In each region of Croatia there will be at least one winemaker for which the story will be that their wines are the best value for money. In the region of Srijem, in Eastern Croatia on the bank of the Dunav River, there are several winemakers who will rightfully claim that title. One of those wineries is Buhač family winery, owned by father-son team, Ivan and Domagoj who have a rather large vineyard of over 20 hectares where the two of them have been making wines since 1998, continuing the family tradition. These days Domagoj is in charge of the winery (he says that dad Ivan manages the vineyards, though), and although he has a degree in economy, he also knows his way around the vineyard and the cellar!
Those 20 hectares are located on several premium locations with a lot of sun and not much rain, Radoš, Lišćak, Božino Brdo, Ciglana, Principovac, Zaravan, Dekan and Široka Šuma and most of their vines are graševina. They also have some rhein riesling, traminac, pinot blanc, chardonnay and sauvignon, and cabernet sauvignon, frankovka and merlot – a pretty standard vineyard setup for that part of Croatia. They have no intention of spreading their vineyards or their production at the moment, as they are satisfied with the quality of wines they produce, and the prices at which they are able to offer them to their customers. One of their strongest suits is the fact that they manage to keep their wines consistently at the high level; even on those years when the conditions are not ideal, they still manage to produce the best wines possible with the material they have.
Their graševina is priced at around 25 kuna per bottle; it is high quality wine with excellent varietal characteristics, its light, rounded and a perfect easy drinking wine with not even a hint of bitterness. Traminac is a premium wine, a bit pricier but at around 50 kuna still wonderfully fragrant and a perfect match for any dessert. They were one of the first wineries in the region that started making merlot, and it is still the wine they’re most proud of: full-bodied ruby red premium wine for 50 kuna, with wonderfully balanced alcohol and acids, and still somehow aromatic, ideal to be had with a beef steak or any type of stronger meat dish.
The Buhač family will welcome you in their home winery in Ilok.
