Wine Tasting – Uncorking Croatia

Lonely No More: Wines of Croatia Featured in New Travel Guide

July 16, 2013winesofcroatia

With the 2013 summer travel season well underway, we thought we would take a moment to remind folks that the 7^th edition of the Lonely Planet – Croatia guide book is now available and is packed with many new features, including a special section dedicated to Croatian wines written by sommelier and Wines of Croatia founder, Cliff Rames.

The 300+ page Lonely Planet “survival guide” has been completely reviewed and updated with the latest insider advice, tips, reviews, maps and other useful information about best places to visit, stay, eat and drink across Croatia.

In an effort to present the most interesting and intriguing information, the authors of Lonely Planet – Croatia “have hunted down the fresh, the transformed, the hot and the happening” – including extensive coverage of the food and wine scene in Croatia, or what the authors refer to as “foodie-friendly Croatia”.

In that spirit Lonely Planet becomes the first mainstream travel guide to include comprehensive information about the wines of Croatia, as well as region-by-region advice on wineries to visit and recommendations for vino to sample.

Croatian wines get full treatment on page 303, and Slavonia receives a special shout-out on page 85. All together, over 25 wineries are mentioned, along with a number of recommended wines for each and contact information.

If you are looking for a single-source for awesome reviews of places to visit, stay or eat in Croatia, then pick up a copy of Lonely Planet – Croatia and sip on all its juicy information. Even if you are not planning to travel to Croatia just yet, reading this book will make you want to book your reservations – and winery visits – even sooner. 🙂

Two Croatian Wine Stories Published in New Book

January 12, 2012January 19, 2012winesofcroatia

“In a recent column in Wine Spectator magazine, Matt Kramer mentioned a fabulous quote from the novelist Henry James: ‘There are two kinds of taste, the taste for emotions of surprise and the taste for emotions of recognition’. This story captures the taste of surprise perfectly.”

djakovo-DAKOVACKA KATEDRALA — Dakovo cathedral

So begins the enlightening tale of drinking Ðakovačka Biskupija 1987 Trnavački Traminac Arhivsko Misno Vino, as recounted by sommelier and founder of Wines of Croatia, Cliff Rames, in the new book “Every Wine Tells a Story”.

Every Wine Tells a Story is a compilation of 39 stories – including two about Croatian wines – written by a number of notable international wine professionals and experts, including Steven Spurrier of Decanter Magazine; Joe Roberts, aka 1 Wine Dude; and Paul Kienan of Grapes of Sloth. The 131-page book was published in November 2011 and was edited by Tara Devon O’Leary, aka the Wine Passionista.

To check out the full list of contributors, click HERE.

Another passionate voice among Croatian wine lovers who contributed the second story in the book is Judith Burns, wine importer and founding partner of Pacta Connect, a U.K.-based import company specializing in Croatian wines. Her story celebrates her experience tasting Clai 2009 Brombonero, a 100% Refošk wine from the Istria region of Croatia that Judith refers to as the “Johnny Depp” of wines and a “truly special” offering.

“In every wine-growing country there is usually one producer whose ‘hallowed’ name you hear above all. In Croatia, that producer is Giorgio Clai,” writes Judith.

To read the rest of Judith’s and Cliff’s Croatian wine stories, as well as the other 37 interesting and touching wine tales, please follow this LINK to purchase your copy of this keepsake book.

And to tease you a little further, check out this promo video for the book. Happy reading!

Wines of Croatia News Round-Up for January 8, 2012

January 9, 2012winesofcroatia

In case you missed anything, here is a round-up of the latest links to the news articles, blog posts and videos that highlighted Croatia, its wine or wine culture.

1. Europe Up Close: Daytripping Dubrovnik’s Islands & Beaches

December 19, 2011

After hiking and bathing comes an evening of freshly-caught Adriatic fish, delicious delicacies, liters of local wine, live music, and lots of singing (and maybe even a little romance) for visitors to Croatia’s southern Adriatic coast.

2. Come for the Wine: Croatia Part 6- Istria, Truffles, Olive Oil, Wine

December 19, 2011

The latest Croatia installment in Marcy Gordon’s travel blog in which she discovers the treasures of Istria: truffles, olive oil, prosciutto & wine. And in which we hear that in Croatia, “It’s not just a wine, it’s a lifestyle.”

3. Wines of Croatia Blog: Ensemble Vacations Magazine Calls the Wines of Croatia “Worldly Delights”

December 21, 2011

Croatia wines receive recognition in Ensemble Vacations Magazine.

4. Blue Danube Wine Blog: Shucking Plavac

December 21, 2011

Breaking molds, defying convention, shucking old assumptions, and moving barriers: Croatian red wine with oysters? When it comes to Miloš Plavac Mali, the answer is yes!

5. BK Wine: 11 Wine Regions to Discover in 2012

December 21, 2011

BK Wine Magazine names Istria as one of its “11 wine regions to discover in 2012”.

6. Europe Up Close: Eating the Adriatic

December 23, 2011

Europe Up Close concludes their visit to Croatia with a culinary journey through Zagreb, in which they discover Dolac Market, Portugizac young wine, “domaci cvarci”, the Museum of Broken Relationships, “strukli”, Klub Gastronomadi, and that Slavonian oak is from Croatia, not Slovenia.

7. Brava Wine: Wine 6 on the Sixth Day of Croatian Vino

December 26, 2011

An American sommelier living in Zagreb reviews Kutjevo Graševina 2009.

8. Secret Dalmatia: Christmas in Dalmatia

December 27, 2011

Another beautiful report from Secret Dalmatia, where the writer enjoys Korlat Merlot, one in an exciting (and award-winning) new lineup of wines from Vinarija Benkovac near Zadar.

