Located in central Croatia, Karlovac shares a border with Slovenia in the West and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the East. It’s known as the city of 4 rivers with the Kupa, Korana, Mreznica and Dobra rivers meander through green plateaus of Kordun.
This County is not known for producing wine however, there is one micro wine region in Karlovac where vineyards straddle the slopes of the Žumberak Mountains and the Kupa valley, the Vivodina wine region. This region is known for its beauty and was best described by Davorin Trstenjak, a historian, in his book “Travelling memoir”, where he states: “Those who haven’t seen the Kupa Valley from Saint Križ church above Lović haven’t seen the beauty of Croatia!“.
This region is made up of 26 villages neatly tucked in between valleys, forests, and vineyards of which there are only 80 hectares which are shared among 12 small winemakers. Here you’ll find graševina, sauvignon, pinot gris, chardonnay, muscat, riesling, pinot noir, portugeiser and zweigelt being grown using traditional techniques.
Whilst it’s only a small region you can be sure that each bottle of wine here is produced with the level of care and quality you would see in some of the larger wine regions of Croatia. The difference is here you’ll meet the winemaker because most of the wineries are small family run operations.
The wine region is perfect for wine production on its sunbathed slopes of Vivodina, Lović and Vrhovca and easily accessible by driving the Ozalj-Vivodina wine road which is about 30km long. Along the road, you can take your pick from centuries-old cellars to modern newly renovated tasting rooms where you can enjoy the full Karlovac food and wine experience because there is never wine without food.
One of the best wineries to visit, for more than just good wine, is Lešćanec wines who have 15,000 vines and produce graševina, an excellent riesling, pinot gris, kerner and chardonnay. The bonus here is you can stay for a meal and take in one of the best views in the county. The winery is located in Vrškovac on top of a ridge and has superb views out over the Kupa valley.
Another great winery to visit is Šoštar wines located in Vrhovac. This extremely hospitable host is famous for his excellent Frankovka and also produces riesling, graševina, chardonnay, portugeiser, and gewurztraminer.
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