Blog
Podrumi Andrija Expands on the Classics
Posted 07 11 2007 by miquel 0 Comments
Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe
Andrija's family sharing wine, meat, and cheese
Our first stop along the Vinska Cesta of Herzegovina was at Podrumi Andrija. Like most wine makers in the area, the family has a tradition of wine that formed the foundation of the company. They were a bit different, though, as they actually started making wine to sell in 1971, which was not allowed under the Communist government. Apparently, family and friends worked to hide their wine making operation. Proving that they were a crafty group, they were able to continue growing during the war with their wine being routed through other countries with some fantastic scheme that we think we were better off not knowing about.
Andrija's Žilavka Barrique
But now, in the 21st century, the winery is a full-fledged operation, producing from four hectares of their own and buying from 400 other people who grow on an additional 80 hectares. This allows them to have a well-appointed tasting room where they treated us to an extensitve tasting of their wines as well as some locally made pršut (smoked ham), which we always accept gladly.
We started with the 2004 Žilavka. It is a light white wine at 12% alcohol. There are mineral tones to the nose and body and a slight grapefruit to it as well. Citrus flavors come out in the body as it opens up and these continue in to the finish.
From there, we moved in to the 2005 Blatina. This was a very nice sample of this local varietal. There were cherries and berries in the nose and a tad bit of syrupy fruit to it. It wasn't sweet though and gave a nice, pleasing balance of aromas. The body presented much more earthy flavors that presented the wine as bold and enjoyable. The finish was clean and overall, it was a solid wine.
Andrija's wines in his shop
To close, we had the 2004 Blatina Barrique. The nose had both mineral and earthy notes to it as well as being fresh and dewy. All of this we liked a great deal. The best part was that all these aromas carried directly in to the body, which made for great drinking. There was a little spark to the finish that sticks with you and makes the wine a real winner and as it gets more air, it gets more complex, presenting some sour cherry in the finish.
Andrija was a great start to the Vinska Cesta that made us happy and very excited to move on and taste more.
Andrija's family sharing wine, meat, and cheese
Andrija's Žilavka Barrique
Andrija's wines in his shop
Bosnia and Herzegovina's Wine Route
Posted 07 10 2007 by elia 0 Comments
Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe
Herzegovina, the Southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the land of sun and stone and because of this it is the biggest and single wine producing region in the country. 
The majority of the wines produced in Herzegovina are made with the autochtonous varieties of Žilavka (white) and Blatina (red).
B&H has a long tradition of wine growing and production from the Illyrian period. However, the wine growing region in B&H was historically much bigger than it is today, but with the Ottoman rule this type of production was gradually extinguished due to many successive wars, because grapevines require a high degree of maintenance and even a month away from them can be catastrophic. Currently, the production of wine is limited to the confluences of the rivers Neretva and Trebišnjica.
Herzegovina hills
Because of the long wine-growing history in Herzegovina, and the quality and abundance of its wineries, last year the European Union decided to fund a project of the association of vintners of the region called Vinska Cesta (Wine Route) to promote Herzegovina wines. About four few months ago, the Tourism Association of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, used this grant to create a website of the Wine Route and published a very useful map showing the location of all the wineries in the area. They also have additional informative brochures about them (such as a catalog of wines produced by each of them and a calendar of wine-related events). Moreover, a multitude of signs were put up recently along the roads of Herzegovina to make it easy for visitors to find each single winery, even in the smallest villages. We were truly impressed. The Wine Route warrants a trip by anyone who is a true wine connoisseur because the wines ranged ranged from quite drinkable to outstandingly well-crafted.
Herzegovina hills
Rubin: A Leading Serbian Cooperative Goes Private
Posted 07 04 2007 by miquel 0 Comments
Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe
A few Rubin winesRubin is an interesting case of a former Communist cooperative that went private. One reason that it stuck out to us, was that it took an incredibly long time to privatize. Where most wine cooperatives were transferred to private hands during the 1990's, Rubin only went private two years ago. Secondly, it's more massive than any former cooperative we had encountered before. They produce five million bottles of liquor each year, three million of which are wine. They buy wine grapes from all over the region, including neighboring Macedonia. Lastly, they have vineyards in Kosovo of all places.
All of these points make the company sound like any large-scale producer in America and thusly, our expectations were low; very low. We found it amazing that even though Rubin produces at such a large scale, their wines, especially the Terra Lazarica line are more than just drinkable and are even quite noteworthy.
Rubin's Cab Sauv
We tasted the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc that we found to have some good fruit aromas to the body and the nose. It was easy to drink and had a balanced body that led in to a smooth finish. It was quite good, but nothing to rave about. The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon was quite exciting though. It had a nice flowery nose that was also very clean and fresh, something akin to the nose of a good French Bordeaux. The body wasn't as deep as the nose though, but had a general sophistication that carried several textures through it, including a nice earthiness. The finish was smooth, although it brought out the dryness to the wine, which if it were the drinker's preference, would make the wine even more desirable.
