April 27, 2022 – On Saturday, April 22, everything was pink in Zagreb’s Lauba at the tenth edition of the unique festival dedicated to rosé wine – Pink Day Zagreb. As the initiator, Sanja Muzaferija, always says, the festival is also a celebration of spring, optimism, and gentle, feminine energy with light wines.
The Pink Day Zagreb Festival gathered a large number of connoisseurs, professionals, wine lovers, and visitors who were dressed in pink and were eager to socialize, celebrate spring, optimism, high aesthetics, excellent oils, or, above all, excellent rosé wines from Croatia and Slovenia, Italy, France, USA…
Pink Day Zagreb combines fun, fine wines, and educational content. It brings together wine connoisseurs, professionals, and “ordinary” lovers of these fine pinky wines, ideal for warmer days. In addition to being a rosé festival, Pink Day Zagreb is a kind of dedication to female energy and the beauty of life, a fluttering ceremony of a rosy worldview. Because rosé is precisely that: bright! During the last ten years, the Festival has established itself due to its educational contents, exchange of experiences, and cheerful and optimistic atmosphere and has consistently promoted moderate consumption of wine and, according to the winemakers themselves, significantly helped to change the attitude towards rosé, and thus the wine map of Croatia.
“I am proud that Pink Day Zagreb helped rosé gain a better reputation. Of course, there is also Green in Pink, which celebrates the top quality domestic extra virgin olive oils. Since last year, the festival has also celebrated pink gins, tonics, liqueurs, cocktails…” said Muzaferija.
This boutique festival, which is also the oldest major wine festival in Croatia after Vinistra and VinoCom, for its special edition, offered more than a hundred labels of wine, about thirty labels of premium extra virgin olive oil, and presented several premium brands of spirits and cocktails, all enjoyed by hundreds of visitors. It was the richest festival program so far. In fact, the entire month of April was covered in pink because at the press conference in Lauba at the beginning of the month, a workshop on the wines of hilly Croatia took place, under the baton of experienced sommelier Mario Meštrović. The story continued on April 18, in Zagreb’s only restaurant with a Michelin star, Noel, where a Masterclass of Chateau d’Esclans rosé wine “Pinks That Made History” powered by PBZ Card Premium Visa was held in front of a packed auditorium. The wines were tasted from top Riedel glasses, all under the leadership of Ted Lelekas, Moet Hennessy brand ambassador.
Festival workshops
All accompanying programs of the Festival were extremely interesting this time as well. The “Pink American West,” with wines from the American West Coast that are not on the Croatian market, moderated by Mirena Bagur and Croatian Premium Wine Import from Boston, was extremely popular. While Bagur presented the winery and their positioning in the vast American market, her husband and business partner Win Burke spoke about the characteristics and style of each of the five wines that came from the northern part of the American West, Oregon, all the way to Southern California and Napa Valley. Among them was Grgich Hills Rosé by Mike Grgich, a winemaker with Croatian roots and a pioneer of winemaking in the USA. The surprise guest was the top American chef, Johnny Sheehan, who also said a few words about pairing these wines with food.
All connoisseurs and everyone who wanted to know more attended an attractive panel, i.e., a round table dedicated to the rosé wines of the Croatian East – “Rosé Wine East: 10 Years Later” powered by HGK, in honor of the progress of the rosé wines of this region. The moderator was the “chaser” Morana Zibar, and the participants were the representatives of HGK: Jelena Đugum; HAPIH: Darko Cenbauer; Kutjevo wineries: Dino Galić, and Vina Papak: veteran Mladen Papak.
A masterclass on extra virgin olive oils, “Champion Oils of Istria and Dalmatia,” powered by JGL, was moderated by an assistant professor from the University of Split, Ph.D. Mirella Žanetić. All visitors there could learn all about the secrets of good oil.
At the very end, at the workshop designed by Vjenceslav Madić, “Master Kishoni”: “Pink Cocktalization” powered by Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, lovers of pink cocktails, strange molecular “alchemy” of cocktails and mixology found themselves in awe – because this workshop produced miracles in a glass.
Cooltura i Dizajn: All visitors of the Festival could also buy a limited edition t-shirt with the character “Pink Girl” signed by Marina Dimić Kepeski, who was a member of the jury that chose the most beautifully decorated tables of exhibitors, along with Muzaferija and her partner for Pink Day Zagreb Zrinka Jelić Belinić. In addition to the wines a wonderful atmosphere that is always guaranteed, the Festival is also known for its fantastically decorated exhibition tables. All partners work extremely hard and receive valuable awards for nicely decorated exhibition tables.
This year, Kutjevo won the first prize – 12 Riedel glasses from the Restaurant Extreme Rosé line. Other awards included the pink SMEG toaster model TSF02PKEU by Gemma, which went to Astoria Wines. The Elie Saab fragrance from the Martimex perfumery portfolio, “Le parfum essentiel,” was awarded to the Kvarner Wines Association. Bottega won a gift package from the Media Bar publishing house with three books – Stanley Tucci’s “Taste,” Anđa Marić’s “My Revolution in 365 Days,” and Arijana Čulina’s “Twice in Five Minutes.” MIVA Wine Gallery received a rich IKEA package (blanket, cushions, small items for the house…) as a reward for creativity and long-term loyal cooperation.
At the Festival, for the first time in Zagreb, the recently published Media Bar book published by Stanley Tucci, “Taste: My Life Through Food,” translated by Nada Mirković. Anyone who wanted could visit Lauba: a house for people and art at the same time, the sales exhibition of the acclaimed and award-winning young Croatian painter Emanuela Lekić “Night Shift.”
Romerquelle was once again the official water of the festival, and Ikea took care of a comfortable lounge where visitors could relax. Visitors also enjoyed the fine delicacies of one of the best bakeries in Zagreb, “Noel Bread & Deli.” In a separate food corner, fine snacks from Catering Kvatrić awaited visitors and exhibitors, as well as Miscotti biscuits – which go well with rose wine and were baked especially for this occasion.
All in all, the festival was well worth visiting. For those who couldn’t make it, they will get their chance next year at the 11th edition of the Festival.
The founder of the whole thing is Sanja Muzaferija, who has been promoting wonderful spring wines through this Festival for an entire decade, thus starting the all-round rosé revolution. For the last two years, she has been accompanied by Zrinka Jelić-Belinić from the Z – Eventi & Promotion agency.
The partners of Pink Day Zagreb include PBZ Card Premium Visa, HTZ, HGK, JGL, MIVA Wine Gallery, Ikea, Romerquelle, Bregovita Hrvatska, Riedel, Martimex, Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, Smeg, publishing house Media Bar, Miscotti, Lauba…
And here’s where you can find them at all times:
Pink Day website: https://pinkdayzagreb.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PINK-DAY-166888780125529/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkdayzg
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