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Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          When visiting Istria, the most common encounter with the name "Žigante" is in the form of truffles. This is one brother, Gian-Carlo, in the Žigante family who has invested himself heavily in truffle production for the area and they are indeed good truffles. Then there are the other brothers, Duvilio and Denis, who have invested themselves in to the wine making craft and as we found out are making some very good examples of wines from the region.     The truffle thing is relatively new product for the Žigantes, seeing as how their family has been making wine for about 300 years. In 1997, the business came to fruition and started producing a greater volume of wine up on the top of hill near the village of Kostanija. They produce from 14 hectares that are solely owned by the family and a few other growers around the immediate area. Even still, they produce just 50,000 bottles a year, seemingly leaning towards growing a lower yield from the vines.     Duvilio is quite a character that opens up a good deal as he tastes more wines with you and we found that he'll chat great lengths about his wines, as he started us with the 2006 Malvazija, which they like to age in half oak, half acacia barrels. It has a very subtle, light nose. The body is dryer than others we've tasted, but still holding a bit of citric fruits to it. The finish rolls down your mouth quite well. It's smooth, but you can still taste the body in the end.     We then moved to the 2004 Vero, which is also a Malvazija, but one that is aged for a year or more in the barrel. The nose is rather oaky despite the blend of woods in the barrel. Some soft breads come out of the wine as more air gets in to it. The body is wonderfully deep. There is a strong structure to it, but yet it is still smooth and plush. The finish is dry, but at the same time very smooth. Apparently, when the truffles are presented for tasting, it is very common to pair this wine with them as the flavors don't trample each other. Duvilio also told us that the wine goes really well with the local cheeses that have a generally strong character to them.     From there, we drifted in to the reds and 2005 Teran (Refošk), the native varietal to the area. The nose of this wine is very spicy, somewhat akin to a California coastal Syrah, although obviously different. The body is very full, dry, and pulls in to a clean finish that leaves just a touch of the dry tones on the palate. There is also a good deal of earthiness to the back taste of the finish. With air, the spiciness gives we to sweetness. The wine pairs well with anything that has a bit of fat or oil (olive, please) in it. It cuts through all the fluff to get at the true flavors of what your eating. Something of a machete for the taste buds if you will.     We closed with the 2004 Teran. This has a great deal more earth to it then the 2005. There are also syrupy elements in the nose that just aren't present in the 2005. The body has gotten more balanced and smooth with the extra age. Overall it's a very well crafted wine that appears to be aging very well.     So, whether it's truffles or wine, the Žigantes have got you covered, although as we found that they needn't be had at the same time. Both products are very strong and can stand on their own equally well.

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          Our first encounter with the wines of Demian and the wine maker himself, Andy Šipetić was in Novi Sad, Serbia of all places. It was somewhat logical as we were there for a visit with friends and he was there for the wine festival that they've been holding for the last fourth years. While that visit gave us an initial taste of his wines, a lunch with the wines expertly paired to the dishes, and music played by Andy (who used to tour as a guitarist for the Gypsy Kings before making wine full time) we didn't get a chance to see his winery. For that, we'd have to go to Istria and so naturally, once we got to Istria we made our way down there.     The Demian winery has been producing in one way or another for about the last 80 years. From 1928 to the 1990's, they produced bulk wine for Italian producers. For the last 14 years, they started making their own wines and the last seven has seen their brand and production grow a great deal more. They produced 25,000 liters from six hectares of land in 2006. While this isn't a tremendous amount, Andy says that they are growing and will they'll have nine hectares producing next year. For wines, they stick to the Istrian staple of Malvazija, although they toss in a bit of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon as well.     In both Novi Sad and Istria, we started tasting with the 2006 Malvazija. When comparing the two tasting, it is obvious that this is a wine best served cold. In Novi Sad it was good. The nose was soft and the body was crisp. The finish started off fine, but opened up a great deal more with air. In Istria, we had the wine at about 12C, which is the proper temperature for it. It mellows out a great deal more and is very smooth. Melon flavors come in to the body and it becomes this wine that you can finish without even thinking about. It's very pleasing to drink and have on a hot day when we were at the winery.     For comparison, we had the 2004 Malvazija. It has a tad less alcohol to it and a more earthy nose. The overall characteristics were very similar to the 2006, but the wine was more complex, especially the body, showing how age treats this wine and it treats it very well. You might even be able to age this out for five years or a bit more and have it be quite optimal for drinking, albeit drinking should always be done cold.     We then tasted the 2003 Barrique, which is comprised of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, making it something of an inverse Claret. It's a lovely wine and predictable so given that 2003 was a very good year for this region due to a perfectly hot summer. The nose is soft, betraying subtle earthy tones that grow as you bury your nose in the glass. The body is dry, but still complex, full of flavors and a mahogany woodiness to it that is very pleasing. The barrel comes through a great deal in the overtones of the finish, roughing up the grape a good deal to make you want to keep coming back for more. It's a wine of full, bold flavors that we found delicious and had to take home a bottle of for further enjoyment.     As one of the few people we visited multiple times, we were very thankful to have bumped in to Andy for not only giving us a taste of his very well-crafted wines, but also as an impetus to make the trip down to Istria in the first place. The region is getting hot and with good reason, considering wineries like Demian producing some top notch vintages in recent years.

