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 devote the greatest attention to the old Croatian Belina. “My grandfather and great-grandfather made wine from this variety, but the famous international ones that arrived in the early 1990s pushed our indigenous grapes aside. I want to revive the tradition and pass it on to my sons. Young people are curious about new things, and wines made from old grape varieties reveal new flavours while connecting them to the past,” said Robert Zdolc of the Zdolc Winery.

“We wanted to bring back the varieties that have been grown in Zagorje for centuries. More and more serious winemakers wish to stand out with something unique, while wine tourism seeks local and authentic experiences. By researching the genes of the old Croatian Belina, we discovered that it is the parent of a number of international varieties. We are proud to have its mother vineyard and to plant our vines using our own propagation material. We also cultivate several other indigenous varieties – Svetokriška Belina, Dišeća Ranina, Modra Kosovina and Volovina Crvena. These local varieties produce light, delicate wines with moderate acidity, perfectly suited to the culinary tradition of Hrvatsko Zagorje. They are not heavy wines; rather, they are unpretentious in the best sense of the word. It is a joy to drink a glass of such wine every day,” said Mladen Kantoci, Head of the Agriculture Department at Trgocentar, which includes the Vitus Winery.

“At the end of the last millennium, only twenty vines of the Sokol variety remained in existence. These vines were found in the Franciscan vineyards in Klanjec. In 2000, my father managed to secure the rescue of the variety by creating a mother vineyard from which we could see what this grape could truly produce. He was supported in this by the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Zagreb and the Krapina-Zagorje County. We have now reached the point where saplings are being distributed to winegrowers in the Klanjec area. The variety is currently cultivated by seven or eight growers, and all grapes are purchased by the Sever and Petrišić wineries. Sokol differs significantly from other indigenous varieties of Hrvatsko Zagorje, standing out for its robustness and fine aromas,” said Filip Sever from the Sever Winery.

Winemakers from Hrvatsko Zagorje produce still and predicate wines as well as sparkling wines from indigenous grape varieties. They will present these wines to Zagreb’s wine-loving public at the 4th BregFest, the festival of the wines of Hilly Croatia. BregFest will be held at Lauba – the House for People and Art in Zagreb – on Friday, 24 October 2025, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Photos: Ante Gudelj