St. Martin’s Day in the Kutjevo winery this year was a combination of traditional and modern celebration.
The first stop was Vila Vinkomir on the same name wine growing position which offers at any time of year a wonderful view, especially when the vineyards and fields are in autumn colours. A tasting of young Graševina was prepared there, celebrating not only a successfully completed last harvest, but also many gold awards for Graševina from Kutjevo cellars gained this year.
Hence the tasting was continued in the old cellar from the year 1232. Besides the ambience and wine, the experience was enriched with music, when we were met on arrival by trumpeters, students of the Požega Music School, with the tasting along with jazz guitar sounds by Darko Misirača.
“The style of award-winning wines from Kutjevo comes from the best wine growing positions at 250 metres above sea level, on the slopes of Papuk and Krndija mountains. Selected wine growing positions Hrnjevac and Vinomir enable the production of wines with luxurious scents and stronger and more harmonious taste, so wine freshness, drinkability, ripe fruitiness and flower aromas are kept in balance,” explained Kutjevo’s sommelier Dragan Humski who led the tasting.
After the awarded wines, we tasted archival Graševina of select harvest and dried grapes from 2006. For an archive wine, it is still young and we will have to taste it again in 2021 or 2026.
Enologist Zrinka Vinković-Jergović reflected on the 2016 harvest: “The year was in the wine growing sense quite demanding due to much precipitation and frost which damaged the vineyards. Yield was therefore lower by 15% compared to last year while the quality remained the same. We benefitted from a sunny period of a month ahead of the harvest which manifested on the grapes which gained an optimal amount of sugars and total acids. Fermentation notes of young wines are excellent, reminiscent of the good 2012, and we expect from them aromatic and structured wines which may be better in quality than the previous year and the one before.”
The next morning we toured other kutjevo winemakers. First on the lsit was the winery of Antun Andržić – Tuna, who thrills with a simple approach to production and elegant wines, as well as the winery logo, recognisable by a details – pattern from the traditional Slavonian folk dress.
Ivica Perak can surely keep a guest’s attention. Along with a tasting of young wines in the cellar, he offered a kulen sausage from his own production and when it was time to leave, all wanted to remain and listen to his presentation.
We cannot come to Kutjevo and not visit the Tandara winery. Although her house was full of guests, Zorica was as always smiling and in good spirits. We asked her daughter Marijana to present to guests the Wine Diary she created, as well as a specific, humorous Wine Driving Licence – available after you’ve had your first intoxication, to be revoked if the Wine Police catches you sober.
The Kutjevo hills have so many excellent winemakers with fine wines and interesting stories, it is impossible to see them all in such a short time.
For the original and more from the G.E.T. Report, click here.
