Grgich earned his winemaking chops in a country Heading an hour south to Stanislav Brod, an his- where wine has been made since the 5th century toric town across the Sava River from Bosnia, I’m B.C. But multitudes of invaders – Romans, Turks, surprised by the urban-chicćikulin Winery tasting Hapsburgs, Hitler, the former Yugoslavians – have room and its energetic, knowledgeable manager, disrupted the country’s grape growing, economic Dalobar Pejicic. Further northeast in Slavonia prov- and social well-being. The physical scars of the ince near Osijek is the Baranja Wine Road, one of mid-1990s war remain, but the Croatians I encoun- seven EU-designated “Vintour” wine routes. tered were resilient, broad-minded and open- hearted. Along the five-mile Baranja Wine Road are several wineries owned by Croatia’s largest agricultural In Samobor, a 30-minute drive from Zagreb, I met firm. Committed to reviving the wine industry in Toni Filipec, the youngest-ever Croatian Rally Slavonia, the company has replanted vineyards Champion. Trading racing for winemaking, lively and opened hotels and a new seven-acre hospital- Filipec (age thirty-six) crafts the local bittersweet ity and production facility at Belje Winery. I sense aperitif called Bermet his family has sold for 200 that premium Belje Goldberg Vineyard Chardon- years. To see Filipec’s passion for the family busi- nay and Pinot Crni (Noir) spell a strong future for ness, watch the Croatia episode of “Three Sheets” Croatian wines. reality show with comedian Zane Lamprey on SPIKE TV. I added Filipec’s Bermet and Red Cuvée Reconnecting with Croatian wine is not easy. Most to my top Croatian wines list. Croatian wineries are too small to export; major companies target cities with large Croatian popu- Filipec’s heritage pales compared to Kutjevo Win- lations. The Blue Danube Wine Co. will soon add ery, with its original cellar dating from 1232. Lo- Krauthaker to their online selections. Grgiić Vina cated three hours southeast of Zagreb, the winery wines will be available at Grgich Hills in June. To revealed the historical roots of wine. After hearing taste Graševina and Frankovka in their unspoiled a zillion times that the Church kept winemaking home, you’ll just have to take the less traveled alive during the Middle Ages, I saw the physical Croatian inland route. evidence – a door in the Kutjevo cellar leads to an underground tunnel to the village church . Situated on a hilltop above Kutjevo, Krauthaker Winery maintains Croatian old ways on twenty- siven acres where horses plow the steepest and narrowest rows. In the cellar, enologist and daugh- ter of the owner Martina Krauthaker-Grgić (age thirty-two, no relation to Mike Grgich) applies the latest lab techniques to craft well-balanced Graševina (Gra-she-vi-na), the signature white wine of Continental Croatia. I was attracted to the varietal which melded the freshness of Riesling and the complexity of Chardonnay. 3
NVLife_SeptOct_2012
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