The RAAK winery from Draganić near Jastrebarsko presented their dessert and fruit wines – made from sour cherries and chokeberry/black currant – in the Red Wine Bar in Zagreb. The tasting was conducted by Boris Rak and his wife Lorena, with cheese platters prepared by the wine bar chef, Drago Bošnjak.
Guests were first introduced to RAAK wines, exciting dessert and fruit wines unlike any in Croatia. Their offer includes a rare fruit wine which is not sweet (thus going along with many dishes) – from chokeberry enriched with black currant, and a romantic wine from two types of sour cherries – continental and maraska. Then came the pairing of wines with cheeses. First came cheese marinated in the RAAK chokeberry/black currant wine, then a blue and goat cheese with homemade jam from black currant and chokeberry in lemon juice.
In the sweet part of the tasting, wines wee combined with sweets from the Cake Boutique from excellent chocolate and a cheesecake as well as original sweets from Brazil, prepared by Lorena Rak. Refreshments came in the form of the Brazilian Caipirinha cocktail with a touch of RAAK wines, prepared by the young owner of the wine bar Luka Elezović after which came a party to bossa nova rhythm.
The RAAK winery, owned by the Rak family, was named after the old version of their last name, found in old church books. One of the family members is Lorena, a 35-year-old Brazilian lawyer, who left a legal career in Brazil and married Boris Rak, today with an equal share in the family business. Thus this promotion was envisioned as a wine harmony of Croatia and Brazil.
“Since I came to Croatia I had the desire to create special products from eco fruits. When my husband’s and father-in-law’s love for red wines joined that idea, we became a partner trio,” said Lorena.
The RAAK winery is committed to making wines from a blend of innovative and exciting taste with high nutritional value of fruit. They use only fruits that were not treated with chemicals. They grow their own and have a modern winery. They also take great care to preserve the vitamins and minerals found in fruit. Hence the oenological process is designed to maintain the useful ingredients from fruit.
RAAK wines are bought by restaurants, wine bars, smaller shops with domestic products and delicacies and pastry shops. They are available from Varaždin in the north to Dubrovnik in the south as well as some online shops. In the coming period they plan to expand the production of fruit and wine, aiming to create more fantastic fruit wines not made in Croatia or Europe.
“Most people think fruit wines are something new, but they have a history from the Middle Ages, produced from sour cherries, red currants and other fruits. Our grandmother in Draganić told us she remembers as a little girl, the locals made wines from apples between the two World Wars,” said Boris Rak.
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