A complete look at Croatian wines
A complete look at Croatian wines
Year 14, No. 05
I would say that the wine world is a strange, strange thing, but in all truth, the winemaking parts follows a rather systematic schedule. While there are fluctuations now due to the instabilities of Climate Change, a winemaker and grape grower have a pretty good idea of where they’ll be with each turn of the calendar page given that everything follows a yearly cycle.
Those in the wine writing world are however a flock of loons. One can be in one part of the world one day and then another, just a few days later. I think my family long-stopped trying to keep track of me, figuring the authorities will let them know if I go missing while visiting say, the “Accursed Mountains” of Albania.
Despite the curated view from my Instagram, there are actually large swaths of time where I’m not moving… but now is definitely not one of them. In this post-pandemic era, events and tastings are more or less back to normal. This means that from March to May, little moss is able to grow where I stand.
I write this from Beaujolais just before arriving in Burgundy to attend the Grands Jours du Bourgogne after four years of pandemic-related cancellations to this ever-other year event. I can’t begin to tell you how much I’m looking forward to this as it gives a deeper look at the current Burgundian wines than all the tastings in London as you get to experience them in situ as opposed to in London tasting venue.
Despite this, I’m not here to talk about France, but another trip three weeks ago to the annual Vinart Grand Tasting in Zagreb, Croatia. There, in addition to giving two talks (*), I was also able to have a very wide-ranging tasting of the wines in Croatia, from all the major regions. This resulted in the current report that has over 330 wines attached to it. If you want to know where the country is and understand its wine regions, you’ll want to read this.
On the topic of reading, if you’re looking to dust off your knowledge of Greek wines, I highly recommend having a look at Yiannis Karakasis’s “Greek Wine Explained” (*) as it’s a great mix of granular details and information for the winedrinking public at large.
And rest assured, even more wonderful reports are headed your way very soon!
Drink well, be well.
-Miquel
(*) Free to read
The Featured Report
Croatian wines, 2024
This boomerang-shaped country in the Balkans is diverse, exciting, and has mesmerized me for two decades now. Here I take a comprehensive look at the current state of the wines from the entire country in five separate tasting reports with over 330 wines reviewed in total.
And now this
Chile can often be overlooked for the happy, budget-friendly wines they produce by the bucket loads. There are indeed fine wines produced in this spaghetti strand of a country as well and the Terroir Hunters project is one example of this pursuit.
If you’re feeling cool, hip, of the moment and wanting to check out one of the freshest places in Zagreb, Croatia at the moment, then have a read of this review of Yezi to see how their Asian-fusion dishes and most importantly, wine list, stack up.
The Featured Wine
Bodegas Ausàs – Interpretación 2021
This is what happens when everything is truly perfect in a Ribera del Duero wine. There’s poise, balance, and of course that tell-tale strength of the region, but all held in place by the experienced hand of Xavier Ausàs. Very much a wine to search out. 96+pts