch of cherry in there which is fun. In contrast, the 2004 Plovac Ploški Barrique takes all of these flavors and puts a nice, spicy oak in to the nose. The body is even smoother than the non-barrique and the wine is incredibly well-balanced. It makes for some really good drinking and is one of the smoothest finishes to a Plavac Mali that we`ve found.     While just a quick taste and conversation, it was great to see what one simple phone call could do! Tags: croatia    europe travels    hvar    plavac mali   
 

A Big Taste of Svirce on Hvar

Posted 07 21 2007 by miquel  
 
Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe     
The beginning of tastes from Andrija Caric    We have visited many of the formerly state-owned, large cooperatives that were remnants of the Communist area until they were sold off in to private hands. Our treatment has ranged from pleasant to here`s our boot and there`s the door. Svirce on Hvar has changed all this, because despite the fact they are a big producer (700,000 to one million bottles a year), they were very inviting and were great people to sit and talk about the wine production on this very touristic island.
Dolac barrique    These guys are the biggest producer on Hvar and if you`re a grower there and not selling your grapes to Plenkovic, Tomic, or Plancic, then you`re most likely selling to Svirce. Even though they could let this go to their head, they don`t and they know how to make some really good wines, which naturally, we had a good taste of. Actually, it was a great taste of nearly everything they produce, which we`ll sum up with some of the shining examples showing that big wine making can make great wines.     Their 2005 Plavac Hvar is a light wine at 12.2% alcohol that has quite a light nose. Despite the $6 price tag, it`s a nice wine that`s easy to drink through to the finish. While nothing about it really rallies any cheers, it worked as a great lead in to the Plavac Barrique 2001, which is just slightly more expensive at $9, but is much more complex. There is more spice and a touch of tasty leather to the nose. The body is dry and smooth, maybe with a little smoked ham as an undertone. The overall texture is very buttery, but when it comes to the finish, the dryness comes out.
Dolac Exclusive    Despite the dominance of Korcula in Pošip production, the folks at Svirce make one that is grown from the grapes on Hvar. It`s good with a stronger nose than standard Korèula Pošip. There is also a taste of raspberry to it, which was surprising and as it opens up more, a little bit of pear comes in to the picture. One of the last wines we tasted was the 2003 Ivan Dolac Exclusive EKO. It`s almost cruel to talk about the wine because it is amazing and because of that, intertwined with limited production, naturally almost impossible to find. It has rich oak and tobacco on the nose. Due to the amount of sun the grapes get, there is higher sugar which translates in to a body that is dry, but full of meat. There are subtle berry tones in to the finish and it is flat-out amazing. We would like to thank the Svirèe people for not only changing our perception of former cooperatives, but also sharing some outstanding wines with us. Tags: croatia    europe travels    hvar    plavac mali    
 

Marko Polo`s Hometown, and the Wine He May Have Drank

Posted 12 28 2008 by katherine     
 

Approaching Korèula by Ferry.After gazing longingly for two days at the picturesque walled town of Korcula across the water from our hotel balcony, we finally hop on the ferry and head back to the island with Boris. He has arranged for his former boss, at Marco Polo Tours in Korcula town, to give us a tour of the old city. This charming, professorial man in a houndstooth jacket clearly loves his native city. He leads us up the steps to the old walled city—steps that used to be a drawbridge over the moat. On the outside of the city gate is a relief of St Mark’s lion—the lion of Venice. For some 400 years, until about 1800, Korcula was a part of the Venetian empire, at the same time that Orebic, across the water, was the farthest outpost of the Dubrovnik Republic. Just inside the main gate is the early Renaissance St. Mark’s Cathedral, with more lions guarding the portal, and two Tintorettos, among other treasures, inside. As we walk through town, we’re told that the streets were laid out in a fishbone pattern in order to control the passage of hot and cold breezes through the city.

Marko Polo’s house
The ruins of Marko Polo’s house on Korcula .is a picturesque ruin at the end of a passage overhung by mandarin trees and flowering bushes, but there are carefully numbered stones lying in a pile inside the foundations, awaiting the coming restoration and museumification. The ruins are so evocative that I find myself hoping they don’t restore it too completely. We climb the lookout tower attached to the house that once gave a view of this region’s extensive and highly profitable shipping traffic, as well as wargoing ships that were financed as business investments. Now we see only a giant white cruise ship anchored to the north. The P.Z. Pošip Cooperative     From Korcula, we drive inland and meet enologist Janko Jovanov at the side of the road overlooking Cara (“char-a”). Cara is both a town and a designated wine region on Korcula. We look down into a narrow valley and see an industrial-looking winery and some 130 grape-growing plots. This is the cooperative producer P.Z. Pošip, which makes about 500,000 bottles a year. The grape plots (growing the indigenous pošip grape) are farmed by their 130-odd growers, who are issued guidelines by the government and annual spraying and maintenance plans by the winery. The result is individual plots of differing qualities. The best fruit, not more than 10% of the harvest, is selected for 20,000-30,000 bottles of the premium Marko Polo Pošip, which is produced only in years when grape quality is sufficient. 