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          Fresh off our hibernation from the beach while in Slovenia, we headed back out to the coast of Croatia. This time, we focused on the region of Istria, that little triangle of a peninsula off the far west of Croatia. After the rather arduous task of finding a place to stay without a reservation in high season, we set about exploring some of the wines of the area, especially those along the Istrian Wine Route. Our first stop was Veralda.     We met with the owner, Luciano Visintin. His family has made oil and wine for somewhere around 1,000 years--give or take a few. In 1997 they started they took the family craft and made it a proper business, producing some 300,000 to 400,000 liters of wine a year, once again, give or take a few. They produce this large quantity of wine from 26 hectares of land and they also buy from a few vineyards who neighbor their vines. Out of all this, the bulk of what they produce is Malvazija. Additionally, they produce Muškat, Teran (Refošk), Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Ancelotti.     To begin with in our tasting, we had the 2006 Veralda's Malvazija. Luciano told us that he considers Malvazija as not a pretty woman, but more of a goof friend, which we took to mean that it is a basic drinking wine without a lot of flash. His vintage has a rather neutral nose with a touch of herbs to it. It's rather hard to classify and is drifts towards being quite light. There is a nice effervescence in the body that carries in to the finish and sticks with you. Luciano told us that it is an everyday wine and that it is best drank within the first year of bottling.     From there, we tried the 2006 Refošk. This wine is also called Teran in this area, which can be confusing, although it is essentially the same grape as grown just to the north, up in neighboring Slovenia. The nose is slightly sweet and tasty with bold fruit aromas. It drifts a bit in to being a littler earthy, but it leads in to a very easy to drink body with a bright finish. As it breaths, it mellows out considerably and would most likely do with with at least a solid hour out of the bottle before drinking. This 2006 vintage was harvested quite late in October and we were told that the 2007 vintage is going to be quite good due to the heat of the summer, which will allow for an earlier harvest.     We closed out with the 2004 Merlot Riserva. This is a delightful example of tasty barrique aging as the wine spends a year in French Oak. The body is very soft and the wine is well balanced overall with a nice, easy finish. We found a bit of berry and chocolate tones in the body. Despite how mellow it is, there is a touch of dryness to it that is quite typical of the region, but it is very understated. We found it to have a great deal of depth, which Luciano explained to us was from the dirt in this area of Istria, which is astoundingly blood red.     A nice selection of wines in general and there are others to taste for those who are curious, as well as the olive oil that they produce, which is brilliant in aromas and flavors.

