Winemaker Ivan Damjanić of Damjanić Vino, presenting his new wine

The Regent Esplanade was once again taken over by wine lovers.  Though it was  mainly offered to people in the trade and some guests, the atmosphere was as buzzed up as ever.  Maybe it is in fact these folks who know how to create the buzz.

Winemakers came from Istria to bring a mini-version of the VinIstra fair to Zagreb, presenting their 2011 Malvazijas (along with another wine or two in many cases).

A highlight for me was meeting and tasting the wines from Ivan Damjanić of Damjanić Vino, located just outside of Poreć.  His Malvasija bore lots of fresh fruit, including green apple and ripe peach, and when I came back later in the afternoon to taste his recently-winning Borgonja (Gamay) I found that he’s quite adept at the reds too.  I look forward to visiting his cellar in an upcoming visit in March.

Damjanić wines, chillin' at En Primeur Malvazije.

Many of the wines today were still a little on the harsh side, hopefully they’ll mellow a bit before release, around Easter.  But 2011 holds tons of promise in the bottle, considered to be one of the strongest vintages in recent history.

Disgorging and topping off bottles at Istenić.

Visit to Istenić on Thursday, a producer of some interesting sparkling wine from Slovenia.

Starting our winery tour, Veliko 2002 in the glass.

Movia in Slovenia

I’m giddy.  Next week I am going to be completely and utterly entrenched in the wines of one of my newfound favorite wine producing countries of all time. Slovenia.

On Tuesday night, I’m teaching a wine class at Trilogija Wine Bar and Restaurant based on the various regions and their specialities, including some Slovenian-inspired dishes.

On Thursday I head out with a few friends to visit 2-3 wineries, one producer of Sparkling and one who is supposedly making some of the best wine in Slovenia as a garagiste.

Friday headed up with a small group to visit a really interesting producer of the grape Zelen, a rare and indigenous variety of grape, and then to Movia.  As in  MOVIA. A winery I’ve long held an unnatural obsession with.

The next day I’ll be joined by more ladies at the Slovenian winery nearest and dearest to my heart, Kabaj.  We’ll spend a super VIP day drinking, learning and exploring Goriska Brda and it’s wonders…including a cooking class where we’ll learn a little something about the gastronomy of the region.

Hope you stay tuned for further updates!

I personally don’t see anything wrong with it. As a matter of fact, I don’t see any point whatsoever in sitting there after 4 p.m. without a glass of wine in hand. Lucky for me I have a great little neighborhood spot, with Silvija, queen of the tresses, on hand. And if her boss is out of sight, or better yet, on ski break, we break too.  That is to say, break out the vino.

As promised (to the girls), a "before" style pic.

Tonight we were on a mission to have a good time.  It was my mom’s last night visiting me in Croatia, she was to board the plane and head back to the States in the morning, wrapping up our too-short time together.  So we started the evening at the salon in the company of a few other girlfriends. The girls and I sometimes make overlapping appointments there just so we have a chance to see each other, and we take over the place with appetizers and wine, much to the bemusement of the local clientele.  Our stylist, also part of the clan, joins in by bringing things to munch on and providing the secret stash of wine glasses. She maintains our confidence by abstaining from the wine, a strictly Don’t Drink and Cut/Color policy. And for that we thank her.

The Grimalda amongst companion bottles

So tonight we gathered, and opened a bottle of Matošević  Grimalda Red 2009, a lovely wine I’ve had before, which comes from Istria’s Limski Canal area, made by the friendly and fun Ivica Matošević.  In our mixed bag of wine tumblers it showed a pretty red-purple color and displayed great minerality and a mix of berry notes, with pretty blackberry and plum taking the lead, and hints of cranberry, cocoa and gunflint.  For me this is a very enjoyable bottle of red wine, totally balanced in its mouthfeel and  flavors without being overpowering in the slightest.  Tonight we drank it for our in-salon happy hour on its own, but I would love to try this wine with something fun like black bean enchiladas or chicken mole where the hints of cocoa could play together. This wine is a blend of Merlot (85%) and Istria’s native Teran (15%).

Mom and her fab new hair

Go grab a few bottles to have around the house, and make sure you have extra on hand. This also makes a savvy gift if you need one, the recipient will love both the hipster label and the great juice!

To you and your great hair, we raise a glass.  Cheers!

