In mid-May, Štrigova in Međimurje traditionally becomes the regional oenological and gastronomic centre visited by many fans of excellent wines and good food. For contemporary vineyards and winemakers, the Urbanovo festival has been a special event for two decades, and it now brings together the second generation of winemakers from this area.
The event is organized by the Association of Wine-Growers and Winemakers Hortus Croatiae, Međimurje County, the Municipality of Štrigova, the Štrigova Tourist Board, and the Međimurje County Tourist Board. This year’s jubilee wine festival is held under the auspices of President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, as well as the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts.
The opening was attended by Darko Horvat, Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts; Sunčana Glavak, the envoy of Speaker of Parliament and an MP; Matija Posavec, prefect of Međimurje County; and Zoran Grgić, the dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb.
The president of the Hortus Croatiae association David Štampar sent a message to the wine producers and emphasized that the unity of Međimurje winemakers was their strongest link. “In recent years, we have been working together to improve the quality of our region as a tourist destination as well as to raise the quality of wines. We are working hard to create a high-quality wine scene that will enrich this region. I want to thank everyone for their contribution because each of you is a precious factor which affirms our Međimurje.”
The event started with the Pušipel Festival, with 24 wineries, members of the Hortus Croatiae association, presenting their wines: Agromeđimurje – Podrum Štrigova, Vina Alojz Novak, Vinogradarstvo i podrumarstvo Belović, Vinarija Cmrečnjak, DGA Pjenušci, Vinska kuća Dvanajščak-Kozol, Izletište „Vinska kuća Hažić“, Vina Horvat, Vinogradarstvo i podrumarstvo Jakopić, Vino Kerman, Vinarija Kocijan, Vina Kojter, Vinska kuća Kossi, Vina Kunčić, Vina Lovrec, Vina Medenjak, Vinarija Munđarov breg, Vina Nemec, Vinarija Novak, Vina Preiner, Solum Vinarija, Vinarija Štampar, Vinogradarstvo i podrumarstvo Tomšić and Vinarija Turk.
Minister Darko Horvat said: “This event clearly demonstrates that further development of our entire economy must be based on quality. That is proved by the wines here in Međimurje, which have been receiving prestigious international awards year after year. Only last year, Međimurje winemakers won six prestigious Decanter prizes, and we expect this figure to grow this year,” he said.
Urbanovo was preceded by the international wine assessment Štrigova 2019. Of the 150 samples received, four awards were given: Pušipel Mađerka 2018 – Cmrečnjak Winery; Graševina, the selected vintage of raisined grapes 2015 – Jakopić winery; Chardonnay 2018 – Vina Matočec; Penina Šipon Brut 2017 – Vina Krampač.
The Pušipel Festival will conclude on Sunday, May 19. In the second week of the event, on Friday and Saturday, May 24 and 25, the Days of Open Cellars will be held, with Međimurje winegrowers organising special programmes in their wineries, which each year attract more and more visitors.
The event traditionally concludes with the Wine Ball, this year held on Friday, May 31, at the Terbotz restaurant.
More wine news can be found in the Lifestyle section.