The best part about all these wines is that they can be found at any supermarket in Serbia for around $7, making them a good alternative to the ever-present Jelen beer.
A few Rubin wines
Rubin's Cab Sauv
Tags: europe travels serbia
The Whites of Aleksandrović
Posted 07 03 2007 by miquel 0 Comments
Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe
Bottle and classy presentation
Another winery that we sampled at the Novi Sad Wine Fair was Aleksandrović. He is located in Vinća, Topela in Serbia and like most wine producers in the region, his family had a long tradition of wine making that stopped and didn't really start again until Communism ended and he could produce for more people than just his immediate family. Since they started up again in 1991, they have managed to build their winery up to producing 200,000 to 300,000 liters a year from the 20 hectares that they own as well as from a supply of grapes from others in the area who augment their estate grapes.
Several other wines
While they make a great number of wines including a Rosé and a Pinot Noir, it was only the whites that we tasted. We started a tad bit skeptical of these whites from Serbia, but were quickly impressed due to the wonderful craft that has gone in to these wines.
The 2006 Riesling weighed in at 13.2% alcohol and was a blend of Rhine and Italian varietals. It was very nice being smooth, clean, and light throughout the nose, body, and finish. Additionally, it had wonderfully balanced fruit aromas and flavors that were neither too strong nor too soft. 
The Trijumf
The 2006 Chardonnay was a nice change from the normal California Chards. It packs a bit of a punch for a white, at 14% alcohol and has an okay nose, but it is much, much lighter than a normal CA Chard. It has more fruit and evenness to it. The body is not oaky or buttery, which made it good to know that you can make a Chardonnay that isn't stuck in one of these categories. All of this was just $12 a bottle, which even made it cheaper that the vast majority of Chardonnays that we've been used to.
The triumphant and best of these whites was naturally called the Trijumf. This was the 2006 vintage that we tasted and it was just outstanding. It has a lovely floral nose that is clean and elegant. Everything about it oozes with a sparkling brightness from nose to finish. This wine is just full of classiness and at $15 a bottle; it's a classiness that most anyone can afford.
While we didn't get to try any of the reds, if they're even half as good as these whites, then Aleksandrović is a name that everyone will soon know well in wine circles.
Bottle and classy presentation
Several other wines
The Trijumf
What is Bermet?
Posted 07 02 2007 by elia 0 Comments
Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe
Downtown Sremci Karlovci
Bermet is a sweet wine that is a specialty of northern Serbia's Fruška Gora wine region, in the Vojvodina province.
Red Bermet It has between 16 and 18% of alcohol and it is usually served as a dessert wine, with coffee and cookies, but can also be served as an aperitif, much like Italian Vermouth. However, Bermet is produced in a different way than Vermouth, through maceration of 20 different herbs and spices. It can be made of red or white grapes, but the exact recipe is secret and held by only a handful of families in the town of Sremci Karlovci. Dulka winery, for example, told us that he makes the base of his white Bermet are župljanka grapes, a local variety, and Merlot for his red. Other vintners seem to use Portugieser, and others blend both red and white grapes.
White Bermet
As the story goes, Bermet was very popular among the aristocracy of the Austro-Hungarian empire and was regularly exported to the court in Vienna in large quantities. Moreover, according to some documents, a few Bermets were even included in the Titanic's wine card, and it was exported to the United States over 150 years ago.
As for Bermet's taste, it is sweet, but not overly so. It is a very thick, heavy wine that carries a lot of punch, so to compare it to Prošek, Tokaj, or Garnatxa would be a serious mistake.The body changes even more and is very nutty with chestnut tones to it. Then the finish opens up like how you would expect from a dessert wine with lovely sweetness that stays with you, yet there is a bit more complexity to it than that with some sharp sour cherry notes coming through just before it ends.
Downtown Sremci Karlovci
Red Bermet
White Bermet
Novi Sad's 4th International Wine Festival
Posted 07 01 2007 by elia 0 Comments
Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe
While in Belgrade, we decided to take a little day trip to the little wine-making town of Srmeski Karlovci to discover some Serbian wines, and we discovered by chance that a wine festival was starting the follwing day in Novi Sad (from the 28th to the 30th of July), the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the Vojvodina province.
Rubin's wines
So we spent a couple of extra days in Novi Sad enjoying wines not only from Serbia, but also from the whole Southeastern European region, at this festival, which is growing in popularity every year.
Among the Serbian wines, we had the chance to taste many Bermets from different producers, all them delicious, but also some excellent regular wines. Among the reds, we were impressed by the high quality of Rubin's Terra Lazarica Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, which were a pleasant surprise from such a big winery that produces around 5 million bottles of wine a year. In the white deparment, Aleksandrovic's Sauvignon Blanc was simply outstanding.
