It’s an immense pleasure to write about the Croatian wines for this issue. The reason for this delight is that the Croatian wines are getting better nowadays. However, we Nepalese are least aware of the numerous  varieties of wine that Croatia has to offer. In a nutshell, Croatian wine production is a business that is doing eminently well. While few years back, the situation was not the same, it is only in the last few years, the Croatian wine industry has experienced its finest moments.  The result, undoubtedly, of years of investment, of seeking the right methods and of the struggle for economic survival on the part of leading Croatian wine producers.  Needless to say, wine is an imminent part of Croatia’s attraction as a tourist destination, and the one which needs to be made still more prominent.

 

Global Recognition

Croatian wines got their recognition in the world stage in the year 2004. This was the year when Croatian wines made their first serious appearances worldwide. It started from the end of 2003, when British Publicist Hugh Johnson devoted a space to the Croatian wines in his Pocket Guide of Wine. He also  gave some of the Croatian wines exceptionally good ratings. In the spring of 2004, the Croatian Embassy in Paris organized a wine tasting of certain Croatian wines for the influential French magazine La Revue du Vin de France. 1999 Plavac barrique, Hectorovich Prosecco, Plavac Murvica were among the few wines which were highly appreciated. Tomic’s wines made the front cover of the May issue of La Revue du Vin de France. And finally, in the summer of 2004 it became known that Ivan Enjingi, a Slavonian wine producer, was declared the absolute world champion in the category of coup aged white wines by the most influential world wine magazine, the British Decanter. The same magazine awarded less illustrious awards to two other Enjingi wines. At the 2005 Decanter World Championship, Enjingi again won several medals, as did the great producer of Slavonian wines, PPK Kutjevo. These exceptional international successes demonstrated that world-class wines can be produced in Croatia.

 

The Croatian wine industry can achieve tremendous success in the years to come. Its comparative advantage in relation to the competition lies in the fact that Croatia has tourism as a vehicle for the direct promotion of wines. However, the tourist industry should begin treating wine regions as one of the main tourist attractions of Croatia; wine should simply become an important element of the overall Croatian tourist offer, as it already is in Istria, the best organized tourist region in the country.

 

The Wine Regions

Wine-growing in Croatia is divided into two main regions: Coastal Croatia and Continental Croatia.

Coastal Croatia is further divided into the sub-regions of Istria, Croatian Littoral, Northern Dalmatia, Dalmatian Zagora, Central and Southern Dalmatia. Continental Croatia is divided into a number of sub-regions: from the Danube Basin, through Slavonia, Moslavina, the areas in the vicinity of Zagreb, to Medimurje and Zagorje.

 

Keeping in mind the actual state of the wine industry in Croatia there are three main sub-regions: first, Central and Southern Dalmatia, where Plavac mali, the indigenous Croatian variety of grape, can produce unique red wines of potentially great export significance. The second is Istria, which already sells most of its wine through tourism, and whose wine-boom in the last ten years has also been based on an indigenous variety: Istrian Malvoisie. And then there is Slavonia, which is blessed with ideal climatic conditions and superb soils for wine production from international varieties, as is so aptly confirmed by Enjingi’s successes.

 

Wine Varieties

(Indigenous and International)

•   Babic – indigenous red grape of Central Dalmatia, which gives the premium wine.

•   Bogdanuša – indigenous white grape, used in the blend for Prosecco.

•   Cabernet Sauvignon – the best, world-wide known red variety yielding relatively decent results in Istria.

•   Cabernet Franc – red-wine grape variety, used almost exclusively in Istria.

•   Chardonnay – one of the most popular white grape varieties yielding excellent Istrian and Slavonian wines.

•   Crljenak – indigenous red Dalmatian grape variety no longer grown in Croatia, but is world famous; this is in fact the Californian Zinfandel that arrived in America from Dalmatia.

•   Debit – white grape variety found in Central Dalmatia, originating from Italy.

