Tuesday, January 14, 2020

New Croatian Wines Now Available

This past Friday, January 10, was the First Anniversary of Croatian Premium Wine Imports, which during 2019 brought nine Croatian wines, from the Komarna appellation, to the Boston area. Those wines are now available in a variety of local restaurants and wine shops, and you can check their list of where those wines can be found. While I was in Croatia, I tasted all nine of these wines and it's great to see they are now available to local wine lovers.

In addition, Croatian Premium Wine Imports opened an Online Store, making their Croatian wines available in about 16 other states. As an anniversary special, for the month of January, they have drastically reduced their shipping costs. If you order 6 or more bottles, you only have to pay $1 for shipping!

This year, Croatian Premium Wine Imports has received a new container of Croatian wines, adding six more wines to their portfolio. That's exciting news, especially considering which wines are now being imported into the area.

First, there is the 2018 Deak Plavac Mali Ca Ca Moj Rosé ($19), which I previously reviewed here. Made from 100% Plavac Mali, this Rosé, with a 13% ABV, spent about five months aging in stainless steel and saw no oak. I thoroughly enjoyed this wine, finding it to be fresh and crisp, dry and light-bodied, with tasty flavors of raspberry, cherry and a hint of citrus. Refreshing and juicy, its acidity made it an excellent food wine, especially with seafood.

Second, there is the 2018 Volarevic Pošip ($19), which I also previously reviewed here. Made from 100% Pošip, this white wine, with a 13.5% ABV, spent five months in stainless steel and two months in the bottle. It had a nice golden yellow color with alluring aromatics. On the palate, it was fresh and crisp, with tasty flavors of citrus and peach, a hint of almonds, and a touch of floral honey. It was light bodied and compelling, and definitely would be great with shellfish, like the oysters of Ston.

Third, they are bringing in the new vintage of the 2016 Volarevic 2016 Gold Edition ($49), and you can read my prior review of the 2015 vintage here. The 2015 vintage spent about 12 months or so in oak barrels, and then another 12 months in the bottle. It possessed an appealing nose of black fruits and spice, and the palate presented a complex and delicious taste. There were flavors of blueberry and plum, underlying spice notes, well-integrated tannins, and excellent acidity. It was silky smooth with a moderately long and satisfying finish. This wine beckons for a steak, or another hearty dish.

Fourth and fifth, there are two wines from the Saints Hills Winery, neither which I have yet tasted or reviewed. The wines include the 2015 Saints Hills Plavac Mali St. Roko ($55) and the 2015 Saints Hills Plavac Mali Dingac ($85). These wines are said to both be "very rich and elegant examples of Plavac Mali at its best."

Finally, there is a very unique Croatian wine, which is actually only available in the U.S. through Croatian Premium Wine Imports. This is the 2016 Komarna 7 Plavac Mali ($19), a wine produced from a collaboration of all 7 wineries in the Komarna appellation. Such collaborations are rare in the wine industry. This wine is organic, a blend of Plavac Mali wines, and spent about 24 months in barrique barrels, a mix of Croatian, American and French oak.

The wine is described as such: "The first sniff of this wine tells us there is something interesting inside, with aromas of blackberry, plum, pepper and dark chocolate. With the first sip come very silky tannins with a little touch of vanilla. An elegant wine with complex body. This wine is drinkable after 4-5 minutes. After 10 minutes comes the typical jammy raisin flavor of Plavac Mali. Aging in oak barrels for 24 months contributes nice flavors of sweet tobacco with vanilla." In the near future, I hope to bring you more information about the creation of this unique wine.

In the near future, Croatian Premium Wine Imports will also be adding even more Croatian wines to their portfolio, including wines from the regions of Istria and Medimurje. Now is the time to experience Croatian wines, and you can sample some at a number of upcoming events. And for more background information about Croatian wines, please check out my 25+ articles in All About Croatia.

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