Rijeka needed this, is the first comment of almost every one of seventy presenters in the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Primorje at the first International Eno-gastro Festival WineRi 2017, Novi List reported on February 22, 2017.
Sommeliers from around Croatia told me it is incredible that Rijeka has no such event considering her location and tourism role and they were the ones who gave us the idea to create such an event, said main organiser Žarko Stilin from the Aha marketing agency, who prepared this oenology and gastronomy event in Rijeka with partners, friends, sponsors and patrons.
“We wanted it to be in the Governor’s Palace for the ambience, in the middle of the week for seriousness and yet as part of the Rijeka Carnival and International Carnival School.”
The setting proved a perfect choice – over seventy presenters with over 300 wines, renowned sommeliers and lecturers, wine lovers, expert workshops and educational lectures turned the Governor’s Palace into a Dionysus wine temple in the very heart of Rijeka, a future must-be place for all eno-gastro lovers.
This new meeting place of caterers, traders, hoteliers and tourism workers, as well as visitors of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, was welcomed most by small winemakers.
“Although we already have a market in Kvarner, we want to expand, as we are a small winery with an annual production of 40 thousand litres. This festival is the right place for that,” said Mario Jurišić, owner of the Kos&Jurišić winery from Sveti Ivan Zelina.
Marketing Board President of the Winemakers’ Association at the Croatian Chamber of Economy Igor Hruškar considers it a miracle no one thought of Rijeka as ideal for this type of event before.
“Finally a young, enthusiastic team made the effort to organise something Rijeka needed, especially for small winemakers who need the promotion,” he said.
Winemakers at this festival present their current offer and are closer to consumers, good timing ahead of the tourism season. Also presenting were producers of liqueurs and brandies, cheese, domestic charcuterie and chocolate.
