It is really a rare occasion when it (at least in my life) gets seriously glamorous! I have had my fair share of gala events, gala dinners, promotions and opening nights…including Cannes Film festival and alike, but they can all hardly compare to events prepared by and in hotel Esplanade in Zagreb. Traditional media lunch at Esplanade in Zagreb is glamorous by many criteria – one of them being, of course, the splendid interior and great food. But, since wine is in my focus (at least for this column – don’t get me wrong) I have to say that glamour on many occasion actually comes from the wine choice. One of the oldest Croatian sommeliers, Esplanade’s own Ivan Šneler is a legendary master of his work so – to cut a long story short – his wine choice was spotless. Apart from Champagne, all wines were Croatian, which was a great decision to start with. Welcome drink for the members of the press was Moet & Chandon, Vintage Imperial 2006. an excellent pair to the citrus jelly oyster and foi gras mousse, cacao, pear and honey butter. With marinated lobster, roasted baby carrots, crispy tapioca and carrot cream – came one of my favourite domestic sparkling wines – Tomac Millenium Brut. That Tomac family from Plešivica really knows what they are doing – we now have a very important proof (although we have known it before and for some time now) since their orange sparkling wine made it among 75 most exciting wines of 2016 according to none other than Decanter! This is what they have said about it:
Tomac Amfora sparkling is a special wine in every way. Among the rarest sparkling produced from still wine from the amphora or “qvevri”, ancient Georgian fermentation vessel made of red clay. This method of wine production is becoming increasingly popular in the world and particularly in the Plešivica region – where Tomac winery is located. When orange meets bubbles, unique tasting experience is guaranteed. Decanter Magazine explained it as a bit rustic, with strong and almost burnt caramel and orange aromas and nuances of autumn fruits with vivid acidity.
Anyway, Tomac is always a good idea! With pastry filled with porcini mushrooms, black truffle cream and truffle flakes – we had Chardonnay Rosenberg Krauthaker 2014 – and, indeed, Kruathaker, one of the legends of Croatian wine making – is never disappointing and always a delight! Poached cod in olive oil and liquorice gel, crispy kale and Brussel sprouts was followed by Nevina Saint Hills 2013 – one of the gentle yet serious Istrian malvasias, produced by Ernest Tolj – and it was a perfect match. Pigeon breast, coriander powder, red currant and parsnips cream asked for a nice red wine and Mr. Šneler masterfully chose Slavonian Frankovka Orahovica 2013. With the dessert, citrus jam lavender gel with poppy seeds – we have had the pleasure of tasting Sorbus 2009, an extraordinary wine by Kozlović . So, if you decide to go really glamorous this holiday season – just copy the wine list. When it comes to food, I have serious doubts that Anma Grgić, Esplanade’s chef can be matched at home, but – you never know. It’s worth trying. So, the advice is: go for it! And happy holidays!
