Highlights Of Croatia & Many Thanks

So many great memories! Croatia is a compelling destination, and I highly recommend it as a travel destination for everyone. No matter what your travel preferences, you're likely to find it in Croatia, from beaches where you can relax in the sun to bike trails through medieval villagers, from a myriad of wineries to many delicious restaurants. I'm already thinking about returning there for my third time. 

Last Friday, I returned from a two-week journey to the Republic of Croatia, and I've only just started to process everything I've learned and experienced, beginning to assemble everything so that I can write all about my fascinating trip. However, I want to begin with a brief mention of some of the highlights here, before I begin a deeper analysis in the coming weeks.

First though, I want to offer my deep gratitude to the Croatian Tourism Board, Vina Croatia, Graševina Croatica Wine (in Slavonia), Vinistra (in Istria), and Croatian Premium Wine Imports. These were the main sponsors of the press trip. I also offer many thanks to the various lodgings where I stayed, the numerous wineries I visited, and everyone else who contributed in some way to this fantastic experience. The people of Croatia were friendly and welcoming, personable and informative. 

Second, I also want to offer great appreciation to Mirena Bagur and Win Burke, owners of the Boston-based Croatian Premium Wine Imports. Once again, they were our excellent guides throughout the trip, helping to assure we had a positive experience. They are also good friends, and this journey would not have been as interesting and fun without them. I also must give many thanks to Ante Bagur, our driver throughout the trip, who also is an excellent cook, making a killer Octopus Peka.

Third, I must give many thanks to my fellow travelers and wine lovers, Todd Godbout, Brad Smith and Hindel Grossman. They made this a better and more exciting trip, helping to create many great memories. They also provided their own unique viewpoints on Croatia, offering different perspectives on our joint experiences.

The centerpiece of our journey to Croatia was wine, and we visited regions including Slavonia, Istria, Dalmatia and more. In addition, we experienced numerous others aspects of Croatia, from its history to culture, from its cuisine to its traditions. Croatian wine was put into a larger context, which I believe is a better way to understand it, to not only technically assess the wines, but to comprehend how those wines fit into Croatian life. Wine isn't produced in a vacuum, but is a result of various cultural, traditional and historical elements.

During the course of two weeks, I visited 28 wineries (including both small and huge wineries), attended two wine festivals (Pink Day and a Grasevina Festival), and tasted about 350 wines. I experienced an extensive sampling of what the Croatian wine industry has to offer. Overall, the wines were impressive, in quality and diversity, and provided a number of surprises as well.

The wines ran the gamut, including Sparkling Wines, White Wines, Aromatized Wines, Orange/Amber Wines, Rosé Wines, Red Wines, and Dessert Wines. We tasted various indigenous Croatian grapes, including Pošip, Rukatac, Plavac Mali, Teran, Debit, and Malvazija Istarska. We also tasted grapes which originated in other countries, such as Austria and Italy, but which have become important in Croatia, such as Grasevina (Welschriesling) and Frankovka (Blaufränkisch). Frankovka made some excellent Rosé wines. There were also international grapes such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. I was surprised at the quality of their Pinot Noir, which leaned more toward a French style. 

I brought home fifteen bottles of wine in my luggage, three bottles of olive oil, and a half-dozen bottles of spirits & liqueurs, although I wanted to bring home even more. Within Croatia, their wines are often inexpensive, and you can easily find many excellent wines selling for under $15 US. However, when those wines are exported to the U.S., the prices, due to taxes, shipping, etc. can easily triple. Over time, I'll shall these wines with my family and friends, exposing them to the delights of Croatian wine. 

I reveled in Croatian cuisine! There was plenty to please any adventurous food lover and its quality can compete with the best of any country. We enjoyed lots of seafood, from oysters to Noah's Ark Shell clams, from river fish from the Danube to grilled Branzino. There were traditional dishes as well, such as Kremšnita (a type of custard cake), Fuži sa Tartufima (pasta with truffles), Pršut (Croatian prosciutto), Kulen (Slavonian spicy sausage), Fritule (fritters, like donut holes), and Fiš paprikaš (a Slavonian fish stew--and pictured above). There were also Truffles, from scrambled eggs & truffles for breakfast to truffle risotto for lunch. 

I certainly gained several pounds while I was away, but one of our breakfast cooks told us that if a guest didn't gain 2 kilograms while they were in Slavonia, then the hosts hadn't done their job properly. Our hosts in Slavonia certainly did well. 

There's much natural beauty in Croatia, from the crystal blue waters of the Adriatic Sea to its myriad of mountains, from its extensive forests to the widespread vineyards. As we traveled to the various regions of Croatia, we experienced the natural differences as well. In Slavonia, the "breadbasket of Croatia," much of the land was flat, and there's a common saying that the "highest mountain is a cabbage." However, that land was often filled with vineyards and farms, growing a variety of items, from grains to vegetables. In Istria, there were many mountains and forests, but lots of coastlines and beaches as well. Everywhere, there was a verdant lushness. 

We visited some historical sites as well, such as the Roman Colosseum and Temple of Augustus in Pula, a local museum on Samobor, and the village of Kringa (home to the first historical "vampire" in Europe). As I have a deep interest in history, this was all fascinating to me, and I even purchased some Croatian history books while I was there. 

My trip began in the capital city of Zagreb, and part of that time I was on my own, exploring this delightful city. While in Zagreb, I checked out spots including L'Erotic Fruit & Spices Shop, Fuego Fresh Latin, Agava Restaurant, Carta Magica, Bornstein Wine Bar, Cat Caffe, Bota Šare and more. It's an intriguing city, filled with plenty to entice any traveller.

There were so many other highlights of this trip. The "endless" wine tasting and dinner at Krauthaker Winery (pictured above). Dining on truffles in the mountain top village of Motovun with Fakin Wines. The spherical wooden barrel, Galileo, at Galic Winery. The myriad Rosé wines at Pink Day. Bermet and Samobor Mustard at the Filipec Cellar. The 75,000 liter barrel at the Erdut Winery. The dinner and tasting at Josic Restaurant. This is only a tiny slice of my favorite memories and I could go on and on, but you'll be able to learn much more in my more extensive articles in the near future. 

At the end of my first trip to Croatia, I wrote Croatia: Always More To Learn, in which I mentioned some of the aspects of Croatia I'd like to learn more about in any subsequent visits. During my second trip, I was able to check off some of these desires, from more aspects of Croatian cuisine to a wider range of Croatian wines. I got to taste my first Prošek, a traditional dessert wine. I got to visit other regions, such as Slavonia and Istria, and even got to see the Pula Arena. I'm going to have to update that article, as although I knocked some items off my list, there certainly is more about Croatia I wish to experience.

What would you like to know about Croatia?