Award-winning steaks and wines were the stars of a beautiful afternoon at the Black Bull Ranch in Turopolje, owned by Siniša Birčić and his son Luka. While the barbecue fire was still building, Siniša grilled a starter of sausages made from a blend of Wagyu and Black Angus beef, enriched with Cheddar cheese.
Sausages, and then fireworks
We had envisioned Jubilea, a blend of 2011 Zeleni Silvanac, 2014 Chardonnay and 2016 Graševina, as an aperitif, but its freshness and sweetness paired perfectly with the sausages as well. Then, the fireworks began...
We savored the Jubilea just until the Wagyu-Black Angus crossbreed sirloin was ready. The Chardonnay Sur Lie Grand Selection paired beautifully with the fattier parts of the steak, while the Tango with Life, a blend of two grape varieties and two vintages, complemented the meatier sections. It features Cabernet Sauvignon from 2020 and Cabernet Franc from 2021.
T-bone steak and two wine partners
The Wagyu T-bone steak also found partners in these two varieties, though as distinct wines: the meat furthest from the bone paired with the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, while the pure meaty flavor on the other side was wonderfully rounded out by the 2020 Cabernet Franc.
The pleasant surprise was the meat-free combination. We lingered after the meal, enjoying wine and conversation while snacking on exceptional homegrown tomatoes, the kind that make it clear why the root of the official Croatian word rajčica implies paradise, and why the local term paradajz carries the same meaning.
Five, then ten, and now seventy
At first, the meal was nicely accompanied by a Cabernet Franc, but once that ran out, the Tango proved to be an even better companion. Siniša recounted how he embarked on this livestock-rearing adventure five years ago by purchasing five head of cattle at an auction in Germany. He subsequently acquired them in batches of five or ten from breeders, and now he has a herd of seventy.
The goal is to sell one Wagyu animal and two Black Angus-Wagyu crosses per week. In Croatia, their steaks are offered by two restaurants in Dubrovnik, while the majority goes to Sweden, where Siniša also owns a construction company.
