More tongue-twisting Croatian wines on the way to USA

by croatiaweek
May 21, 2020
in Food & Wine

(Source: Croatian Premium Wine Imports)

More Croatian wine varietals are on the way to the USA on board of the boat properly named “Zlata” (the golden girl). Currently there are a number of wines from Dalmatia available at the online shop for delivery to most of the US states. The selection of wines that are being added to the inventory covers a much broader area, as well as many more wine varietals.

The founders of Croatian Premium Wine Imports, Inc., a Massachusetts-based importer, distributor, and promoter od Croatian wines, conducted a buying tour in the Fall of 2019, and selected additional areas and wineries to import to the US.

As a native Croatian, Mirena Bagur, VP of Brand Management for Croatian Premium Wine Imports, Inc., and a long-time promoter of Croatia in the US collaborated with the Croatian wine sector, winemakers and experts in Croatia, as well as in the USA in order to select the best wines for the US market.

“It is exciting to watch the app as the boat passes through the Channel and carries to Boston 40 wines from 18 different Croatian wineries, including Dalmatia, Istria, and the Uplands,” said Mirena Bagur. “In representing the Croatian wine sector in the US, we are careful to not only choose the labels that best represent the quality of the new winemaking, but also give the American wine aficionados an introduction to indigenous varieties from Croatia, such as Malvasia Istriana, Pušipel or Plavac Mali. Of course, we count on the Croatian diaspora to be very familiar with these varietals that tend to be tongue-twisters for Americans.”

Zlata on the way to Boston

The CPWI team is already establishing connections with additional wineries in Croatia and will be conducting a new wine tasting tour in Croatia in the Fall of 2020 to complement its inventory with varieties from all wine regions.

Source: Croatian Chamber of Economy/Vina Croatia and CPWI

Croatian wine chats series

As part of reminding the Croatian diaspora and the Americans who love Croatia about the flavorful aromas of Croatia, CPWI organized a Croatian Wine Chat program where participants virtually meet and converse with winemakers who tell the stories behind the wineries, their families and wine. Participants also taste the wines presented by Siniša Lasan, WSET Level 3 Sommelier, a Decanter Judge, a three-time Croatian wine champion sommelier, head of the cellar for the Michelin-star restaurant, and a partner at www.eventlab.com in Dubrovnik. The first series this Spring introduced all Croatian Wine Regions and varieties that typically are grown in each wine region, then gave an overview of the Komarna Appellation wineries. You can replay the chats, and find out about the future series, here: https://www.croatianpremiumwine.com/wine-chats.

Source: CPWI Croatian Wine Chat on Zoom with Siniša Lasan and Josip Volarević

Where to find Croatian wine in the US

As part of marketing in the US, Win Burke, CEO of CPWI, and Mirena Bagur, VP of Brand Management, have conducted many winetastings in Boston positioning Croatian wines in the boutique, exclusive stores, and wine events. Particularly noteworthy is participation in the prestigious Boston Harbor Hotel and its 31^st Annual Boston Wine Festival at the Mediterranean Dinner where Croatia was one of only five countries represented.