We descend to the vineyards and talk about the history of posip production here. Before the phylloxera disaster in the late 1800s, there were 4000ha of grapes growing on Korcula, of more than fifty different grape varieties, and production was about 70% red wine. Now there are fewer than 400ha, of eleven varieties, and the production is 70% white wine. Janko tells us of mass emigrations of Korculans after phylloxera wiped out grape growing on the island, with the result that there are now communities of Korculans as far away as Australia and Brazil. The pošip grape was once the predominant white variety in the general area. Now it’s almost exclusively grown on Korcula, although it is being planted on the islands
The Adriatic Sea and a Sea of Pošip.of Brac and Hvar in an effort to regain its prominence as a quality white grape.Still, Janko says it is difficult to get reliable pošip cuttings for grafting without providing the plants for the cuttings themselves—the grape is just not common enough to be able to buy plants. Before lunch, we drive to the other end of this small valley to Smokvica (“little fig”), which is the second designated village for pošip production here. On the other end of the island, the white wine called Grk is produced from the grape of the same name, but we won`t taste this until we`re in Dubrovnik.     

Food to Return For     

Our second outstanding lunch in two days is at Mate in the town of Pupnat. It is another small restaurant in a stone room with a wood fireplace, where our hostess is the sister of our wonderful tour guide in Korèula town. We’re served an antipasti platter of two homemade cheeses, home-cured bacon and prosciutto, grilled eggplant, a brilliant eggplant spread with capers and spinach in it, homemade bread in slice and braid form, olives—plus an omelet of ham and wild asparagus. (As this thin, slightly bitter, intensely asparagussy asparagus is one of my favorite things, this makes me rapturously happy.) By now Aldo and I are full and fearful of upsetting our still-delicate stomachs, but out come three brilliant handmade pastas. One is ravioli stuffed with local goat cheese; one is quill pasta with whole shrimp and a light tomato cream sauce; and the last is my favorite: quill pasta with wild fennel and spiced with a whole chile. This is not all: Our hostess’s husband arrives and prepares the coals and grate in the fireplace to grill lamb basted with a fig leaf dipped in olive oil. Finally, dessert arrives, and it is no small thing. These treats are sublimely different from what we’re used to. There’s a granita of rosemary and local juniper and possibly a little lemon juice that I vow to try to re-create at home; light fried twists of dough dusted with powdered sugar that tastes of orange-flower water; a walnut-and-carrot cake with a two-inch-tall center layer of whipped cheese that has a slight banana flavor; and a granular and not-too-sweet chocolate almond torte accented with a little hot red pepper.     We taste three wines from P.Z. Pošip, of which only the Marko Polo is available in the States.
The Vineyards of the PZ Cara with the Winery in the Distance.    

RUKATAC 2005 is a regional wine labeled “Korcula Wine Region,” made from the marastina grape local to Korcula and the Peljesac. It has light pear and melon on the nose, with slight mineral; light-bodied with only medium acidity, it has a pleasant citrus flavor, but is fairly simple. Naturally, it’s quite enjoyable with the local food we’re eating.     POŠIP CARA 2005: This is the entry-level posip, but we find that posip has enough personality that even a basic wine well-made from it has a lot to offer. Again, there is a light pear/melon aroma; medium acidity and body; and on the palate a creamy citrus, pear, and melon flavor. There has been no ML, but the wine was matured in large neutral barrels for 2-1/2 months on the lees. It’s a very pleasant wine with good balance.    

