“Ivan Enjingi was one of the most talented Croatian winemakers,” said to us on Wednesday the great Joško Gravner, while in his tasting room, near the end of a long interview on wine and philosophy, we discussed Croatia wine growers and restaurants Gravner knows very well. Joško Gravner doesn’t compliment easily: besides Enjingi, he only had compliments for the Tomac family.
Ivan Enjingi was not just talented. He was the first global face of Croatian wines, as his white Venje from 1998 became the first Croatian champion wine at the Decanter World Wine Awards. At the time, some fifteen years ago, Enjingi’s wines were on all wine lists of any decent Croatian restaurant, just like Kozlović and Coronica today. Through a series of unfortunate circumstances, Ivan Enjingi almost disappeared from the market in the meantime. His wines are neither sought nor offered, and we haven’t had any for several years. At least not the fresher ones.
Day before yesterday we ran into Enjingi’s 2015 Graševina in a supermarket, with a distinctive green label. Right after the first scent and sip, it became clear the old master is returning to the very top of Slavonian and Croatian wine scene. Enjingi’s 2015 Graševina is chock full of intoxicating aromas, from apples and apricots to chamomile and honey, with a mild botrytis in taste, and with enough freshness for the wine to be easily drinkable and to go well with food. Full, strong taste and lavish bouquet of this old type Graševina is superior to most Slavonian white wines. It is high time for the new generations of sommeliers, chefs and wine consumers to discover Ivan Enjingi and be convinced of all Graševina can offer beyond the dominant clean and fresh format. And we are exceptionally glad that Ivan Enjingi is still, at least in some editions, one of the best Croatian winemakers.
This wine goes well with superior pork, from kulen to grilled meat. Then with fish like carp, conventional Chinese-European dishes, always going well with rich and rounded white wines.
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