Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I'm back again with a new edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food and drink events. I hope everyone dines out safely, tips well and are nice to their servers.
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1) Kane’s Donuts is introducing five new flavors for the month of February, Chocolate Dream, Open-Faced Cherry Filled Donut, Cherry Glazed, Vegan Maple Frosted, and Gluten Free Strawberry Delight, available February 1st through February 28th, sold at all three Kane’s Donuts locations.

The Chocolate Dream Donut is a light and fluffy yeast donut filled with dark chocolate pudding, frosted with Kane’s homemade milk chocolate frosting, then topped with chocolate sprinkles. The Open-Faced Cherry Filled Donut is a light and fluffy yeast donut filled with cherry pie filling and iced with a vanilla bean icing. The Cherry Glazed Donut is an old-fashioned cake-style donut with real cherry fruit folded in the dough, then drenched in Kane’s signature honey glaze.

For those looking for a Vegan option or celebrating a Gluten-Free Valentine’s Day, there will be Kane’s signature GF and Vegan options available. The Vegan Maple Frosted Donut is an old-fashioned cake-style donut frosted with maple frosting made with real Vermont Maple Syrup. The Gluten-Free Strawberry Delight is a cake-style donut bursting with real strawberry fruit, then drenched in a glaze made with Kane’s Signature honey glaze and strawberry fruit.

Exploring Šibenik: Cannons, Lions & St. James Cathedral

Near the end of our two week tour of Croatia, we spent a little time wandering around Šibenik, a coastal city in central Dalmatia. The city was founded by Croats, and it was referenced for the first time in 1066 in a document by King Petar Krešimir IV. Now, it's a fine tourist destination, with lots of history and natural beauty. 

These two cannons were originally constructed in the 1860s for the Habsburg navy and placed onto the warship Kaiser Max. This warship took place in famed battle of Lissa of 1866, contributing to an Austrian victory over the larger force of the Italian Royal Navy. However, only seven years later, in 1873, the Austro-Hungarian fleet was modernized, and the cannons were instead used just as ballast. In the 20th century, the warship was renamed a couple times, and in 1943, the ship was sunk when Šibenik was bombed. Several years later, the two cannon were raised from beneath the sea, and eventually placed for display in front of the Duke's Palace.  

Lion heads! 

There are plenty of intriguing stone carvings throughout the city. 

Up these stairs, you'll find the St. James’s Cathedral, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Another church once occupied this space, but the Cathedral's construction began around 1431, and continued for about 100 years. A combination of Gothic and Renaissance influences, the Cathedral is a fascinating architectural marvel. A couple episodes of Game of Thrones were filmed at the cathedral, representing buildings within the city of Braavos. If you have time, I'd recommend you checking out the full history of this Cathedral.

 

Adam and Eve are on either side of this arch.

There are about 71 stone heads around the cathedral, and allegedly many of them are the faces of those who refused to contribute to the cost of the cathedral.

A bell tower.

You could wander around Šibenik for hours exploring its history and architecture.

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For lunch, we stopped at the Azimut Caffe Bar, sitting outside on their patio, enjoying the fine, warm weather. The restaurant primarily serves appetizers, pizza and sandwiches. The pizza menu had 10 different options, priced about $9-$15 US, from a Mushroom Ragu to Prosciutto Crudo.

We began with an appetizer, "Cubes" in a sauce of olive oil, garlic and baked with mozzarella. These are essentially bits of baked bread, like small pieces of cheese bread. The bread had a nice crispy exterior, with a nice, softer texture within. A fine bar snack.

For pizza, we opted for the Guanciale Truffle, made with a Parmesan and black truffle sauce, Italian cured pork cheeks, gorgonzola, mozzarella, fresh basil, and goat cheese truffles. A very good pizza, with a nice combination of flavors and a hearty crust.

We didn't have much time in Šibenik, but I saw enough to know I'd like to spend more time one day exploring all it has to offer. 

Kastel Sikuli & Stina Wineries: Stony Soils & Native Grapes

At the end of our two week tour of Croatia, the last winery we visited was the Kastel Sikuli Winery, located in Kaštel Novi ("New Castle") in Dalmatia. It is almost hidden, high in the mountains, and with breathtaking views of the Bay of Kaštel, several islands within the bay, and the city of Split. Besides a wine tasting, we also had dinner at the winery, and we got to watch how the view changed, from day to night, as the sun set and the lights of Split illuminated the region.

Kastel Sikuli Winery is a relatively new winery, established in 2009 by the Kovačević family. Ivica Kovačević is the director of the Jako Vino winery on Brač, and eventually chose to start his own winery with his two sons, Ivan and Tomislav. The vineyard where the wine tasting took place had been planted in 2008, and it had previously contained 10-15 different varieties, with about 50% Plavac Mali. However, Ivan told us that the site isn't the best for Plavac Mali, as it's a late ripening grape and the area gets colder earlier. 