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          We cut across the Croatian border to Slovenia to stay with some family there in Slovenska Bistrica. On a previous trip, they had mentioned that their neighbor was a wine maker and that we might be interested to check out his winery. Whether it was fear of someone with a barrel in the garage they aged weekly or just lack of time, we didn't get to it. This trip however, we made a proper visit to Vehovar Winery and were duly impressed.     The winery is family-run affair with the father, Boris, at the helm. His two sons Sebastian and Isidor showed us around. They started up a new cellar in 1996 that has a 90,000 liter capacity and is 11 meters (36 feet) underground at the deepest point. Unfortunately due to a disastrous hail storm last year, they were only using 12,000 liters of that capacity.     Their white wine production currently consists of Traminec, Riesling, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Sivi (grey), Rumeni, Muškat, and Šipon. They do an ice harvest as well, but to add to the misery of the hail storm last year, the weather hasn't been cold enough for the last two years to be a certified ice wine. For the record, in Slovenia, it has to be -10C for four days to qualify. But to liven things up, they have planted 150 new red vines of Modra Frankija to try out. Of course, these won't be ready for a good many years, so we'll have to wait and see how the red does in this region.     The family was gracious enough to take us on a tasting tour of their wines as well while we were there. We started with the 2005 Treh Kraljev (Three Kings) which has some chardonnay notes to the nose. It has a soft body that then clears out in to a similar finish. It's something of a 'stolno' or table wine that's for general drinking they told us.     From there, it was the Yellow Rumeni Muškat from 2006. It has a great nose. It's slightly sweet, but still balanced and tasty. With more air, some really nice herbs move in as aromas. This all carries in the body and is very satisfying. The finish is clean and very refreshing.     We took a step back in time with the 1998 Traminec. The nose was strong with soft pear aromas. There was a touch of oakiness to it despite the fact it spent no time in wood. With air, a touch of honey developed in it. As it opened up more, this all carries in to the body which was a good deal sweeter than the nose. The finish had more effervescence to it than the other wines we tasted.     For comparison, we had the 2005 Traminec, which happened to be the Izbor or 'select' version of this vintage. It had a rather strong 60 grams of sugar to it that you could easily taste. There was a lot of honey in the nose and the body was very naturally fruit-filled. Despite this, it was definitely a much younger tasting grape even when not comparing it to the 1998. There are however many similarities and it was like all the same flavors are there, but with a good deal of youthful brashness.     We closed with the Laški Riesling Suho Izbor. All of that translates in to a very high quality wine with a massive 165 grams of sugar in it. This also happened to be one of their last ice harvests. It basically boils down to it being outstandingly delicious and one would hope so given that the same grapes used to get 250 liters for this wine usually produce 5,000 liters of a normal wine. The body has this lush oily honey quality to it. The nose is rather light and betrays just a little of the deep quality of the body. The finish is wonderfully clean and washes away all the sugar. A wonderful wine, but it had better be at 40 Euros when all the others are less than 5 Euros!     All in all, it was a great tasting that the next time we visit our family there, we'll have to add to and see how their other wines are coming along.

    It's only after two years of its existence that people start to realize that CAV on Market Street in San Francisco is not only an excellent wine bar, it has a wonderful kitchen to boot. No one would be better suited than SF Chronicle restaurant critique Michael Bauer to attest the superb quality of Executive Chef's Christine Mullen's cuisine. The title of his review entails a double compliment: An accomplished kitchen to match the sublime wine list at CAV.     Well, I feel quite qualified to provide testimony as well: I've recently been back to CAV specifically to check out the menu and can only rave about it. Rather than giving the details away, why don't I leave you with good advise: Sit down and let the good times roll, i.e. tell the knowledgeable and friendly wait staff you want to explore their goodies. Trust me, they will treat you well and nicely pair each of the courses as they arrive on your table. Give it a try, you'll love it.     Not to be outdone by her culinary colleague, Wine Director Pamela Busch continued garnering additional awards to her already long list. This time it was California's oldest magazine for Good Living that bestowed on her the title Sunset Magazine's Best Wine Bar in the Bay Area     Let me finish by disclosing that we have been supplying CAV with our wine selections from Day One. We are very proud that our wines are choosen to participate in the stellar line-up of wine and food at CAV. You can get a taste of our wines by ordering their Slovenian Wine Flight. As I post this entry some very fine selections from this small alpine country at the Adriatic Sea are on tap until Labor Day.     

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          I hadn't actually been to the Međimurje region before, but it felt a bit like home regardless. We had decided to take a bit of a detour to go north of Zagreb an hour or so in to this beautifully green region of Northern Croatia by the Slovenian-Hungarian border.     It's a far departure from the coast and a place where they mainly only grow whites. For me though, it is the cradle of my father's family. They originally came from this region, as well as the Zagorje. While most were farmers, some were winemakers. My father's great uncle brought his wine press with him to America at the turn of the century. Apparently, some of the winemakers stayed on up there through two world wars and a civil war. But, this region was not nearly as affected as others by the up and down social history of Croatia as others.     As we drove along through the Međimurje region on our way to the town of Štrigova, signs for the Vinska Cesta of the region kept popping up and we gradually started to find more and more of them pointing where we were going. We turned off from heading to Štrigova and made our way towards Sveti Urban (Saint Urban, which while a proper name in Croatian, definitely sounds odd in English).     After one or two minor wrong turns on these very twisty roads, we found the winery of Hudin-Horvat, or Horvat-Hudin, or most likely soon to just be Horvat. The patriarch of the family, Josip Hudin only had one daughter and it is still the custom in the area for women to not only take their husband's family name, but also for a family with no sons to have their name dropped from the name of the business. Coming from a country that is all about branding and name recognition, it seems counter productive from a business point of view, but it is the way things are done.     The Hudin-Horvat family has been farming this land and making wines from the several hectares that they own for the last century or so. Like many Croatians, they are working to plant more land prior to Croatia joining the EU in order to establish as much wine land as possible. We walked over a bit of the land to see all the grapes that were just a couple of weeks away from harvest. Then they took us down in to the cellars where they have a rather impressive assembly of tanks and a few barrels for aging. On top of all of this, there sits a good sized tasting room and inn. It is similar to what many winemakers in the region have done in order to allow themselves to be able to have tour groups visit.     In all honesty, I need to make it clear that we're not close family. Our connection goes back at least six generations and quite possibly more. Despite this, my family name is the same as Josip's and we had written back and forth a couple times previously. Even still, they welcomed us like we were their closest relatives when we showed up and brought out homemade pršut, bread, and a wide range of freshly baked cookies. Naturally, they also opened up some of their wines.     Like others, they only grow whites. Their main wine is a Rajnski Riesling, which is a nice, dry, somewhat sweet wine. The 2006 had a nose that wasn't overly sweet like other Rieslings that we've had. While the body was a bit tart, it finished out well. In addition to this wine, they also grow White Pinot (Pinot Bijeli), Šipon, Graševina, Sauvignon Blanc, and Yellow Muskat (Muškat Žuti). They get a good yield out of their land, but because we were working as best we could to speak Croatian (they didn't speak any English) we didn't get as many facts and figures as we normally would.     We'll definitely be returning to their winery again. Hopefully armed with more language skills and if they're willing, a hand to lend in the Fall harvest.

