Graševina wines from Slavonia and the Danube region offer a range of experiences, from the soothing to the exhilarating. The queen of the local vineyards has something to offer for every occasion: they are crafted into sparkling wines suitable for any time, light still aperitif wines and sophisticated yet fresh Graševinas that pair perfectly with local cuisine.
Dry, semi-sweet, sweet, the sweetest
Powerful, robust dry wines can complement rich, fatty dishes, while semi-dry ones are ideal for the spicier fare found in abundance in this part of Croatia. Semi-sweet wines make a passionate match for Slavonian cakes, whereas truly sweet predikat wines, such as ice wines or selections of dried berries, are perfect with foie gras and similar savory, intensely flavored dishes. Such wines are also delightful to enjoy entirely on their own.
The Princess is a Frankovka. Young wines made from this variety in Slavonia and the Danube region are as playful as young pigs. They are like piglets running and leaping through mud wallows to cool off and rid themselves of parasites, while their mothers, the sows, watch on, wallowing slowly. In much the same calm, mature way, Frankovka wines swirl through the glass and across the palate.
CabSauv is a deer, Merlot is a doe
This is especially true when they are served alongside the finest wild boar dishes. Cabernet Sauvignon yields powerful, proud wines, much like the deer that reigns over the forests of Slavonia and the Danube, while the gentler Merlot is reminiscent of shy does. In red blends, however, the two pair beautifully, much like venison and stag meat in čobanac stews or goulash.
The fifth finger represents Riesling. Although it is a cool-climate variety, in the cellars of Slavonia and the Danube region, owned by people who are equally skilled as both winegrowers and winemakers, it demonstrates that wines with residual sugar can actually come across as dry. The sugar provides body, while the level of sweetness is just right for pairing with spicy fish stews.
Five wines like five freshwater fish
We can compare the five wines established in Slavonia and the Danube region, representing the fingers of the other hand, to freshwater fish. Chardonnay is like the catfish: large and fatty, yet possessing a delicious, smooth richness. Pinot Gris is delectable, much like carp can be. Sauvignon takes its name from the French word sauvage (meaning wild), making the pike, a fierce predator, its perfect match, while Grüner Sylvaner lies in wait from the sidelines. It hides much like the zander; once it hooks you, it never lets go.
Pinot Noir, for its part, is as special as the sterlet. It is scarce, yet every sip is memorable, much like the unforgettable taste of any dish prepared from this rare fish, prized for its extraordinarily delicious meat. For each of the twenty fingers and toes a person has, one could find a corresponding grape variety in the Slavonia and Danube regions. And that twentieth one is just as important as the first.
The characters of the hills in glasses
After all, even the little toe may look unassuming, yet the foot would lose its balance without it. For the sake of balance, it is also beneficial that the Eastern Continental Croatia wine region, as it is officially designated, is clearly divided into Slavonia and the Danube region. The influence of Mount Papuk dominates the wines of Slavonia, being rocky and more rugged than the sandy hills of Banovo Brdo and the slopes of Fruška Gora, it imparts a more mineral, slightly sharper quality to Slavonian wines. They cleanse the palate and refresh.
Danube-region wines, on the other hand, are muddy in the most beautiful sense of the word. They flow down the throat slowly, like fine sand slipping between one's fingers. Every Slavonian or Danube-region wine reflects the character of the winemaker who nurtured it. That is why no two are alike, no matter how close the vineyards where the grapes were grown might be.
A fine line connects... or divides
Slavonia and the Danube region offer true proof that person is part of the terroir, alongside grape variety, climate and soil. These wines bring to mind a simple joke about an experienced French winemaker who was asked why wines from grapes grown in vineyards separated by a mere two-meter-wide path had such vastly different bouquets. He replied that there are only two fingers' breadth between the buttocks and the vagina, yet the bouquet is completely different!
The Mirna, Istria’s largest river, flows tranquilly, offering a soothing view of its valley from renowned wineries such as Tomaz, Fakin, or Roxanich near Motovun, as well as Benvenuti, Valenta, and Bertoša in nearby Kaldir. The river also tempers the summer heat, imparting a much-desired freshness to the wines. The Neretva also flows calmly through its Croatian stretch, a quality reflected in the wines of the Prović winery in Opuzen.
Vines are on land reclaimed from the sea
In Opuzen, the Mala Neretva (Little Neretva) branch splits off from the main Neretva River. The winery's vineyards lie just two kilometers from the estuary, bathed in sunshine almost year-round. The land was reclaimed from the sea in relatively recent times and is characterized by distinct minerality. Even today, digging a little deeper into the soil reveals seashell fragments, remnants of a bygone era, according to the Prović family. They have gained renown for their excellent Chardonnay, yet they love red wines so much that they even named their family hotel Merlot.
The Prović family’s Trnjak is also excellent. This Dalmatian-Herzegovinian variety has risen from near obscurity over the last fifteen years or so to produce some of the finest red wines on both sides of the border today. Young Trnjak wines are wild and untamed, requiring three to four years to smooth out. It was traditionally used in vineyards to pollinate varieties with functionally female flowers, such is the local Blatina, whose male reproductive parts were underdeveloped.
Wines mature at their own pace
Once they realized that the process could not be rushed, they began allowing the wines to mature at their own pace, to the benefit of us all. The Prović family also produces Pagan Reserva, a blend of Merlot, Plavac Mali, and Cabernet Sauvignon crafted in the style of Italian Amarone. Each variety is vinified separately. The blend is 50 percent Merlot, made from grapes that were air-dried for about thirty days after harvest. The wines age in barrels for two years and then, following blending, spend another year maturing in the bottle.
The river is also important to Vrgorac winemakers. It is a small river, at least under normal weather conditions. Known as the Matica, meaning mainstream, it is barely visible for most of the year, yet it regularly overflows its banks, flooding the entire Vrgorac Field. That's why area is also known locally as Jezero (The Lake). During these times, one can navigate by boat between the vines. Strange as it may seem, these floods are what make Vrgorac wines so distinctive.
The invaluable Zlatarica Vrgorska
The Gašpar winery was among the first in Croatia to introduce Trnak, and their wines made from Zlatarica Vrgorska make the variety widelly known. It should be not confused with the Zlatarica Blatska from the village Blato, meaning mud, on island of Korčula. Zlatarica means female goldsmith and there are two different varieties with almost the same name. It is also worth noting that the Prović winery produces an excellent Zlatarica called Livija, named after the first Roman empress and wife of Emperor Augustus.