Making wine on Hvar – a Master of Wine gets to work in Jelsa.
One of the things I like most about Hvar’s latest wine expert, Master of Wine Jo Ahearne, is her down to earth approach to life. Having previously been the main wine buyer for Harrod’s of London, I was expecting her to be a little bit of a wine snob, but nothing could be further from the truth as I watched her sink a couple of cold ones in The Office the other night.
It has been quite a Hvar ride for Jo so far, after we met at Dalmacija Wine Expo in Split in April, where she tasted Hvar wines for the first time. A research trip in July was followed by the decision to make wine and move to Jelsa, with the help of Team Tomic at Bastijana in Jelsa, as well as Hvar Wine Association President Ivana Krstulovic Caric.
It has been fun to watch Jo go about her project to make wine here, and she has been more than delighted with the help, advice and support she has received from various quarters on the island since she arrived.
It is a real shame that the 2014 vintage is one of the poorest in recent memory due to the rain, and Jo has been receiving an education in the micro-climates of Hvar, as well as indulging in some rather precise grape selection.
Equipment has been purchased, and with the helpful assistance of the Tomic team, the process of wine making has begun, initially with Plavac Mali, and I for one cannot wait to taste the results.
It is fun watching Jo and legendary winemaker Andro Tomic chatting away in French, as they exchange views and experience. A great combination which can only add to the international reputation of the wines of Hvar.