MARKO POLO POŠIP 2005 This has light citrus and vanilla, and ripe pear on the nose; the body is medium-full, with fairly intense pear on the palate, and a medium-long bitter-almond finish. (This underwent a 3-4 hour maceration, no ML, neutral oak.)     Later, sitting at the hotel with Boris, Marija, and Anita, we talk about the experimentation underway in the Pelješac. Marija and a partner in Dubrovnik are investing in a new planting scheme, reclaiming some old terraces that are now overgrown, and planting a few hectares to zinfandel to see what it will do in its native land. As the family is already pioneering cabernet in the Pelješac, this doesn’t seem like too bad an idea, even if it is a marketing move. The agricultural university in Zagreb has also reacted to the zinfandel discovery, by slowly cultivating crljenak, the genealogical parent grape of zinfandel, primitivo, and plavac mali. From all we’ve heard, it seems that most Croatian producers value their indigenous grape heritage even as plans are underway to experiment and grow the wine industry going forward. Tags: croatia    katherine camargo`s travels    katherine camargo``s travels    korcula    posip   

Stipan Cebalo of Lumbarda

Posted 06 22 2007 by miquel   
 

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          
Stipan CebaloOne of the last wineries we visited on the island of Korèula was that of Stpian Cebalo in Lumbarda. This is on the far southeast side of the island and is a place where tourists usually just go for the beaches. But it is here where Stipan has two hectares of land and is one of the few producers of the white wine, Grk. The man knows what he is doing and has a family tradition of wine making that dates back an amazing 500 years!
Grk and Plavac    

Grk is a well-balanced white that doesn`t really push you one way or the other, but makes for pleasant drinking and is considerably different from Pošip, the other main white of Korèula. His 2005 `vrhunsko` or high quality Grk has nice fruit aromas to the top and bottom of the nose. It is a bit dry, but not terribly so and has a nice finish. Stipan does not age this in oak at all and told us that he preferred not to have the oaky aromas to the wine, which seemed to be a good plan to us in the end as they would most likely muddy things up. We also tried his Plavac which has a touch of cinnamon to the nose which makes it a bit different than the other Plavacs we`ve tasted previously. It is 13% alcohol and that makes it rather strong for this region, yet it has a light body to it, making for easy drinking. The finish had some sweet, dry bread textures that were also quite pleasant. Producing 6,000 liters a year certainly doesn`t make Cebalo one of the heavy-hitters of Korcula like Cara or Blato, but he is making good wines in his little spot on the island, on his terms, from just his grapes. Tags: croatia    europe travels    grk    korcula    plavac mali   

The Mighty Blato of Korcula

Posted 06 20 2007 by miquel    
 

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          
Korculanka fresh off the production lineWhen it comes to former Communist cooperatives on Korèula that transitioned in to successful private companies, there are none bigger than Blato 1902. Named after the town that they are located in, Blato produces a massive 1,000,000 liters a year and even has the capacity to produce more. But, they don`t make only wine. The produce rakija, aniseta, travarica, smokovaèa, rogaèica, and komovica, as well as olive oil and vinegar. All told, there are about 30 wines and products that they make. Not bad for a company that was started by the local wine growers of the area in 1902.     

It was a little tricky to find, being that the main building is located behind a school of all things. Once we found it, our attempts at speaking Croatian with the employees was helped up and greatly improved upon by Sanja Protic and Ante Šeparovic (one of the enologists) who spoke English and gave us the history and a tasting. We tried the 2005 Korculanka which is at 12.5% alcohol and has a light fruit to the nose. This carries in to the body makes the wine easy and pleasing to drink. While not mind-blowing, it`s a pleasant wine that would go well with fish, chicken, and other light meats. Then we tried the 2005 Plavac Blato, which is 12.6% alcohol. It is also a solid wine that is very easy to drink. There is a basic Plavac Mali nose to it and a typical dry body. Much like the Korèulanka, it`s a basic wine, but also a good wine for meals.     The one wine that we didn`t get to try, but really wanted to was the Cetinka. It`s a native varietal to Korcula, Vis, and Lastovo, so you`ll only find it on the islands of Croatia. The described it as light, fresh, with a slightly acidic middle to it. Maybe we`ll see it further on in our trips, or maybe just the next time we`re in Croatia... Tags: croatia    europe travels    korcula    plavac mali   

