wineries

The Assumption of the Virgin Mary is celebrated on August 15th! Some holy places are in Croatian wine-growing regions

Published: 14.08.2026

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It is difficult not to start a wine story about Marian sanctuaries in wine-growing regions with the Gospoja winery of the Vrbnik family Toljanić and Brusić, named after the local votive church of Our Lady of Health – Gospoja. However, among believers, there is also a more famous shrine on Krk

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Winemaker Anton Katunar in the foreground, Šupela vineyard in the background

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Goričica, Krk

In the southeast of Krk, in Baška, is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Goričica. Nearby, there is also a beautiful vineyard of Katunar Estate Winery. The winery is in Vrbnik, but in the Baška valley, at the location of Šupele, Sv. Lucija, they have a beautiful vineyard in which they grow indigenous varieties of Žlahtina bijela and red ones Debejan, Sansigot, Kamenina, the northernmost Croatian Plavac mali, and international Syrah, Grenache and Merlot. The wines can be tasted in the winery, which is on the very edge of the Vrbnik field. Other Vrbnik wineries are also absolutely worth paying attention to: Kuća vina Ivan Katunar, Nada, PZ Vrbnik and Šipun.

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The Aljmaš sanctuary is right next to the Danube

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Refuge, Aljmaš

Among the largest in Croatia is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Refuge in Aljmaš. In the immediate vicinity are the K55 and Brzica wineries, both with a beautiful view of the Danube, as well as Iuris, Janečić and Danubio. In nearby Dalj are the already famous Antunović cellar and the vineyards of the Siber winery, as well as the Lavanderko and Jakovac wineries. With addresses in Erdut, are the large Erdutski vinogradi and Vina Rogić. As for the varieties, Graševina dominates, the local Chardonnays are very good, and among the reds, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are the most common. It is also nice to know that the Brzica winery also has the northernmost Vranac in the world in its vineyard.

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Restaurant and winery Micak in Marija Bistrica

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Bistrica

Tens of thousands of pilgrims also visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Bistrica in the Croatian Zagorje region. In Marija Bistrica, there is also the Micak winery, which has a hall with 90 seats and a terrace with 200. In the vineyard, they grow Pinot Gris, Traminer Fraisavi, Chardonnay, Green Silvaner, Graševina, Rhine Riesling, White Sauvignon Blanc, Yellow Muscat, Kerner, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. In addition to single-varietal wines, they also make a white blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Traminer and Silvaner, which they call the Diamond of the Kiss. ​​And just twenty kilometers from Marija Bistrica are the famous Zagorje wineries Bolfan Vinski Vrh and Kopjar, which are among the best in Croatia.

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The Šolta sanctuary is in 'Bori', what means between the pine trees

The Sanctuary of Our Lady in Bori on Šolta

In ancient times, the people of Šolta began to build a small church to the Virgin Mary by the sea, but at night everything they built during the day would be destroyed. A white lady appeared to a shepherdess and told her to tell the pastor and elders to build a church on a hill in a pine forest, where she would find four corner stones. The girl reported what she saw and heard, they listened to her, and the church still stands there today, at a location called Bori, above Gornje Selo. For a long time, Dobričić vines have also grown on Šolta, a variety that is the closest relative to Plavac Mali and Zinfandel, and is almost nonexistent elsewhere. That is why it is good to visit the wineries that saved it from oblivion: Kaštelanac, Burica, Marinac, Balić, Dom Kalebić...

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With the pedestal, the statue is 17.30 meters high and is the largest of its kind in the world

Statue of Our Lady of Loreto, Primošten

The Statue of Our Lady of Loreto in Primošten, dedicated to the patron saint of this town, is also on the list of international pilgrimage routes of Marian sanctuaries. With its pedestal, it is 17.30 meters high and is the largest of its kind in the world. It is also close to the famous wine-growing location of Bucavac. And coming to the Primošten empire of Babić and not tasting unique wines made from our indigenous variety can almost be called a sin. Prgin, Matošin, Gracin, Vinas mora are some of the wineries that may also surprise you with some wine that is not made from Babić.