By Janet Dorozynski, DipWSET, PhD
This feature was commissioned by Croatia Unpacked
If you have yet to hear about or taste Croatian wine, then you are not alone. Aside from the supportive and vocal Croatian diaspora and a few champion writers, restauranteurs and sommeliers, overall awareness of Croatian wine and the indigenous grape varieties has been relatively limited to date. But I have a feeling this is about to changeâ¦..
Going Back in Time
My best friend in high school was of Croatian origin, and because I practically lived at her house, I heard her speaking Croatian with her parents and community all the time and often got to taste loads of lovely Croatian food. I also heard many stories about how Croatia was the most beautiful part of then Yugoslavia but never saw a bottle or heard anything about Croatian wines.
Unusual grape varieties from less well-known places that have been used to dazzling effect
‘Like nothing else around’: wines from Istria in Croatia are satisfying and refreshing. Photograph: Getty Images
‘Like nothing else around’: wines from Istria in Croatia are satisfying and refreshing. Photograph: Getty Images
Sun 21 Feb 2021 01.00 EST
Kozlovic Teran, Istria, Croatia 2019 (£13.05, vinvm.co.uk) I’m a bit reluctant to talk about the “exotic” or the “off-the-beaten-track” in wine. As with their use in every other context, these terms rather assume that yours is the perspective that counts. Of course, the exotic isn’t exotic when you live there. And stories of deviating from the well-trodden path carry with them a whiff of the brave, possibly even pith-helmeted culinary explorer unveiling their supposedly weird and wonderful finds to the folks back home. Still, exploring the less-talked-about areas of the wine world has been a bit of preoccupation for me in