5 tips for choosing Croatian wines

by croatiaweek
December 22, 2023
in Food & Wine

Tips for choosing Croatian wines (Photo: Croatian Premium Wine Imports)

By: Mirena Bagur

Everyone is asking about the best Croatian wine, whether for a party or just a quiet, winter evening. “It depends” is my frequent answer. The reality is that whether you get the wine in your local store or via an online shop, with many boutique Croatian wines, it is hard to choose. Here is how to solve that dilemma — ask yourself these five questions:

1. Connection to a specific area? The best wine to pick is the wine you or your giftee are emotionally attached to – whether because of your ancestry or a memory of vacation. So, pick Graševina or Traminac from Slavonia, or get a bottle of wine from Dalmatia to help relive the island-hopping trip.

2. Familiar with Croatian wine varieties? If you are, try all different styles of one variety, e.g., get a few different Grks, Pošips, Malvazijas, or Plavac Malis. Or alternatively, pick a region and select a few bottles from the same area.

3. Preferred international wine variety? If you prefer a Sauvignon Blanc vs. Chardonnay, we highly recommend Graševina, Grk, or Pušipel. All are crisp and can have citrussy notes. If you are leaning toward Chardonnay, taste Dubrovačka Malvasija. Similarly for the reds, are you a Pinot Noir or a Cab lover? If Pinot Noir, choose lighter, younger vintages of Teran, Babić and Plavac Mali, or if you prefer a big Cab, pick Dalmatian bottles with older vintages, with a lot of oaking and robust aroma. BIBICh Babić, Korta Katarina Reuben and Volarević Platinum or Gold Editions come to mind.

4. Experienced wine palate? You may want to explore special editions, or special appellations, like Dingač, Komarna, Plešivica or Motovun and Buje. For example, try some of the reserve Plavac from Grgich, Rizman, Terra Madre, or Saints Hills and Stina wineries and select different styles – from elegant and smooth to very robust ones. Or if Teran is your preferred red, perhaps Kabola Amphora Teran or Fakin Il Primo Teran.

Lastly…

5. bubbles vs. dessert wine? You cannot go wrong with a selection of dry bubbles or dessert wines, which all add a lot of pizzaz to any occasion. Try Jagunić bubbles, Kabola or Horvat Muscats, and Ritoša Red Rose Muscat, a semi-sweet wine from Poreč.

I hope this helps you pick the perfect Croatian wine for the holiday parties.

Živjeli! And happy holidays to all.

Tips for choosing Croatian wines

Author: Mirena Bagur, MBA, Co-Founder and VP/Brand Management, of Croatian Premium Wine Imports, Inc., online store shipping 101 indigenous Croatian wines to most US states, was born and educated in Croatia. Always up for adventure, after college years in Zagreb, Croatia, Mirena traveled around the world and settled in Boston, Massachusetts, where she had a career in global marketing. While promoting the wines of Croatia, Mirena is thankful for her parents who instilled in her appreciation for the Croatian community, history and culture, for her children who love the Croatian culture, but lovingly mock her accent, and her husband who is her partner in crime.