My friend’s John and Irene have an online wine store (Topochines.com) that sells Croatian wine as well as wines from a few other countries. The wines are always unique and from off the beaten path wineries. I had sampled some of the Croatian wine and knew that I needed to introduce these wines to others in Charleston.
I decided to put together a wine tasting and invited some of my wine pals to partake. Happily, I ended up being 15 folks who heeded the call. It turned out that we sampled a total of 12 wines: six Croatian wines, four Portuguese wines, one Serbian wine, and one Italian dessert wine. What made these wines so exciting is they are produced at small family-run wineries, working in small batches and mostly from indigenous grape varieties specific to their region/country. You will not see these wines anywhere other than through Topochines, and to me, that is part of the thrill.
The Tasting
I lead the tasting. It was a sit-down event with a written tasting guide, maps, and a pen to take notes. We tasted the wines together (I had not previously sampled any of these wines). We shared what we experienced. Each wine paired with an hors d’oeuvre that was suggested by the winemakers. This was quite the tasting. And the feedback was that everyone has a lot of fun.
While the tasting happened all on the same evening, to make it a digestible read, I have broken the post into two parts. Today, I will share the Croatian wine and in a subsequent post will share the Portuguese, Serbian and Italian wine.
That said, the order that night was:
Griffin Sparkling Rosé NV (Rosé) – Croatia
Avicella Rosé Vinho Verde 2017 (Rosé) – Portugal
Erdevik Roza Nostra 2017 (Rosé) – Serbia
Avicella Vinho Minho 2017 (White) – Portugal
Galić Graševina 2017 (White) – Croatia
Stina Pošip 2015 (White) – Croatia
Matela Kaštelanski Crljenak 2015 (Red) – Croatia
Stina Plavac Mali 2015 (Red) – Croatia
Saints Hills Sv. Roko Plavac Mali 2015 (Red) – Croatia
Quinta da Ponte Pedrinha Touriga Nacional 2014 (Red) – Portugal
Quinta da Ponte Pedrinha Vinhas Velhas 2007 (Red) – Portugal
The Vinum Moscato D’Asti 2016 (White Dessert) – Italy
Croatian Wine
Griffin Sparkling Rosé NV, Plešivica, Croatia
The first wine of the evening was a non-vintage sparkling wine made from the very obscure grape variety called Portugiser (not connected to Portugal in any way. It grows in the lesser-known continental wine region of Plešivica in the Croatian Uplands. Krešimir Ivančić is the young winemaker whose family has been making wines for their own needs for generations. He has taken the family’s wines to the next level and is now selling them commercially.
To best maintain the aromatic and flavor of the underlying grape, Ivančić uses a process called cryomaceration whereby the grapes are brought to freezing temperature before fermentation can begin. This process allows more skin contact to imbue aroma and flavor into the juice, producing a wine with a much darker hue than most sparkling rosé wines.
Tasting Notes: Bright and sparkly without much acid. Packed with raspberry and other red fruit notes. Low alcohol at 11.5% abv. This sparkler is easy to drink. I know tons of folks who would enjoy this sip.
It paired beautifully with the cured meats that I served with this wine. It was a great way to start the tasting.
Galić Graševina 2017, Slavonia, Croatia
This wine is from a continental wine region east of the Uplands, known as Slavonia. It is the classic Croatian white wine from the indigenous Croatian grape, Graševina. Fans of Chenin Blanc or younger Rieslings will recognize many of the aromatic and flavor profiles in Graševina wines. This varietal is the most commonly planted white wine grape in the country – “they” say that one out of every five vines in Croatia is Graševina.
This wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel and sees no oak, which contributes to its crisp, acidic, and refreshing composition.
Tasting Notes: Nicely acidic with crisp, green apple, and citrus notes with a herbaceous back note. Paired with my homemade, soft goat cheese and sun-dried tomato spread on baguette slices.
Stina Pošip 2015 Korcula, South Dalmatia, Croatia
Pošip gives off beautiful grapes with excellent yields. Done well, this results in full-bodied white wine with intense aroma and flavor.
The Pošip varietal is indigenous to Croatia and thought to originate on the island of Korcula. The island is considered to be the ideal location for growing this grape. Korcula is one of a string of vine-growing islan