Gospoja sparkling wine is made from the Žlahtina variety. The base wine is produced in Vrbnik, while the secondary fermentation takes place in Austria. Following this second fermentation in the bottle, it ages on fine lees for two years. It boasts a rich, fruity aroma with hints of brioche and butter, fine bubbles, and a refreshing taste. Visitors to the winery can now taste the 2020 and 2022 vintages and observe how the wine evolves over time. While the classic still wine Gospoja Žlahtina is dry, the fermentation of the Misno vino (Mass Wine) label is halted to maintain an alcohol content of 12 percent, resulting in some residual sugar.
As for the Žlahtina Sv. Duh (Holy Spirit), it undergoes 30 hours of maceration and is subsequently aged on fine lees. It features riper aromas and a soft, full, and rounded palate. The fifth wine is the Sveta Nedija (Holy Sunday) dessert wine. It is made from the region's most significant Kvarner variety using late-harvested grapes from select sites in the Vrbnik Field. Regarding other indigenous varieties, Sansigot (Sušćan - from the island of Susak) and Brajdica, what means small vine trellis, are used to produce the refreshing Gospoja Rosé- These varieties, alongside the international Merlot and Cabernet, also feature in the Gospoja Cuvée Red Blend. The single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon is aged in small barrels. The 2022 vintage displays a fine, subtle oak influence, a lovely fruity aroma, and pronounced freshness, with the wine continuing to improve over time.
This fine red wine pairs excellently with pršut, dry-cured ham,specifically Krčki pršut, (prosciutto from island of Krk), the first Croatian product to be entered into the European Union’s register of protected geographical indications in 2015. Moreover, it is Krčki pršut from their own curing facility, located right next to the winery. The facility has a capacity of 8,000 hams per year, though they currently produce around 2,000. Croatia requires about a million hams annually but produces around 500,000, Anton notes, explaining that the fams entering the facility weigh about 13 kilograms, while the finished products emerge four to five kilograms lighter.
It goes through the salting process twice, losing five percent of its weight. In strong bora winds, it loses six to ten percent over 16 or 17 days. When the bora subsides, it loses another 20 percent over the course of three months. Throughout this time, the salt penetrates toward the bone. Once it reaches it, the pršut can even be exposed to the sun without spoiling, explains Anton Brusić. They have no trouble selling their wine and pršut. Some of the product is served at the restaurant of the family-run Hotel Gospoja in Vrbnik, and they also operate a tavern, a shop, and a pizzeria in the town center. They have tasting rooms and shops in Rijeka and Crikvenica as well. Beyond wine and pršut, they offer few others products.
Žlahtno beer is the latest product from the Gospoja winery. It is a blend of beer and wine with an alcohol content of 5.5 percent. Žlahtina grape must is added to the base ingredients, barley malt and hops, and fermentation takes place using wine yeasts. The beer is also described as žlahtno, an old Slavic adjective meaning noble, from which the Žlahtina grape variety also takes its name.