Istrian lunch
Then we also got the chance to taste some Macedonian and Croatian wines from the Istria region, which were all quite remarkable.
On the last day of the festival, the Istrian stand, which included not only wine makers but also olive oil producers and a gastronomic association, invited us to a special 5-course lunch pairing each dish with a different olive oil and wine. We skipped from bruschetta, to fish, to a chocolate mousse that were all drizzled with olive oils that matched the food flavors wonderfully. And of course, what enhanced it even more were the wines that accompanied each course. It made for nothing short of one our most memorable dining experiences in a long time.
The center of Novi Sad
Rubin's wines
Istrian lunch
The center of Novi Sad
Tags: europe travels serbia
A Serbian Introduction Through Dulka
Posted 06 26 2007 by miquel 3 Comments
Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe
A taste at DulkaFrom Croatia, we traveled south through Montenegro (which is Plantaže country) and then north up to Belgrade. Curious about the local wine scene, we head up to the beautiful town of Sremski Karlovci, in the Fruška Gora wine region, to taste what the vintners in that area were doing with the grape.
We found our way to Dulka (or Дулка in Serbian Cyrllic.) Đorđe Dragojlović (Dulka) is from a line of wine makers who started around 150 years ago in the region. Of course, the period of Communism severely impacted their production as they had to feed in to a central cooperative, just like any grape grower in the former Yugoslavia. But, with the beginning of the 1990's, they ramped up production again.
The Bermet
He produces from eight hectares of land and makes about 36,000 liters of wine each year including a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and next year, Sauvignon Blanc. One very unique wine that we tried was called Bermet. This is dessert wine that's rather hard to describe as it is its own creation. We're not aware of it being produced anywhere else, other then Serbia. The 2006 that we tried was definitely unique, strong, and very thick. We could easily see it as the end to a good meal of meat and cheese.
Dulka makes more than just one Bermet, and produces a Beli Bermet a Beli Bermet as well, which is a white version. While we only tried what appears to be their flagship wine, it proved to be a very interesting and inviting introduction to what seems to be the relatively unknown world of Serbian wines.
A taste at Dulka
The Bermet
Stipan Cebalo of Lumbarda
Posted 06 22 2007 by miquel 0 Comments
Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe
Stipan CebaloOne of the last wineries we visited on the island of Korčula was that of Stpian Cebalo in Lumbarda. This is on the far southeast side of the island and is a place where tourists usually just go for the beaches. But it is here where Stipan has two hectares of land and is one of the few producers of the white wine, Grk. The man knows what he is doing and has a family tradition of wine making that dates back an amazing 500 years!
Grk and Plavac
Grk is a well-balanced white that doesn't really push you one way or the other, but makes for pleasant drinking and is considerably different from Pošip, the other main white of Korčula. His 2005 'vrhunsko' or high quality Grk has nice fruit aromas to the top and bottom of the nose. It is a bit dry, but not terribly so and has a nice finish. Stipan does not age this in oak at all and told us that he preferred not to have the oaky aromas to the wine, which seemed to be a good plan to us in the end as they would most likely muddy things up. We also tried his Plavac which has a touch of cinnamon to the nose which makes it a bit different than the other Plavacs we've tasted previously. It is 13% alcohol and that makes it rather strong for this region, yet it has a light body to it, making for easy drinking. The finish had some sweet, dry bread textures that were also quite pleasant.
Producing 6,000 liters a year certainly doesn't make Cebalo one of the heavy-hitters of Korčula like Čara or Blato, but he is making good wines in his little spot on the island, on his terms, from just his grapes.
Stipan Cebalo
Grk and Plavac
The Craft of Bleuš and Kunjašić
Posted 06 21 2007 by miquel 0 Comments
Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe
Stanojević and BleušTwo more of the smaller producers on Korčula are Bleuš and Kunjašić. They are both located around Smokvica and like many wine makers of this size, very tricky to find. You see, their cellars look just like any other house on the street and it's not until you go inside that you see a whole wine making operation spread out from behind the old doors. It also makes it impossible to just drop by for a tasting or a visit, since you need to know someone who knows someone to call them and actually meet you as was the case when we went to Bleuš. But, they will always make it worth the hunt by rewarding you with good wines and great hospitality.
Bleuš is a tricky name, since it really is the Stanojević Family that produces the wine now. Well, actually, it still is the Bleuš family (which they believe is really of French origins), but there were just two daughters to inherit the winery after their father passed away and it still is the custom for it to be the man's family name on the wine, even if it wasn't his family that originally produced it. But, this is changing as you'll see Stanojević Family on the bottle, but with a Bleuš title. A tad bit confusing, but such are the customs and the cultural changes that are slowly happening.
