Croatia’s fascinating wine story is not limited to its grapes…
“We have offered a story which completely belongs to this land, a story which people will definitely talk about. There is nothing unnatural, nothing is artificial. Each bottle is unique”, said Edi Bajurin, the creator of a unique product that some would describe as a souvenir while others might call it an interestingly designed wine adventure, reports Poslovni.hr on November 16, 2015.
“It is especially important to say that this has nothing to do with so-called Chinese souvenirs, because everything to the last detail is from Croatia: Adriatic Sea, ‘Plavac 2012’ wine is from Janjina, clay is baked in Požega, ‘legs’ are made of wrought iron from Sisak, boxes are produced in Varaždin, glass, cork… Everything is Croatian, and we also wanted everything to be as close to original as possible”, Bajurin said and explained how he came up with the idea of immersing amphorae with bottles of wine in the depths of the Adriatic Sea.
“Five years ago, I had the idea to start such a project, although the story originally started by accident twelve years ago, when my sister gave me one bottle of wine which contained some remains of an old amphora. I teamed up with Ivo Šegović who deals with wine in Janjina”, Bajurin explained. He said that the idea of immersion of bottles and amphorae in the sea seemed feasible, but it took time to check everything.
“The real story starts in 2011 when we made the first wine and began with research activities, and the first amphorae were thrown in the sea at the end of 2013 and in early 2014. I started with several different locations around the Pelješac peninsula to investigate whether it was even possible. With bottles we had immediate success, but with amphorae we had some difficulties in the beginning. We had to check whether it was possible to place a bottle in an amphora, because wine could lose its quality. We opted for a 0.75 litre bottle which goes in a clay amphora, and then the whole thing goes into the sea. Of course, everything has to be protected by a good cap with two layers of rubber. All amphorae are stacked in cages, with a padlock to prevent theft”, Bajurin said.
“The production itself is very expensive, since the process is quite long. Therefore, Navis Misterium with a wooden box costs 1,500 kuna, a bottle with a wooden box costs 350 kuna, while wrought-iron legs are 100 kuna. Sales have already begun and the interest is substantial. Until the end of the year, we have to deliver 500 amphorae and bottles for the United States, and we already have orders from Hong Kong, the Czech Republic and Croatia”, Bajurin concluded.