My homegirls

The Ponos Plavac Pelješac Kuna 2009 is wine I know absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing, about. It was recently brought to my house as a gift, and from the label I can discern simply that it’s a self-proclaimed  „high quality dry wine“ from a controlled vineyard in Pelješac.  Ok, let’s see what’s in the bottle.

Dark red color, with aromas hopping out of the glass. Andy, my husband, hears the cork pop and walks over for a glass. He thinks it smells good, but I just think it smells, meaning I can smell it as I pour it. My first concerted whiff of this wine reminds me 100% of rum-soaked fruitcake, or maybe just the artificial rum flavoring and jellied fruits. Actually it brings me back to the first time I bought Croatian spirits to make Mojitos and had to buy rum at the corner store. What I came home with was decidedly un-rum and much more like very poor quality brandy. Being a bit of a conniseur of the latter and certainly having slung back my share of mojitos in my day, I feel at least qualified to make that comment in all fairness.

But back to the fruitcake, er, wine.  On the palate it was, well, ok. I found that the flavors to be on par with  Plavac, if a slightly more mature version. Lots of fallen fruit, mainly plums, and a bit of carob powder also showed up on the palate. The finish was short and uneventful. Too bad, because the simple, artsy label led me to believe this might be a little small-production gem that I could fall in love with and sing the praises of. And really too bad, cause the girls and I were in the mood to throw back a few bottles.  Well, next time.

We're related, right? I'm totally Matryoshka.

Not exactly recommended, in the sense that this particular wine doesn’t do it for me. But Andy seemed to like it ok, which leads me to believe you could open it and throw it on the bar at your next party alongside some better wine. Your less discerning guests will probably manage to kill it.

Reservations: +385 91 455 2349

bravawine@hotmail.com

NEW!  Bring Your Own Bottle Evening
Meet up with fellow wine lovers and taste and try each other’s favorite wines! Starting in January, we’ll be inviting guests once a month to bring and share their own favorite bottles of wine.  Plenty of hors d’oeuvres will be offered, along with a few special bottles from Brava’s cellar. Themes will vary from month to month. Cost is 100 Kn.

Join us for Saberage fun!

Thursday, January 12^th: Bring a bottle of sparkling wine to SABER! We will Christen this first BYOB evening by bringing our absolute favorite bottles of Champagne or sparkling wine, and we’ll step outside the studio to practice the art of saberage! We’ll discuss the various types of sparklers and anjoy an evening of delicious bubbles!

Thursday, February 16^th:  ”Somebottle like You” Bring a bottle of wine that represents YOU! Could be from a special year, maybe your birth year or a special anniversary in your life, from the land of your ancestors, or something that represents your personality (luscious and spicy?…). You decide, and we’ll all give it a try!

Blind Tasting- Will you win?

Thursday, March 15^th: “The Wine is Right” with Grand Prize! On this occasion, guests bring two bottles of wine. The first one, your contestant for “The Wine is Right” will be brought completely incognito.  Wrap all but the mouth of the bottle in aluminum foil. The second bottle should be a bottle of wine you enjoy for everyday drinking.  Participants will try all incognito wines and vote on their favorite bottle.  At the end of the evening, the guest who brought that particular bottle leaves with all of the second bottles and gets to go home and stock their cellar!

Seasonal Flavor: Food and Wine Pairing
Join us for a class that takes inspiration from the Zagreb’s famous farmers market: The Dolac! Just as the market changes with seasonal abundance, so do the wines that pair with them. We’ll scour the market for the freshest offerings, prepare some simple but tasty dishes, then invite you to the table for an evening of seasonal, fresh wine pairings.  Food, wine and recipes included in the 300 Kn.  Tuesday, January 17^th, from 1830-2030.

Bubbly! Yeah!

The Quick Sip on Bubbles (day class)
Join us for a very bubbly afternoon as we the different styles of sparkling wines, including beautiful bubbles from Croatia and abroad. The afternoon wouldn’t be complete without tasting and comparing Prosecco, Cava, Sparkling Rose, and Champagne. A few salty snacks will be served alongside the wines, to fully experience the magic bubbles bring to the table. 250 Kn. Sunday, January 22^nd, from 1400-1600.

Jean Michael Morel of Kabaj Winery in Slovenia

Our Neighbor to the North- Slovenia!