We tasted the 2006 Pošip from Bleuš. It had spent seven months aging in stainless steel and had light cherry aromas to the nose along with a bit of peach and apricot. Overall, there was an abundance of spring aromas blossoming out of it and it opens up quite a bit as it breaths. The body is dry with considerably lighter tones to it that pass in to the finish of the wine.
When it came time to visit Kunjašić, that proved even more difficult as we always seemed to catch him while he was out in the field and much like Bleuš, he was one of those wine growers that you had to be shown exactly where his cellar was in order to find it. Kunjašić produces a number of other wines that we were not able to taste, which in the end left us thinking to the next time we visit, because there is always a next time in Croatia. But thankfully, local pride was our friend and we were able to taste his 2005 Pošip at a restaurant in Korčula Grad. It opened up like most of the Pošips on the island, but had a bit more fruit, placing it somewhere between what Bleuš does and what Čara does.
It will be interesting to watch how both of these wineries progress, especially Bleuš, seeing as how this is their very first vintage.
Stanojević and Bleuš
The Mighty Blato of Korčula
Posted 06 20 2007 by miquel 2 Comments
Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe
Korčulanka fresh off the production lineWhen it comes to former Communist cooperatives on Korčula that transitioned in to successful private companies, there are none bigger than Blato 1902. Named after the town that they are located in, Blato produces a massive 1,000,000 liters a year and even has the capacity to produce more. But, they don't make only wine. The produce rakija, aniseta, travarica, smokovača, rogačica, and komovica, as well as olive oil and vinegar. All told, there are about 30 wines and products that they make. Not bad for a company that was started by the local wine growers of the area in 1902.
It was a little tricky to find, being that the main building is located behind a school of all things. Once we found it, our attempts at speaking Croatian with the employees was helped up and greatly improved upon by Sanja Protić and Ante Šeparović (one of the enologists) who spoke English and gave us the history and a tasting. We tried the 2005 Korčulanka which is at 12.5% alcohol and has a light fruit to the nose. This carries in to the body makes the wine easy and pleasing to drink. While not mind-blowing, it's a pleasant wine that would go well with fish, chicken, and other light meats. Then we tried the 2005 Plavac Blato, which is 12.6% alcohol. It is also a solid wine that is very easy to drink. There is a basic Plavac Mali nose to it and a typical dry body. Much like the Korčulanka, it's a basic wine, but also a good wine for meals.
The one wine that we didn't get to try, but really wanted to was the Cetinka. It's a native varietal to Korčula, Vis, and Lastovo, so you'll only find it on the islands of Croatia. The described it as light, fresh, with a slightly acidic middle to it. Maybe we'll see it further on in our trips, or maybe just the next time we're in Croatia...
Korčulanka fresh off the production line
Mailing List
Stay informed about new wine arrivals, tasting events, and more!
Blog Categories
Wine and Food Blogs
- The Hungarian Girl
All About Central And Eastern European Food! - The Man From Mosel River
Of Wine and Culture - From the Old World to the New World - Vinography
Wine expert Alder Yarrow in San Francisco - Dr. Vino
Wine professor Tyler Colman - Between Meals
Restaurant critic Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle - The Pour
Wine editor Eric Asimov of The New York Times - Unreserved
Wine Enthusiast Magazine's blog - Fermentation
Tom Wark's blog on wine and media - An Obsession With Food
Derrick Schneider's food and wine blog - Becks & Posh
The blog of Bay Area's food and wine lovers Sam and Fred, a Brit and a Frenchman - Fork & Bottle
Jack and Joanne's guide to eating, drinking and living - TableHopper
Restaurant reviews by San Francisco's gourmet extraordinaire Marcia Gagliardi - Grape Radio
An online radio show on wine - Kitchen Chick
A food lover's blog that also speaks about wine - Purple Liquid
Catherine Granger's wine and food diary - Wine Library TV
Gary Vaynerchuk's videoblogging on wine - Confessions of a Wino
The blog of Alastair Bathgate, an English wine lover - Wine Lovers Page
Wine Tasting by lots of different wine lovers - Mano a Vino
Food, wine and travel reviews - Vinorati
The blog of the Vinorati Community - Zinquisition
Wine history and news - Château Pétrogasm
Collective blog of tasting notes with images - Wine-Plus Magazine
A blog-magazine about European wines - Wine Terroirs
The blog of Betrand Celce in France about wines of the world - 1 Wine Dude
The blog of Joe Roberts, a wine consultant in Philadelphia - Wine-ing 2.0
Humorous gossip on the wine blogosphere - The Wine Collector
On the business of wine - WineCast
A wine podcast - Drink Tank
Blog about German Wines (in German) - Vino al Vino
On Italian Wines (in Italian)