Wine

Graševina of Slavonia and Croatian Podunavlje on VINART Grand Tasting

The eleventh edition of VINART Grand Tasting 2026, held on 6 and 7 March 2026 at Lauba in Zagreb, brought together 140 wineries, including 16 from Slavonia and the Croatian Danube region. These wineries are members of the regional association Graševina Croatica and included Adžić Vina, Vino Buhač, Vinarija Danubio, Enosophia, Galić Vina, Iločki podrumi, Vina Jakob, Vina Jakovac, K55 – Vinarija & destilerija, Krauthaker, Vinarija Kutjevo, Vina Markota, Vinarija Perak, Royal Hi

Tomislav Radić

Mar 302 min read

Silent heroes of Zagorje's vineyards

The launch of the book Wine Stories: Hrvatsko Zagorje took place on 23 February 2025 at the Hotel Matija Gubec. The project was initiated by Krapina-Zagorje County, which commissioned wine writer Željko Garmaz to document the stories of the region’s most renowned winemakers. The event brought together winemakers featured in the book, as well as representatives of local wine and viticulture associations. The gathering was opened with welcome remarks by County Prefect Željko Ko

Tomislav Radić

Mar 303 min read

Labin Terroir of Lari Juričić

In 2008, Lari Juričić and his family decided to prepare predominantly rocky land with brown soil in the village of Bartići, near Labin. They cleared the terrain, mulched it, and planted their first vines: half a hectare of Malvasia and the same amount of Teran. Today, with new plantings, they cultivate around 3.5 hectares (6,000 Malvasia vines, about 4,000 Teran, 3,000 Merlot, 2,000 Chardonnay, and some Muscat Blanc). We learned that they plan to plant an additional two hecta

Vjeko Madunić

Mar 304 min read

Bistro Fotić welcomed 29. Wine with the Spoon

At Bistro Fotić, right in the very heart of Zagreb (25 Gajeva Street), meals have been lovingly prepared every day for years. Both Zagreb locals and tourists come here to enjoy hearty homemade meat dishes, as well as fish specialities, fine stews and pasta. The bistro was founded and successfully run for many years by the Badrov family of photographers. At the end of last year it changed ownership and is now in the hands of the Khouri family. They do not intend to alter much,

Mustafa Topčagić

Feb 246 min read

Aleksandrović - The Grand Wine Story of Šumadija

In Zagreb, at the Czech House, one of Serbia’s most significant wineries, owned by Božidar Aleksandrović, was presented. The winery is located in the village of Vinča in the Šumadija region. Those attending the presentation included winemaker Božo Aleksandrović, Jelisaveta Aleksandrović, Marketing Director, and Uroš Kostić, Sales Director. More on the presentation itself follows later in the text. That region, with the town of Topola at its centre, was an important hub of Ser

Vjeko Madunić

Dec 29, 20257 min read

Mala Riba on Zagreb's Sea

The final “Wine by the Spoon” event of the year, now in its 28th edition, was held on Zagreb’s very own sea – Lake Jarun – at the restaurant Mala riba. There, just as in the Adriatic Sea, the young manager Karla Mikičić navigates brilliantly. Fourteen years ago, her family, together with the Nikolac family, opened the tavern of the same name in Matulji near Opatija. The business in Matulji is running smoothly, so they decided to expand to Zagreb, where, since opening in June,

Mustafa Topčagić

Dec 11, 20255 min read

Knin makes its wine scene

Burnum is an ancient and highly significant Roman fortified camp located in the village of Ivoševci, in the wider Knin area. Referring to this important archaeological site, which is at least fifteen centuries old (it is known that the 20th and later the 11th Roman Legions were stationed here, and an aqueduct stretching 32 kilometres from the springs in Plavno Field to the camp was built), the founders of the winery chose this very name. The remnants of Burnum, in the form of

Vjeko Madunić

Dec 10, 20254 min read

Horizons and Vertikales of the Vislander Wine

That the four seasons can be recognised in the Plavac wines of the Vis winery Vislander, made from four vineyard sites, was demonstrated through a comparative tasting of the 2021 and 2019 vintages. From the sandy site of Ljubišće, the 2021 vintage produced a spring-like Plavac with a fruity aroma dominated by the varietal plum note and a pleasing mineral freshness. On Voščice, where sand is mixed with red soil and yields are slightly higher, the 2021 Plavac is lighter in body

Tomislav Radić

Dec 3, 20253 min read

Bugava - Tasting of Young Wines of Vis

On Saturday, 25 October 2025, as part of Sabatina in Podšpilje on the island of Vis, a professional tasting of young Vugava wines, “Bugava 2025 Wine Tasting”, was held as part of the project “Wine Trails of the Island of Vis”. The project promotes the island’s wine route and is carried out by the Tourist Board of the Town of Vis, the Tourist Board of the Town of Komiža and the UNESCO Global Geopark Vis Archipelago, with the support of the Tourist Board of the Split-Dalmatia C

Tomislav Radić

Nov 28, 20254 min read

Vizzulin Winery - Pride of Petrovo Polje

In Zagreb, the Drniš winery Vizzulin was hosted in the workshop “It’s Time for…” at the Czech House. Alongside members of the media and the wine industry, the event was attended by the owner, Smiljan Reljić, and the enologist, Dr Željko Andabaka, a professor at the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb. The winery began planting vines in 2010, starting with Merlot, which is abundant in the region, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pošip, Maraština, and Grk in 2022. The vineyards are

Vjeko Madunić

Nov 19, 20253 min read

27th Wine with a Spoon: Exotic Thai Dishes with Unusual Croatian Wines

Thai Me Up by Lira restaurant opened earlier this year in the centre of Zagreb (Teslina 5), offering excellent Thai cuisine at affordable prices. It is run by husband-and-wife team Yada, who is Thai, and Jura Dončić, a local restaurateur, who took on the challenge set by Renata Cisar and Mustafa Topčagić, organisers of the Wine with a Spoon events, to pair dishes from that part of the world with selected Croatian wines. Several street-food venues in Zagreb currently serve Tha

Mustafa Topčagić

Nov 8, 20255 min read

Winemakers of Hrvatsko Zagorje Reintroduce Indigenous Grape Varieties

“We are proud of our indigenous varieties! They give rise to the distinctive wines of Hrvatsko Zagorje, yet we also adapt to the changing climate. These varieties are finally getting the recognition they deserve! Due to global warming, we increasingly struggle with lower acidity in grapes, but our native varieties naturally possess beautiful acidity,” said oenologist Jasminka Šaško, president of the Vino Zagorje Association. Among the indigenous varieties, Zagorje winemakers

Tomislav Radić

Oct 24, 20252 min read