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          After spending several weeks exploring the wines and wineries of the Croatian coast of Dalmatia, we were headed towards Slovenia. However, while in Zagreb for a couple of days, we were advised to check out the Wine Route of the little region of Međimurje, about an hour north of Zagreb in the area bordering Slovenia and Hungary. Once there we didn't regret the detour, for it was one of the loveliest spots in the interior of Croatia that we've seen. In this extremely green area, even in summer vineyards are sparkling and verdant on the slopes of the gently rolling hills that cover the land. In between grape vines there are dots of traditional family houses for those who are still here, making the wine.     Although obviously not as touristic or popular as the Wine Routes on the coastal areas, we found Međimurje's Wine Road to be surprisingly well-developed and organized. Not only were we handed several brochures and maps of the main twenty something wineries that are part of the route, but we also saw plenty of road signs showing the detailed location of all the wineries. It was clear that because of the "off the beaten track" quality of Međimurje, the effort to attract wine lovers to this region is greater. Most wineries have big signs on their front yards (unlike many of them in Dalmatia that required detective skills to find) and big tasting rooms to host visitors, as well as modern facilities and renewed cellars. Needless to say, their hospitality was remarkable.     Although the wines produced in the Međimurje-Zagorje region are almost completely whites there is a great variety to choose from: Chardonnay, Pinot blanc, Pinot Gris, Graševina, Laški Riesling, Rhine Riesling, Mušcat Ottonel, Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer, etc, etc. There is even a Wine School in the little village of Sveti Urban, where wine-tasting seminars and lectures are organized from time to time.          By the way, if you are interested in other wine routes in the region, check out the one in Bosnia and Herzegovina or the one in the Croatian island of Vis.

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          This is a continuation of Part 1 where we talked about the history and how Bibich winery came about. Now, let's get in to the fun of the wines we tasted.     We started with the Debit 2006. It's a very fresh white wine with a peachy nose and a slight bit of acidity. The finish has a bit of dryness that moves more in to some mineral tones as it breathes. Moreover, the wine does very well when chilled a bit, as there are sweet tones that come out from it, that you don't taste unless at the proper temperature.     We then moved in to the another white, the Debit Lučica 2005, which is actually very hard to come by because it sells out fast with just 1,800 bottles produced. There is a bit more citrus to the nose and a lovely, natural honey tones. The nose slips right in to the body, but loses a bit of the honey. This tricky honey part then comes back to great you again in the finish. The wine cleans up wonderfully and is one of the finest whites that we've ever tasted.     We then moved in to the reds with Riserva 2005, which is always a Bibich that we personally keep stocked up on at home because it never disappoints. The nose has some soft berries in it with a good dose of oak. The body is lovely and round. Little bits of sweetness creep in, but are artfully subtle and well-managed. As is the signature with Bibich wines, it finished perfectly and is very pleasing.     Next was the Mantra Grenache 2005. We had had the 2004 before and this vintage takes that very solid wine and improves upon it. The nose is dry with some oak and tobacco. It's deep and meaty. There are little touches of chocolate to the body. Mint pops in there as well and of course, the finish is flawless. It's a very complex wine that is still easy to drink and enjoy for everyone.     We closed with the Sangreal Shiraz 2004. This wine starts out lighter than the others. The subtleness in the nose gives way to some buttery aromas as the wine gets some air in it. The body is nice and crisp. Round berries come in to the body as you drink it more and you start to realize how deep the body actually is, given that this is a Shiraz. The last tones to come out are bits of pepper. We need to add that all of this is encased in the lovely ruby red color of the wine. Very well done.     Alen Bibić has learned his craft well. It was amazing to us that he is just in his early 30's and has managed to accomplish all of this in a very short time. It is a credit to the winemaking spirit of both his and his wife's family as well as the fact that he is a winemaker to watch and whose vintages should grace your cellar.