The winery's name was inspired by the name of an ancient Greek settlement, Sikuli, which was settled around the 2nd century BC. Sikuli would later back the ancient Roman Pompey, but when he fell out of favor, the settlement lost favor and Split became more prominent. In the 1870s, the remains of Sikuli were discovered, along with many wine amphorae and glassware, showing the importance of wine to that ancient community. 

The vineyard is only about one hectare, and we saw plenty of Pošip vines, but there was some Tribidag there as well. They are constructing a new winery at this location, and once that is finished, they will plant more vineyards. The winery also owns a couple smaller vineyards in the "hinterlands" of Dalmatia where they grow some international grapes, making wines like a Merlot Rosé. 

Their Kaštel Novi vineyards have many, many stones, making the vines struggle for survival, perfect for the grapes. 

Ivan Kovačević led us through our wine tasting and dinner although we would later meet his father, Ivica, as well. Ivan previously worked in software/management and last Spring, he first started working full time at the winery. He was personable and down-to-earth, and it was a pleasure chatting with him. The winery currently produces about 10,000 bottles annually, although they expect to grow, to a production of up to 45,000 bottles. Currently, they are producing Pošip, Rosé,  and Tribidag. 

We began our tasting with a wine from the Stina Winery on Brač Island, where Ivica is the director. It is believed that the ancient Greeks introduced the first vines to the island around the 5th century BC. Brač is also well known for its white stones, which were used to construct various buildings and it's even said that some of their stone was used in the construction of the U.S. White House. The name "Stina" means "stone." The white label for this wine is intended to reflect that white stone, but it's primarily used on wines sold to restaurants and places (but not wine shops) that tell stories. 

The Stina Winery extends back to 1903, and its vineyards are generally atop crushed stone, making the vines struggle. The 2021 Stina Vugava "Za Inspiraciju" ("For Inspiration"), with a 12.5% ABV, is produced from Vugava, a grape that originated on the island of Vis. There are legends that the grape was introduced to the island by the ancient Greek, but there is no proof of such. The wine had fruity aromatics with a hint of a floral element, and on the palate it was fresh, dry and crisp, with flavors of apple and pear, and a backbone of minerality. Very pleasant wine. 

The 2021 Stina Pošip Za Inspiraciju, with a 13% ABV, was fresh, dry and crisp, with pleasing flavors of citrus and grapefruit, with a nice minerality and a hint of almonds. An excellent wine for oysters and other seafood. 

In comparison, we then tasted the 2020 Kastel Sikuli Pošip, where 20% of the wine aged sur lie in barrique, and the rest in stainless steel. It was very aromatic, and on the palate it was dry, fresh, and crisp, with a greater depth and complexity of flavor than the Stina, as well as more savory notes. Tasty flavors of citrus, peach and almonds, minerality, and subtle spices. Ivan noted that this wine is better with some age in the bottle. A more serious Pošip, which also shows its potential for aging. Highly recommended.

Our first dinner course was a Risotto with Shrimp, topped by a cream of mixed cheeses. Quite delicious, the rice cooked just right, with a creamy texture and tender shrimp.  

We next tasted the 2021 Merlot Rosé, which had just been bottled a few days previously so no label had been printed yet. Light pink in color, at 12% ABV, it was dry, fruity and easy drinking. Nice red fruit flavors with good acidity.   

The 2019 Kastel Skuli Kaštelanski Crljenak ('the red from Kaštela") is produced from Tribidag, which is more well known outside of Croatia as Zinfandel, although it's most likely the grape originated in Dalmatia. There's even a historical mention from the 15th century of Tribidag. With a 14% ABV, the wine underwent a long maceration, to bring our the aromatics, and then was aged for a year in barrique. With a dark red color, the wine possessed an intriguing nose of black fruit and spices, and on the palate, it presented a complex melange of flavors, including black cherry, raisins, blueberries, vanilla, spices, and figs. Smooth tannins, excellent acidity, well balanced, and with a lingering, satisfying finish. Highly recommended.

The outside grill was started, and note the Peka in the top picture!

Our main course was Lamb, a favorite meat of mine.

Grilling the lamb.

With the grilled lamb, there were potatoes, carrots and little, fried balls, similar to arancini. The presentation was excellent, and the food equally so. A delicious sear on the tender lamb.

The final wine was the 2017 Stina Plavac Mali Majstor Za Inspiraciju, a single vineyard Plavac Mali. With a 14% ABV, there were bright notes of cherry on the nose, and on the palate, it was dry, elegant and smooth, with cherry, plum, and blackberry flavors, with good acidity, mild spices, and a touch of earthiness. A very good choice for the lamb. 

Dessert was Oranges & Greek Yogurt with a Tribidag sauce, a light final dish.  

From left to right, Ivan Kovačević, Mirena & Win, Nina (the talented chef), and Ivica Kovačević. 

Our final winery visit provided breathtaking views, delicious wine, tasty food, and fine conversation. It was an excellent way to end our two-week visit to Croatia, especially as we tasted wines made from native grapes, Pošip and Tribidag. Croatia is a wonderful country and it receives my highest recommendation for anyone seeking a great place to travel.