The buzz is true! Slovenia is making amazing wines, often utilizing unique methodology for creating one-of-a-kind wines that can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world. Join this most exciting class to learn what all the fuss is about and take a foray into the wine regions and interesting grapes of Slovenia. This small country is making some truly breathtaking wines! 200 Kn. Thursday, February 7^th, from 1830-2030.

Delicious Rioja!

The Seduction of Rioja

Abrazos and Besos from beautiful Spain! Travel via your wineglass to one of the most intriguing regions in the world, producing stunning and iconic red wine. We’ll try wines from several producers in Rioja’s and discover which wines and the different styles we like for ourselves. Savoring these wines alongside some tasty tapas seems like the right thing to do. 300 Kn. Wednesday, February 22^nd, from 1830-2030

Natural and Organic Wine on the mystical Leap Year night!
Back by popular demand, we’ll further delve into the depths of this subject. Here we explore the differences of natural, organic, biodynamic wines, what they mean, and how they are changing the way that wine is made. Expect some lively discussion at this class and prepare to try some unique and amazing wines.  NATURALLY, some organic snacks to go along with the wines! 300 Kn. Wednesday February 29^th, from 1830-2030.

Kutjevo, fellow contestants, and one funky table setting in Velika Gorica.

Kutjevo sponsors the show and their wines appear in every episode. It threw me for a loop because I had agonized over which wines that would go with the different courses of my meal, and Kutjevo was not on that roster. I plead my case and they agreed that I could pour whatever I had planned if the Kutjevo bottle was on the table. But then, during my taping I presented the first course and was about to get the wine when they told me there was no time for me to pour wine, that we had to start eating and they would film. I was totally bummed out about this, because for me the wine was a huge component of my meal and I was delighted about the pairings I would present. The first course, which I would pour with my Minnesota Chicken Wild Rice soup, was to be Trapan Uroboros, a yummy white wine made of 50% Malvazija and 50% Chardonnay, with a touch of barrique. But instead we had water and empty wine glasses. Ah, well the show must go on.

Kutjevo is a huge winery in the continental part of Croatia, in an area actually called Kutjevo, with something like 6 million liters of production. They claim to have all of the best vineyards in this area and they primarily plant Graševina, of which they are reputed to have the best in Croatia.

The wine they gave us was from 2009. Not sure if this is the most current vintage. The wine is a very pretty straw yellow, reminiscent for me of a Mosel riesling. And a few of the notes on the nose were alike as well, there was definitely some orchard fruit here, but of the tart, slightly underripe variety.  Tart green apples up front and a little mandarine orange trailing through. All of this is backed by some earthiness in the form of wet stone, flint and steely minerality.

I’m usually a little aprehensive about the first sip of Graševina, as it’s hallmark is in its razor sharp acidity. Not exactly your garden variety cool-climate high acidity, this is more like having Edward Scissorhands for a dentist, slashing your mouth up style of acidity. In this vintage  Kutjevo has gotten a good handle on it, perhaps that little extra time in the bottle assisted the process.  Maybe ’09 was a nice warm year, and they saw bigger fruit than usual, but whatever the case, this wine is really decent.  It needs food, for sure, and I think Igor’s first course of Macedonian Palačinke filled with cheese, meat and egg, served with tartar sauce, was actually a good match.  It had plenty of fat for this focused wine to slice through. And, at such a table as this,  the wine is flavorful enough to distract you from all of the fake diamonds, glitter and other mock-bling on the table, in contrast with the traditional doily he also laid, a table I nicknamed Granny goes to Vegas.

If you haven’t tried this wine before, you should give it a try. It’s one of the most widely available Croatian wines and won’t be hard to find.  It’s not for the cocktail hour, but needs food to temper it’s high-toned acid, so take it for a spin with a mildly-flavored cheese course or maybe even a cream-based soup, like this:

Minnesota Chicken Wild Rice Soup

• 3 cups wild rice
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes (or 2 TBSP fresh, chopped)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 oz heavy cream
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or additional chicken broth
• fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Set water to boil and cook wild rice, about 30 minutes. Set aside.
2. Sear chicken on both sides, cook through, let cool, then cube. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, combine the first seven ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. In a Dutch oven, melt the butter. Stir in flour until smooth to make a roux. Gradually whisk in broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in soup and wine or broth. Add rice and chicken; heat through. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Cheers!

Igor, Wisam, and the house wine.

