Wines of Croatia

I had my first exposure to a large number of Croatian wines at the Wines of Croatia tasting last week in London. Price and availability seem to be key issues from talking to other attendees but there don't seem to be any quality issues as I thought the standard pretty good.

There were two standout wines for me:


* Cossetto Malvazija Rustica 2009 made from grapes picked 30 days later than normal which gives it glorious ripe peach and spice flavours.


* Clai Sv Jakov 2009 with lovely honeyed marmalade aromas but not in any way sweet, perfect balance with a touch of spice on the finish.


These two wines certainly showed the quality that is possible from the indigenous strain called malvasia istriana. 


The Wine Gang had selected a range of wines across the spectrum of styles and this was a great intro. However I was less than impressed with the reds from plavac mali reminding me in a small way of salted anchovies rather than the zinfandel/primitivo parentage it is supposed to have.


Although availability may be a problem Pacta Connect stock a wide variety.


Now if only I could correctly pronounce some of the region and grape names.......!