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          The Bibić Family have always been outsiders to some degree. Wine has been in their blood for a long time, but they've never really played by the rules. For instance, when everyone else was selling to the collectives during Yugoslavia, they didn't. When everyone else stopped making wine in Skradin because of war, they didn't, making them one of the very few producers in the region currently. And when everyone started spelling their names with a 'ć' instead of 'ch', they named their wines Bibich, instead of Bibić. These may seem like small things to the casual observer, but it was our opinion that they are the points in life and history that defined winemaking for the Bibić family today and specifically for the man at the helm, Alen Bibić.     We had the incredibly good fortune to sit down with him for several hours in his lovely new wine bar and restaurant (actually a joint partnership called, 'Alante'- Alen and his friend Ante) in Skradin for a meal and a taste of his wines.     Skradin is in and of itself a different kind of place. Located near Šibenik, about an hour south of Zadar, although Skradin is near the coast it is a bit inland and has a totally different feel than most coastal towns along Dalmacia. During the times of Yugoslavia it was an ethnically mixed area, comprised of both Croatians and Serbs, so it saw a good deal of strife, conflict, and blood during the war of the 1990's that made Yugoslavia no more. Out of this, in 1995 at the mere age of 22, Alen Bibić picked up winemaking from his grandfather and set about building up the business properly. It wasn't easy going. His first had to clear the fields of mines to start re-growing the vines. Then he has to rebuild the old house and cellar that were his family's. Then, he had to get his wines recognized.     It was the last part that was probably the most difficult, since Croatian wines, until the last five years or so, weren't that highly regarded outside of the country. While many of his compatriots were selling out their stock domestically, Alen wasn't and with good reason: his wines are very different from normal Croatian wines. Once again, the fact that the Bibich family does things differently came in to play. While this could hurt many a winemaker because their wines never get a market, it seemed to only help Alen for in our opinion, his wines take on much more New World characteristics. They're deep, complex, smooth, earthy, and well, just delicious in a way that is different from what is standard Croatian fare. This probably explains why the vast majority of his vintages are exported.     But, enough about the history of the Bibich winery (you can't drink that), let's move on to the wines in Part 2.

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          Hrvoj Baković is a tad tricky to find. It's true that he's in one of the biggest towns on Brač, Supetar, but we were on the lookout for a full winery and instead found his home. He was a little surprised by our tenacity (as were we) but he was very welcoming nonetheless, inviting us in for a little chat.     He's quite a character who worked for many years as a sailor in New Zealand to save some money to start his own winery, before returning back to his homeland. Once there, he bought five hectares of land and worked to build up his winery. He started at something of a disadvantage because while his family has a history of growing grapes, they didn't have a history of making wine.     None of this has held back Hrvoj and he has learned a great deal about the climate of Brač in a short time. He knows what grapes work and what don't. He is one of the few wine makers who has tried other grapes only to fall back on Plavac Mali because the grapes can handle the climate the best. Others varietals grow fine for some time and then just dry up suddenly without warning. His vines are on the south side of the island, getting regular sun as well as the sun which reflects off the water, making for a lot of light on his vines. There is another place this happens and that is in the Dingač region on Pelješac. How does this effect the taste? A great deal as we found out.     And this is why Baković was such a surprise to us. For one, we weren't able to taste his wine on the spot and had to take a bottle of Plavac Murvica 2003 with us for later. Once opened, the aromas were fantastic. There was a sweetness to the nose that reminded us of, yes, that's right, Dingač Plavac Mali. But, his Plavac built upon this with nice plum aromas. The body was a lot of fun and lovable. The oak tones were very subtle and the finish was clean. It's a wine that we highly recommend for eating with red meats. There is a touch of dryness to the finish develops in a way that is perfect. It is an astounding example of how good Plavac Mali can be and how a perfect Plavac should taste.     With some Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon vines coming in to production over the next two years, Hrvoj is one to watch and the reason that so many critics in his homeland rave about his wines.

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