One of the most encouraging aspects of our new project, Total Croatia News, has been the great response from various quarters, offering help in any way required.
The more voices about Croatia and aspects of Croatian life, the better, and I was particularly delighted to receive an email after we announced the project from Croatian wine legend Cliff Rames from New York City.
Although I see him as a good friend after lots of messaging, I have still to meet Cliff properly (we nodded at each other as the excellent Sasa Spiranec Plavac Mali masterclass at Dalmacija Wine Expo last year), and I am sure that day is not far away. Cliff of course is the pioneer of Croatian wine promotion internationally, and his Wines of Croatia blog has become essential reading for anyone interested in Croatian wines, as well as an important window to the world for many of Croatia’s undiscovered winemakers.
Cliff has kindly offered to be an occasional (we hope not that occasional…) contributor writing about Croatian wines. Based in New York, Cliff also has an insight into the diaspora community, and I am hoping that more voices from the diaspora around the world will join us, thereby providing a true ‘total’ picture of Croatian news. Read Cliff’s bio below. Thanks for joining and supporting the Total Croatia News project – the first bottle of Plavac Mali is on me when we finally meet.
Why not join us on the Total Croatia News project, either by contributing or following us on Facebook?
“Cliff is Court of Master Sommeliers Certified Sommelier in New York City. He has served as sommelier at Beaubourg/Le District, and the Caudalie French Paradox Wine Lounge at the historic Plaza Hotel. Cliff is also a Wine Educator and regularly teaches at the NYC Wine Class wine school. Cliff is Founder of and Brand Ambassador for Wines of Croatia, and has also conducted masterclasses on behalf of the Association of Winemakers of Croatia grand tasting events in NYC (2011, 2013, 2015). A freelance writer, Cliff serves as Contributing Editor for The SOMM Journal and is a regular contributor to the Wines of Croatia blog, which was a 2013 Wine Blog Awards Finalist for “Best Wine Reviews”. Cliff also wrote content about Croatian wines for the Lonely Planet – Croatia (7th & 8th Editions) travel guides. Cliff’s other formal wine training includes the French Culinary Institute’s Fundamentals of Wine program, the WSET Advanced Certificate, and the Society of Wine Educators Certified Specialist of Wine program. Cliff has served as a judge during the 2012, 2013 and 2014 StarChefs Somm Slam competition, as well as the 2012, 2013, and 2015 New York International Wine Competition. In his free time, Cliff enjoys cooking, reading poetry and fiction, playing guitar, disc golf, hiking, watching classic movies, and enjoying quality time with his dog, Smokie.”
You can contact Cliff via [email protected]
