“Many say just another wine fair, and I reply – this is a different fair. For the first time in Dalmatia the winemakers themselves are organizing a festival, and I emphasize Dalmatia as we have many peculiarities. We want to present the varieties not talked about much, we want to cover a wider aspect of the varieties and with the aid of our international guests unite the national and international. We are trying to prove that we can be united despite being broken down into regions, which is why every year we will have another Croatian region as guests, and this year it is the Graševina Croatica from Slavonia and Baranja,” pointed out Ivica Kovačević, President of the Vino Dalmacija Association, announcing at the Croatian Chamber of Economy in Zagreb the first festival this association is preparing in Split on April 13 and 14 in the Kampus restaurant.
The idea is the connect local winemakers through the festival, so the event will take place each year in another town, moving through all four Dalmatian counties. Special attention will be paid to business visitors, caterers and hoteliers who can enter for free via the following link: http://vinodalmacije.com/prijava-za-ugostitelje/
The backbone of the festival are educational workshops, free for visitors with prior notice. Leo Gracin from Split University stated this is an opportunity to bond the academic community and economy, so they are taking an active part in holding the workshops. They have also announced the formation of an agricultural studio which will include winemaking and vine growing as part of the University program.
Secretary of the Winemaking Association of the Croatian Chamber of Economy Igor Barbarić emphasized it is important for people to taste the wines in the region they are made in. “I feel each region needs one main fair for the experts and this is why the Chamber firmly supports the festival organizers as this type of presentation is in line with the strategy of our Wines of Croatia – Wines Mosaica project,” stated Barbarić, adding we increased wine export last year by 27 percent, and reduced import by 7 percent, partly due to promotional activities and fairs.
More information on the festival can be found here.
Workshop schedule:
Friday, April 13
13h Pošip – from the vineyard of Marin Tomašić Barbaca to the most important white variety of Dalmatia. Comparative tasting of chosen wines from all over Dalmatia.
14h Wine as a component of Mediterranean nutrition: medical aspect.
15:30h Maraština/Rukatac – hidden ace of Dalmatia. Multifunctional variety providing equally good fresh white wines, ripe and aged and dessert wines.
17h Different Dalmatia – Kujundžuša, Zlatarica and Trnjak.
Saturday, April 14
13h Plavac Mali – comparative tasting of the best three-year Plavac from the premium category. Styles and evolution of Plavac Mali aged three, an age considered ideal for market placement of the majority of premium wines of the variety.
15h Debit/Lasina/Babić – assortment of the Šibenik area and its potential. Comparative tasting of chosen wines from winemakers who are passionate about preserving heritage and tradition.
17h Dalmatian red blend – future is in affirmation of authentic coupages of the Dalmatian vineyards. Comparative tasting of chosen wines with a review of positive experiences by established global regions.
Translated from the G.E.T. Report, for the original click here.