•   Graševina – or Welschriesling, white grape variety which is the basis of the contemporary wine industry in Slavonia.

•   Grk – indigenous white grape variety from the island of Korcula which could yield truly great wines; for the time being the only producer devoting himself to this variety to any serious degree is Branimir Cebalo of Lumbarda.

•   Hrvatica, or Croatina – despite its name this red grape variety is also widely found in Italy; at one time a very popular, homonymous rosé was produced from this variety in Umag.

•   Istrian Malvoisie – the most important indigenous white grape variety in Istria.

•   Maraština – a white grape variety which probably came from Italy is grown on the Dalmatian islands and is frequently used as a component in a blend for a Prosecco.

•   Merlot – a black grape variety which has been cultivated in Istria for many years with mostly average results.

•   Muscat of Momjan – the muscat grown in Western Istria is, supposedly, the white muscat or Muscat à Petits Grains, the most highly regarded grape from the vast family of muscats. The Muscat of Momjan yields splendid dessert wines.

•   Pinot Blanc – white grape variety relatively well represented in Istria where, blending it with chardonnay, produces excellent yet inexpensive Aura.

•   PinotGris – a grape variety with a greyish-to-pinkish skin color; successfully grown in Istria and Slavonia. Enjingi’s is quite something else.

•   Pinot Noir – a red grape variety long cultivated in Slavonia but with no spectacular results. Vlado Krauthaker could be the one in Croatia to produce from this, the best red grape in the world, a decent wine.

•   Plavac mali – the most important red grape variety in Croatia and the most important variety in Dalmatia. This is an indigenous Dalmatian variety which can yield truly great wines, but it should not be confused with a quite inferior variety of Veliki plavac.

•   Pošip – an indigenous white grape variety from the island of Korcula, which once produced premium wines.

•   Riesling – in Croatia (and Slovenia) the attribute Rhine is added to Riesling in order to differentiate it from Graševina. The only significant producers of wines from this majestic white grape variety are Ivan Enjingi and PPK Kutjevo.

•   Rizvanac – Croatian name for Thurgau-Müller, a high yielding but not too impressive cross between Riesling and Sylvaner.

•   Sauvignon Blanc – excellent white grape variety cultivated in Slavonia and Medimurje. In a few years time we shall be able to see its potentials in Istria where, in 2003, vineyards were planted by Ivica Matoševic.

•   Škrlet – an indigenous white grape variety from Moslavina which is lately becoming rather fashionable on a local level.

•   Teran – the most important black variety grape in Istria, internationally known as Refosco; although some experts and wine makers insist that there are differences between teran and refosco.

•   Traminac – or Traminer, a white grape variety which could yield excellent wines in Slavonia, where is widely cultivated.

•   Vugava – a fine, aromatic white grape variety from the island of Vis which could, with serious investments, yield excellent wines.

•   Zelenac – a white grape variety rescued from oblivion by Vlado Krauthaker.

•   Zweigelt/Zweigeltrebe – a red grape variety, a cross between the St. Laurent and the Blaufränkischer varieties. Enjingi’s Zweigelt is one of the few good red wines in continental Croatia.

•   Žlahtina – an indigenous white grape variety in the Croatian Littoral which gave rise to the growth of the wine industry on the island of Krk.

 

International successes achieved by various wines and the excellent reviews given to them demonstrate quite clearly which way the Croatian wine industry should be going. We are, of course, talking of constant improvement in quality. Croatia can become an important and highly regarded wine country only if it dedicates itself to the production of wines of uncompromisingly good quality, preferably from indigenous varieties. For several years now the trend on the world markets has been a growing demand for indigenous varieties, particularly with regard to the smaller wine producing countries.

 

The diverse and fine varieties of wines, thus produced in Croatia, can be the excellent drinking experience and suitable for every Nepalese Palette. Undeniably, there is a better prospect for promoting Croatian wines in Nepali market, offering varied range, taste and quality.

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