Post taping, this is how they roll after the good wine is gone. Igor breaks out the wine his landlord makes and they throw it back, topped off with some bubbly water. Thirsty yet?

Last week I was approached about appearing on a Croatian cooking show called Vecera za Pet. I said that it sounded interesting and that I would be up for it, so the process got rolling and I had five days to prepare to appear on the show.  The show is part of a series that airs daily for an hour. I had never seen it before and have still never seen it in a language that I understand.

The premise of the show is this: You cook dinner in your home for 4 guests whom you have never met. They rate and review your three course meal and your table setting.

The reality of the show is this: It’s a reality show whereby four mismatched strangers (some of whom are extremely picky about food, i.e.  I don’t eat soup.) share a meal and have some awkward conversations about the dinner they are eating , all the while a camera and camera crew all up in your space. In my case, that conversation was all occurring in a language I don’t speak or really comprehend so the dazed and confused look on my face- not fake. Ah, good times.

We filmed all day on Monday at my house. It was about a 15 hour day with all the takes and do-overs because I kept forgetting, no matter how many times they told me, not to look directly in the camera.  That day one was the longest by far, with the other days usually closer to 8-9 hours each.

The point with all of this is, you can watch and make fun of me sometime in late February or early March. No, that’s not it. Actually, I wanted to explain the absence from my blog and my project. It was the week before Christmas so I was already up to my eyeballs and then I threw this 50+ hour Vecera za Pet project in the mix. Eeesh.

Filming after dinner at another contestant's house

But Christmas has passed, the filming has passed, and now I’m back in the saddle. I hope you’ll join me in continuing on the adventure of 12 days of Croatian Vino!

Cheers!

April

Korta Katarina Plavac Mali

After a fabulous meal of Caesar salad prepared by yours truly and Christine’s amazing lasagna, we cracked open the wine that I brought, which of course I previously cleared with the hostess. It was the Korta Katarina Plavac Mali 2007, from the Peljesac peninsula on Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast. Widely regarded as one of Croatia’s finer, more prestigious wines,  we were about to get some feedback.

The bottle went around the table after dinner. Some wine-murmurs started bubbling to the surface. I myself noticed something wasn’t right- the wine clashed with the meal we had just eaten. The wine itself was sound, the problem was that the strong flavors from dinner were still prevalent on our palates. We had Caesar salad, which was fabulous but wicked garlicky, and lasagna, which was all meat, cheese and more garlic. I knew it when I tasted it, these were not the flavors I wanted dancing on my palate as we embarked on this style of wine.

As the bottle went around and the comments started flowing, some others found this to be the case as well. This wine, which I have presented in the past to remarkable reviews, was getting mixed reviews here. All of the pretty fruit and floral aromas that make Plavac Mali such a special wine were being sabotaged here, victims to our strongly-flavored dinner. Also, because I brought only one bottle, there wasn’t a chance for people to try it over the course of several sips, thus cleansing their palates with the wine and transitioning to these new flavors. Comments ranged from “it’s good red wine” and “smooth, with hardly any bite” to “it tastes like seafood, maybe walleye.” Huh?!? Can’t say I agree with that one.

The case in point is that there really is some magic to pairing food and wine. And those who didn’t like this wine at this tasting would likely swoon over it in another setting, with another meal or maybe just on its own.

When I’ve tasted this wine on its own, I found this wine to have all the seduction you’d expect from a big, lush Plavac, with really pretty floral notes backed by amarena cherry, blackberry and blueberry notes. I find some Plavac Malis to be totally in your face, but Korta Katarina’s got it all under control, and the wine is smooth with broad, velvety tannins. For me, it’s a bigger wine than I usually drink, but fans of this super-lush style of wine will be very pleasantly rewarded with a bottle of this wine.

Full disclosure: I ripped off this picture from someone else’s blog, called “Wine Words and Videotape.”  Sounds a little naughty, right?

Hilarious sidenote: Later on we had fun with a gift exchange of all types of gifts, and  ”Tastes like Walleye” opened a very special imported cheetah-print Snuggie. For those who don’t know, this is an all-inclusive blanket/sleeping bag/fashion item for those who take maxing and relaxing on their Lazy Boy to a  hole.  nother. level. (HNL). It was stolen by another friend who is shown here modeling it and kindly stole it for good, as his wife is about to have surgery.  I’m sure she’s grateful.

Christmas loot galore!