Smokvica`s Toreta

Posted 06 19 2007 by miquel    
 

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe     
Outside the tasting room with Smokvica in the background    Like most single-owner Croatian wineries, the story of Toreta on Korcula is all about a family history of wine making that stopped during Communism and is now working to produce again. In this case, the man who has taken up the helm is the very young Frano Banicevic, who, at 25 has begun to run the winery that his great-grandfather built at the turn of the 20th century. Like most of the new generation in Croatia that are taking over from their parents or grandparents, they are full of ideas and ways to get their wines more well-known. One of the biggest examples of this is that fact that there are actually signs to the Toreta winery and it is quite easy to find in Smokvica. Others are a little more subtle like a gradual change in the design of the bottle labels. While seen as something of a waste by the older generations, Frano is keenly aware of how much it affects the decision of the consumer.
The barrel sign out front    The one thing that really doesn`t change is the commitment to producing good wines. We tried two of their vintages in the tasting room that they have in `downtown` Smokvica. By the way, `smokva` is the Croatian word for fig and the region was apparently covered in them prior to massive wine cultivation. There still are some being grown and if you get the chance to try a fig jam from Dalmatia, do so as they`re some of the best in the world, but I deliciously digress.     Toreta`s 2005 Pošip at 13.9% alcohol is aged in Slavonian Oak. It starts out with a lovely, sweet nose that has aromatic touches of honey, apple, and a bit of pear. The body is full and surprisingly heavy, in that a great bit of the nose gets lost in it, but many of the tones come through regardless, all the way to a bit of lemon on the finish.
Toreta`s Pošip    The Toreta is a 12.5% alcohol Plavac that is only classified as `stolno` or table wine. Frano warned me about it not being that amazing before I tasted it, but I think he really sells the wine far too short, as it is actually quite good. While not a Dingaè, it still retains a few of the elements in the nose. The body drops all of this and is quite light, but the high acidity you can taste in the wine speaks to me that it would pair extremely well with most any dish.     Visiting Toreta was a very pleasing experience overall to see how the younger generation of Korèula is slowly gaining the reigns from the older generation and doing it with what appears to be relative ease.

The Former Collectives of Korcula

Posted 06 18 2007 by miquel    
 

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          
Vineyards in front of CaraBuilt in 1983, the company that is now Pošip Cara on the island of Korcula, started as one of the Yugoslavian wine making collectives. All of the grapes from the surrounding area in the town of Cara fed in to this one factory to produce the wines of which 90% were whites. There were 100 hectares of land which over time became dedicated to the production of Pošip. In standard Communist thinking, this centralized production made sense as there were plenty of areas that produced reds, so why not focus this region on just whites as they grew extremely well there? Well, the result of this today is that the region is still primarily growing only whites and while there are a few private growers in the region, the now privately owned Pošip Cara still dominates production with 300,000 bottles a year leaving their doors.     This is all done with a scant 10 people on staff, of which, one is Toni Tomiæ who was actually a mechanic, showing us around as he spoke the best English. But, even though he worked on the equipment that made the wine, he knew a considerable amount about the wines and the history of the company. Later we found out that he is one of the people who has been with the company since the first day they started to produce.
The Pošip    

The most likely reason for Pošip Cara`s success is that they focus on just a few wines. They have a little bit of table Plavac that they produce, but the real meat is in the Pošip. We tasted the 2006 varietal which was pleasant and much like most standard Pošip wines. There are some nice fruit aromas, but it has a bit of a Sauvignon Blanc finish to it. But, it did work as a good entry point for the Marko Polo, which is their flagship wine and what a wine it is with a honeysuckle and flowery nose that leads in a body full of strong fruits. Amazingly, neither of wines are aged in oak. They reserve that for a mere 200 liters that no matter how much we begged, we were not able to get at. We assume that they are also not available for sale as they are undoubtedly quite remarkable.
Jedinstvo`s Quality level white    In a sharp contrast to Pošip Cara is Jedinstvo PZ which is a bit down the road outside of Smokvica. They were also a collective, but started earlier in 1954. Their privatization went much differently and they focused on producing a greater number of wines, but at a much lower rating level that ranges from wines you buy by the liter to low-end `quality` level wines that are mostly suitable for drinking with a meal.     It is interesting to see how these two wine making companies with similar roots in such a small area have diverged so much in the tastes of wines that they produce. But, if you`re a white wine lover and haven`t tried Pošip yet, we highly recommend Pošip Cara.

Food and Wine on the Road to Dubrovnik

Posted 12 29 2008 by katherine    
 

Ancient fortifications built to protect Ston where the Peljesac peninsula connects with the main land.Marija and Anita pick us up in the morning for our drive to Dubrovnik, the last coastal destination on our journey. On the way out of Orebic, we stop at the old Riviera Hotel to pick up some rootstock for Marija. The old hotel, which looks like a Communist-era castle but is probably earlier, has been bought by a man from Texas and his Croatian wife. They’ll remodel it into ten or eleven luxury suites, and there is already a winery in the cellar, where we taste a very promising pošip from