9. PB Pulse – the Swirlies: The Swirl Girls Picks of the Year

December 27, 2011

The Swirl Girls published their “Picks of the Year” for 2011 (Hint: One is a Croatian wine!)

10. Wine Chap: Round-up-of Top Wines of 2011

December 27, 2011

“Any wine that can be quite so compelling after 48-hrs with no sleep…must be special”. Read on to find out which Croatian wine made Wine Chap’s list of “Top Wines of 2011”.

11. On the Road with Grape Guy: Report from Croatian Wine Dinner at Wildfire – November 3, 2011

December 30, 2011

Michael Pinkus, aka “ Grape Guy” – discovers the wines of Matosevic and Trapan at a Chicago “Meet the Winemakers” event.

12. Wines of Croatia Blog: A Happy New Year 2012 Message

December 31, 2011

Wines of Croatia founder Cliff Rames offers a New Year Wish and some thoughts for 2012.

13. Bloomberg News: Ancient Croatian Grapes Revive Wineries in Home of Zinfandel

January 3, 2012

Bloomberg News suggests Croatian wines as an alternative to Bordeaux and California cabs and highlights Matosevic Malvasia Istriana, Saints Hills Dingac, and Trapan Syrah as excellent choices.

14. The Economist: Dalmatia’s Troubled Waters?

January 3, 2012

The Economist’s “More Intelligent Life” magazine examines the impact on Croatia’s seafood culture as a result of pending European Union integration.

15. Digital Journal: Improving Croatian Wines to Bring New Dimension with EU Entry

January 3, 2012

Paul Bradbury reflects on the “exciting new options” Croatian wines bring to the European market.

16. National Post: John Szabo’s Vintages – Preview for January 7, 2012

January 3, 2012

Master Sommelier John Szabo puts Croatian wines on his discover radar for 2012.

17. Wines of Croatia Blog: Annual Report – 2011 in Review

January 4, 2012

Statistics and other 2011 site data for the Wines of Croatia blog.

18. Wine Compass: Winechat Transcript Discussing Eastern European Wines

January 5, 2012

Transcript from January 4^th’s Twitter #winechat that featured wines from Croatia, Hungary, and Serbia.

19. Blue Danube Wine Blog: Terzolo

January 6, 2012

“Soil so red it stains your hands, a native red variety with off the charts acidity, and a family dedicated to tradition with an eye for innovation”….Meet the Terzolo family of Istria and their delicious flagship wine, Teran.

20. Taste of Croatia: Korak Wines – Keepers of Plešivica Tradition

January 7, 2012

The crew from Taste of Croatia profile Korak winery in the Plešivica Hills of Croatia.

21. Wines of Croatia Blog: Hills Like Sleeping Dreams – Bucavac Vineyard, Croatia

January 7, 2012

Cliff Rames of Wines of Croatia takes us on a journey through the hills of Bucavac vineyard, home to Babić, Damatia’s second most important native red grape.

P.S. We love to hear from you!

If you have comments or other news to share, please comment on this post or email us at info@winesofcroatia.com

Wines of Croatia Blog Annual Report: 2011 in Review

January 4, 2012winesofcroatia

Dear readers,

First, we begin 2012 with an fresh, clean new blog design. I hope you like it!

Also, I just wanted to thank everyone who visited the blog, commented, and shared our posts in 2011. You guys rock!

In case you were wondering, we had over 42,000 views in 2011 – an average of 116 per day, and almost 70,000 (and growing) visits since our first post on December 21, 2009. Not sure how that stacks up in the BIG blog world, but I think it is pretty awesome! So THANK YOU again. And please help us to make 2012 an even better year by contributing ideas for the blog, commenting, and sharing our posts far and wide.

In the meantime, check out the full annual report courtesy of the WordPress.com stats helper monkeys. And enjoy the new blog design – and content – in 2012!

All the best,

Cliff

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 42,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 16 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Wines of Croatia News Round-Up: December 18, 2011

December 18, 2011December 18, 2011winesofcroatia

In case you missed anything, here is a round-up of the past week’s links to the news articles, blog posts and videos that highlighted Croatia, its wine or wine culture.

1. Wine Enthusiast Magazine: Best of the Year 2011

December 1, 2011 (retroactively included)

Wine Enthusiast magazine includes Croatia on its list of the “Best of Year 2011” under the 2011 Highlights in Travel, noting Croatia’s “rich winemaking traditions”.

2. Pacta Connect: Two Gems Visit Two Gems of Istria

December 6, 2011 (retroactively included)

U.K. wine bloggers Denise Medrano and Niamh Shields discover the wines and food of Istria.

3. By the Tun: How to Read Croatian Wine Labels

December 13, 2011

Is that the name of the region? The grape? The producer? The protected geographical area? @ravenoustravelr gives us a brief lesson on the quirks of Croatian wine labels.

4. Meininger’s Wine Business International: Croatia Makes Headway

December 13, 2011

In-depth regional analysis of Croatia and its wine by Darrel Joseph in Meininger’s Wine Business International (via the Blue Danube Wine Company blog).

5. Total Hvar: Hvar Wine from a Hvar Character, Andro Tomic

December 14, 2011

Profile of Hvar winemaker and “Bon Viveur” Andro Tomic.

6. Jancis Robinson: Croatia – Land of Opportunity

December 14, 2011

World renowned wine writer and expert, Jancis Robinson, calls Croatia the “land of opportunity”. (Note: you must be a Purple pages subscriber to access the full text).