Vina Papak: Light, Fresh & Fruity

Continuing our tour of Slavonia, during my visit to Croatia, we made a stop at Vina Papak, which is also located in Ilok. The winery is situated in the middle of their vineyards, which is not usual for the wineries in this area, but the owner, Mladen Papak, believes that many of the best wineries in the world are located within their own vineyards. It certainly is an impressive view, to see the winery building in the middle of all the vines. And sitting on the porch, it's wonderful to look out at all of the vines. 

Mladen Papak, pictured above, led us through a tour of his winery and a wine tasting. He's an enologist and agronomy engineer, a graduate of Zagreb University. Mladen previously worked as the Director at Iločki Podrumi, and later became the Mayor of Ilok.Thus, Mladen is very well known in the region, with an excellent reputation in the wine industry. 

Eventually, Mladen decided to establish his own small winery, and Vina Papak was established in 2014. He started with two hectares of vineyards, which were planted with the assistance of his brother. Now, he has about 13 hectares, and purchases grapes from another 7 hectares. However, he still needs more vineyards to meet the high demand for his wines, so will seeking new vineyards to acquire. His son also now helps him with the winery, which has a current capacity of about 80,000 bottles. Every year, Mladen also purchases a new fermentation tank or two, a slow and steady expansion.

The winery has about 8-9 labels, including some wines under screwcap as well as ice wine. Mladen wants to focus on quality and his main objective is to produce wines which are "light, fresh and fruity." I found most of their wines to fit that objective, with the exceptions being intentionally different styles, such as their ice wine.

Of course there was a platter of meats and cheese, and the winery even makes their own Kulen. So delicious. 

We began our tasting with the 2021 Vina Papak Radosh Graševina. Radosh means "by the place." The wine is made from 100% Graševina, has a 13.5% ABV,  and is dry, fresh, and crisp with tasty flavors of apple and some herbal notes. An easy drinking white wine, great for the summer, or paired with a variety of foods. This is the type of wine you should buy for the case so you have some on hand at all times. 

The 2021 Vina Papak Graševina, with a 14.5% ABV, is sold mostly in Croatia and is made in the most common style of Grasevina consumed in Croatia. It's light, crisp, and simple, with nice apple flavors.  

The 2021 Vina Papak Radosh Chardonnay, with a 14.5% ABV, is made from a blend of two harvests, one early in the season for high acidity, and one later in the season. It sees no oak, and was dry, fresh, and fruity, with a nice complexity, balanced acidity, and a lengthy, satisfying finish. This was one of the best Croatian Chardonnays which I've ever tasted. Frankly, I was disappointed with many of the Chardonnays I tasted in Croatia, but this was a stand-out! 

The 2020 Vina Papak Radosh Rhine Riesling, with a 13.5% ABV, was also a pleasant wine, which was dry, very crisp, with a complex blend of apple, pear and spice notes with a touch of almost sweetness on the finish. Mladen believes that Rhine Riesling hasn't reached its potential yet in Croatia. This is certainly a quality wine, so I look forward to future vintages, to see how it develops under Mladen ministrations. 

The 2020 Vina Papak Radosh Traminac has a 15% ABV, although Mladen stated he wished it had a lower ABV, but climate change has made it more difficult to know when to harvest the grapes. The wine has the typical aroma and taste of this grape, and was also fruity and refreshing. Another tasty wine.

The 2015 Vina Papak Traminac Rosamal was a fascinating and delicious wine, with a complex blend of flavors, including honey, apricot, dried fruits and spice. It also possesses excellent acidity, a lengthy finish, and reminds me in some respects of an ice wine. Only 1200 bottles were produced.

The 2016 Vina Papak Traminac Ice Wine was produced from grapes picked on January 7, 2017, when the temperature was -13 degrees Celius (8-9 degrees Fahrenheit). With a 10% ABV, and only 250 bottles produced, this was another excellent wine, delicious, well balanced, and with a complex and intriguing blend of flavors. The taste was similar in many ways to the Rosamal, except the ice wine had a bit more honey and less fruit. Their next ice wine will be made from the 2021 vintage. 

Vina Papak is a small winery, producing some excellent wines, and that's understandable considering the knowledge and expertise of its owner, Mladen Papak. These are wines which would appeal to most wine lovers, and most are delightful on their own, although they would also pair well with food. The future of Vina Papak looks bright.