About this time last year we wrote about ŠkrletOVO, a day-long event dedicated to the promotion of Škrlet, an indigenous wine variety from Croatian Moslavina region.
This year the event is happening again, so we asked Janko Kezele, one of the organizers from the Association Škrlet Moslavina to give us a bit more insight into the event, what the organizers have planned for this year and what their “big picture” goal is.
Q: First of all, where and when will the event be held this year, and what will it include?
A: Saturday, April the 7th 2018 is the day you should have ŠkrletOVO in Caps Lock written in your calendars! It’s the day when we celebrate Škrlet as a symbol of Moslavina region and bring fresh ideas on how to elevate its quality to the next level. We do this with wine scholars and experts who help us to make Škrlet better and wine lovers who are discovering Škrlet more and more. The first part will start at 2 pm, Civic Centre (in Croatian, it’s called Pučko Otvoreno Učilište, right in the centre of the town, at the address Moslavačka 11), where until 6 pm an expert-oriented invitation only part of the program will be held. After that, and until 10 pm there will be a second part – ŠkrletOVO PARTY opened for the public at the same location.
Q: Tell us a bit more about the variety, Škrlet. We’ve written about it, but give us a bit of an insider insight into why it’s so important to the region of Moslavina to put it back on the wine map of Croatia?
A: Škrlet is a rather rare variety which can only be found in Moslavina region. The variety was almost allowed todie out, because it was misevaluated and underestimated. During the 20th century international varieties took over and Škrlet was neglected and forgotten. The enthusiast who decided to keep Škrlet from dying out is Lujo Miklaužić, but the real renaissance of the variety started some 10 years ago, when the local wine makers decided they needed to start cooperating more closely in order to save the variety. Than effort and cooperation was also supported by Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb and local government, and Škrlet was selected to be the first indigenous wine variety in Croatia for which the 15 year long project of clone selection was performed, so now we have first-class clones in our vineyards. There are many indigenous varieties in continental Croatia, but Škrlet is recognized as the one with the best potentials. It is very well adapted to the terroir of Moslavina, persistent, resistant to various diseases and weather conditions, with good yields (sometimes the yields can be unconsistent, but we are working hard on figuring out the reasons for that) and gives excellent wines. Škrlet is very important for Moslavina region since it is one of the smallest wine regions in Croatia, and currently we only have around hundred hectares of Škrlet vineyards. Moreover, since Moslavina economy is still depending on agriculture, Škrlet has a huge potential for development of wine tourism and tourism in general.
Q: What exactly will be happening at the expert-oriented portion of the event, who is the “target audience” for it and what will they get to experience?
Expert discussion and guided tasting are co-organized by the scientists from the Department of Viticulture and Enology of Zagreb’s Faculty of Agriculture who will discuss Škrlet and its potentials with their guest enologists, representatives of the local governments, numerous sommeliers, wine distributors, journalists and wine enthusiasts. Just like last year, assistant professor Zvjezdana Marković from the Faculty of Agriculture will host the panel discussion, and this year’s topic will be the potential of the variety. The panellists will include Ana-Marija Jagatić Korenika and Darko Preiner from the same Faculty, Silvio Šimon from the Institute of Viticulture and Enology and Krešimir Hren, an enologist. They will discuss the potentials of the variety, compare it to other major varieties and propose further ideas for approach to this indigenous variety which should help it show its full potential on the increasingly demanding wine market.
After that Krešimir Hren will guide our guests through the blind tasting of 8 samples of 2017 harvest Škrlet, by Florijanović, Ilovčak, Jaram, Kezele, Miklaužić, Mikša, Trdenić and Voštinić-Klasnić. All of the producers will be present, and will participate in the discussion about their wines. Wines will also be graded by the certified tasters and the best Škrlet for this year will be announced.
Q: And after all those serious discussions and tastings, one would expect a party to happen?
A: Well, of course. The same winemakers we mentioned before, who are cultivating 65% of the total Škrlet production and are amongst the best Škrlet producers on the market, also want to present their 2017 wines to the public, not just the experts. In addition to their regular vintages, there will be some late harvest Škrlet, orange wine Škrlet, some aged Škrlet and of course sparkling wine made from this variety! In addition to wine, there will be some finger-food offered to the visitors, and of course some bučnica (you can’t really come to Moslavina and not have bučnica!), as well as home-made pumpkin-seed oil, pride and joy of our Moslavina region. Entertainment will be provided by the „Fine & Jazzy Bouquet“ duo.
The entrance fee to this part of ŠkrletOVO is 80 kuna per person, and it includes unlimited tasting of the wines. Additionally, for those travelling to Ivanić Grad from Zagreb, we have organized a bus transfer from and to Zagreb Bus Station (Autobusni kolodvor). The return ticket promotional price is 25 kuna, and you should make a reservation or purchase the ticket at least one day before the event, on Friday April 6th before 12 noon. You can make the reservation either by email ([email protected]), phone (6117-774 and 098/9814-432) or personally at Čazmatrans office at the Zagreb Bus Station.
