22/01/2024
Did you know? 🤓
🍷 The Croatian winery from Slavonia, Ilok Cellars has a long standin relationship with the British royal family. Their white wine Traminac was served on Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953, Prince William & Kate's wedding, Prince Harry & Meghan's wedding, and the coronation or King Charles was no exception. The last bottle of their 1947 Traminac was gifted to Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla during their visit to Croatia in 2016!
🍷 Miljenko "Mike" Grgich was a winemaker and Croatian immigrant in California. His Napa Valley Chardonnay, the 1973 Chateau Montelena won the blind tasting in the 1976 Judgement of Paris, beating eight French wines in the contest. This was Mike's first harvest and the event granted recognition to Calofornia as the relevant wine region that it is today. Grgich passed away last month at age of 100, leaving an incredible legacy to the world of wine!
🍷 The Croatian wine Prošek almost caused a diplomatic scandal when Prosecco winemakers from Veneto requested for its name to be changed due to similarity. Prošek is a traditional Croatian still dessert wine made from dried grapes indigenous to the Dalmatian region. Amber in colour and with an almost syrupy consistence, it has been around since the Romans and it never intended to imitate Prosecco!
🍷 Croatians' favorite wine is Plavac Mali, widely planted in the sun-drenched Dalmatia, a robust red with pronounced notes of black and red fruit, often accompained with hints of carob and Mediterranean spices. It was discovered that Plavac Mali is a cross between two local grape varieties, and closely related to Puglia's Primitivo and California's Zinfandel, all originating from our beloved Dalmatia!
