That door to gemišts was opened by Nenad Jandrić, a curator at the Croatian Natural History Museum and the benevolent spirit of the Upper Town, who ran legendary establishment. On the chalkboard where he listed his daily offerings in chalk, Gemišt proudly appeared alongside the sausages and pork cracklings. Sadly, Nenad was forced to close the place down.
A Liter to Go
It didn't last, even though many Zagreb locals used to come to us for a litricu i vodicu, a liter of wine and a splash of sparkling water, or to pick up a liter to take home. They knew they could always get a good gemišt here. There were many public figures, too, writers, actors, musicians, and even politicians. The latter, especially during sessions at the nearby Parliament, would come by to discuss politics. Abesinija isn't 'in' anymore, but politicians never ran out of topics, laughed Nenad Jandrić, a sort of chronicler of the Croatian wine boom, a movement that began tentatively in the mid-1980s and truly took off a decade later. At another venue he managed, the nearby Art Kabinet, he fostered pleasant, regular gatherings over a glass or bottle of fine wine, bridging the gap between the days when sparkling water was used to test whether wine was adulterated or natural, and today, when we can be reasonably certain that the wine before us is actually made from grapes.
Wine first, then water
It was once believed that a gemišt would turn cloudy if Jamnička mineral water was poured into adulterated wine. Back then, some know-it-alls even devised a theory that wine should be poured into the water to improve the water, claiming that doing the reverse would ruin the wine. That is not actually true, however, as any drink made from wine and water follows the same order: wine first, then water. Today, Jamnička is no longer a litmus test for bad wine but rather an ingredient in a wonderful drink poured from two separate bottles. A good gemišt of this kind should be clearly distinguished from bevanda, which consists of wine mixed with plain water. This practice of diluting wine is unusual and entirely unnecessary, though some justify it by claiming the wines are too strong to be consumed undiluted. Such was the case in the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans, who even considered the consumption of undiluted wine to be barbaric.
It is not wine dilution
That was the case until recently, when the Croatian wine scene was dominated by semi-amateur wines; flaws such as oxidation or even acetification were excused by claims that this was authentic homemade wine, the kind traditionally produced here. Today, thank goodness, such wines have disappeared. As for the wines that are available, alcohol content ranges from 8% to 15% or higher, consequently, anyone wishing to drink a lighter wine need not dilute it with plain water but can simply choose one with lower alcohol content. When it comes to gemišt, the point is not to dilute the wine but to seek a different flavor profile.
It goes down easily, but can easily catch
Yet, one must be cautious with gemišt. It goes down easily and can easily be deceptive. Just as Tolkien’s fearsome Ring initially grants its bearer alluring powers that quickly turn into an almost unbearable burden, gemišt initially clears the mind. At first, the wine is an angel and the water a fairy; one must recognize the moment these playful, magical beings transform into demons. That is when the door must be closed to them. And when it opens again, one must look closely at who opened it. Only the right company, the right wine, and the right water will ensure that every new gathering of the wine-loving circle, and every return of gemišt is a true delight. And then, the benevolent spirits within the bottles of wine and water will cheerfully greet us with the very words Tolkien used to conclude his Ring saga: Well, we are back!