Three teams, the competitive adrenaline, the tamburitza sounds in the background, the appalling smells of the true Slavonian pastry - so was the harvest of Feravino grapes in Feričanci, which started this year earlier than ever before. The harvest 2018 was, however, a bit more special than it has ever been, since it was all branded by Feravino's new stars, Grasecco sparkling wine (made totally from Graševina) and Francesca (made totally from Frankovka), produced in the new bottles by Charmat method.
Before we snatched our sleeves and picked up buckets and scissors for harvesting, journalists, distributors and, of course, hosts, cheered with new sparkling wines for good fermentation, mildew and the grape flavour, which is always harvested manually on the position of Goveđa glava (Beef head). And that's the greatest thing, because the top drops come from the fruits of this vineyard.
"In spite of the climatologically extremely demanding year, yields are higher than expected, the health of grapes and whole crops is excellent, and due to controlled agrotechnical interventions such as defoliation and clotting of grafts, made at the right time at selected sites, quality is also exceptional", says Amalija Liović from the Department of Vineyard in Feravino and adds that the dry and hot August extracted the maximum from grapes. All these are very important prerequisites for another splendid wine year that will give great wines.
Harvest has traditionally started with Rhine Riesling and Zweigelt, and then Graševina had its own turn. By the end of September there are still work with Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay Frankovka, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon. Out of a total of 160 hectares of vineyards, 130 hectares are giving fruit, and this year it will be harvested by hundreds of harvesters manually. It is manually picking that gives to the specificity of Feravino and it is the only bigger winery in Croatia that does not use machines in harvesting.
Feričanci Grape Harvest is an integral part of Feravino's tourist offer. In this year, from September 3rd to 26th, everyone who is looking for a different kind of vacation, who likes top quality wines, who are gourmets or looking for attractive team building programs, will be able to try grape harvesting here. After the competition part of the harvest in the surroundings of the beautiful Slavonian forests, the gathering continues in the Vincilirska house, a catering facility on the slopes of Krndija Hills. Feravino offers guests a chance to visit the wineries and the mystical Old Cellar from 1804, accompanied by an expert oenologist, the Vineyard School, the vineyards and the wine route. The Feravino Winery finds its roots in the 18th century. In the area of Slavonia, wine culture was brought by Cistercians and Templars. In 1804, a still existing cellar was built today and the wine production started in the Feričanci region.
In the winery they tell us that Feravino is a continental winery that invests special love, passion and knowledge in top-quality red wines, paying special attention to the queen of its vineyards and cellars: Frankovka, a grape variety which found its home on the gentle slopes of Krndija. In Feravino, great value and the hard work of handmade grape harvest have been transformed into an elegant bottle, dressed in a dress with Slavonian gold plating and scent of Slavonian forests: "Our wine through history was a faithful companion to famous writers and composers of this region. The guest of our noble family Mihalović was also a famous composer of Franz Listzt, who was inspired by the inspiration for his musical works in the top-quality Feričanci droplet. "
Feravino Feričeva 16 31 512 Feričanci, Croatia, Europa Tel: +385 (0)31 603 213, 603 823 Fax: +385 (0)31 603 013 e-mail: feravino@osilovac.hr
(Photos by Feravino.hr)