Above the legendary Lim Channel, olive groves have been lined up for centuries. Among them, you can still find the olive rosinjola, an indigenous olive sort in Istria that is still grown today around Vrsar, Rovinj and Vodnjan. Its oil has an intense aroma, a pronounced spicy taste and moderate bitterness, and the Radovčić family from Vrsar considers rosinjola to be their best olive oil, despite the fact that it is a small olive and difficult to harvest. In order to show other

At the Zagreb Cheese Bar a number of media representatives were introduced to the two new Meneghetti products. These are the Meneghetti Malvazija Black Label 2017 and the fresh non-filtered olive oil Meneghetti Novello, as well as the refreshed look of all Meneghetti labels. At the same time this Istrian wine maker introduced new wine grapes – sparkling wine Meneghetti Classic Brut 2016, Meneghetti White 2017, Meneghetti Red 2013 and all olive oil from 2018. Meneghetti Novell

In the peaceful alley of the Vodnjan’s Babos neighbourhood there is a family winery bearing the same name. Mother Lorella comes from the Vodnjan’s family Giacometti, while father Gugliemo Moscarda is from the neighbouring place of Galižana. Together they blend continuation of at least one century old family traditions of wine making and olive growing, despite also traditional enmity between Vodnjan and Galižana. Their sons Matteo and Luca are oenologists and work diligently f

If one wants to grab a beer in Rijeka, there are plenty of places to do so, but Brasserie As, in the very centre of the biggest Croatian port, is the unavoidable point for every Belgian beer fan. Still, there are is also a wide range of Croatian beer present and, of course, wine. But, not to have another gastronomy report that started with alcoholisation, we would like to stress that our arrival here was part of de-toxication therapy with asparagus! And, as it usually turns o

A beautiful family business awaits everyone visiting the town of Vodnjan, usually known for the excellent extra-virgin olive oil. There is olive oil here too, of course, but the family Buršić is known for its superb prosciutto, sausages, and other dry meat products. Several generations work at an estate that was once the family’s farm and today it hosts a large restaurant, prosciutto tasting room, beautiful small olive grove, and dry-meat production. Every year, the Buršić fa

Vodnjan for many means only one thing – the extra-virgin olive oil. Even during the Roman times, Vodnjan and its surroundings have been one of the most important areas for the production and processing of olive oil. This tradition of production continues today when many family producers try to position their olive oil on the market. The offer is visible from the very walk through Vodnjan. In its narrow streets and old squares, Vodnjan or Dignano in Italian, is full of small o

Ugljan is known as the Olive Island. It seems its very name suggests so. In the ancient times, the island was known as Olio – meaning oil (who would guess that?!) and in time it changed in Ulian/Uljan (ulje is also the word for oil in Croatian). By some unusual logic of old Croats, the letter „g“ is added and now we can enjoy the Mediterranean beauty of island of Ugljan, which is full of olive groves and small fields. A very green island, Ugljan is also known as the Zadar's g

To sit in the house of Mr. Vojko Škopić and talk to him, his wife, and his mother, is a time well spent. Time well spent was also idea of Mr Vojko at the time he retired. He devoted this time to gardening and olive growing. As usual, this hobby turned to be a job by itself and quite soon Mr. Vojko became the biggest olive oil producer on the island of Ugljan. In the picturesque part of the island, the family cares for some 250 olive trees, which give between five and six tons

Punta Greca is the southernmost tip of the Istrian peninsula where wine is grown. It is one of such places on Earth where you want to go to forget everything, take several cases of books, buy some cheese along the way, and care for the vines for the rest of your life. No, we weren’t at the Punta Greca (we wouldn’t write this ‘cos we’d be willingly stranded on this cape), but we were at the owner of the vineyard there. It is the Medea winery, one of the Istria’s finest. It is

A wine maker is looking at us from the wall. And the lady from the window, as well as the carpenter, cooper, olive oil producer, peasant, the lady in waiting, carrier and so many other characters taken out from the historical oblivion of Vodnjan. It is a permanent exhibition wall of the restaurant Vodnjanka, a testimony of the town-village divide in an area characterised by both Croatian and Italian influences. The remnants of these stories are carried further in the authenti

In 1996 Mr Dragan Jurdana decided it is time to approach the guests with a direct offer „from sea to the table“. Simple, original and natural – these are the buzz words in the restaurant Johnson, situated on green slopes of Mount Učka, between medieval hilltop town of Mošćenice and the beautiful beaches of Mošćenička Draga. The result? Gault Millau gave the restaurant this year 17 points and two culinary caps. We’ve decided to learn why. A hot and humid afternoon didn’t stop

Ruža Kršul is probably one of the most energetic woman of Vinodol. Her love is not only olives, but also gastronomic tradition and heritage of small places in this valley. Making of prisnac, innovative cakes, liquors, eco-vegetables, with knowledge of history and customs, nothing is strange for her. We visited Kršul’s olive grove that sits beneath the town of Bribir itself. When first olive trees came to this land, many were sceptical, as olives do not traditionally grow in t