Get Along Little Donkey...

Get along little donkey…

2009 Donkey Dingač Postup from Vinarija Dingač in Pelješac Peninsula, Croatia.

This little donkey is a juicy spicy kick of dark fruits with bright acidity and firm tannins. There are two protected wine growing regions in southern Dalmatia– Postup and Dingač. And it can get a little confusing with regard to the varietal names. While this wine is made of 100% Plavac Mali grapes the wine is called Postup, after the wine-growing region on the Pelješac Peninsula. Also confusing is that Dingač is the name of both the region and the winery, a former communist co-op from the time when the area was still known as Yugoslavia. The donkey on the label is not only cute, but symbolic of the rugged lands and steep slopes in which the vines grow, making hand harvesting a necessity.

But despite all the confusing names one thing is perfectly clear — the wine is delicious. It’s spicy and concentrated with a meatiness and hint of sage. Surprisingly it doesn’t drink like it’s 14.6 AVB! It’s bright indeed, but not hot. I love it and can’t wait to visit the winery when I tag along with the Blue Danube Wine team later this month.

Zagreb Wine Gourmet Weekend April 13-15

Next weekend I'll be attending the Zagreb Wine Gourmet Weekend where I'll be on a Twitter Tasting Panel moderated by Cliff Rames. We'll be discussing the power of twitter and the influence of new technologies and social networks on the wine culture and conduct a live twitter tasting with U.S. bloggers and members of the live audience too.

It's not too late to jump on a plane and head to Zagreb and join us. But barring that, you can tune in to twitter on Saturday April 14th at 8am PST / 11am EST and follow the hashtag #WoCroatia and #ZWGW12.

We will be tasting Milos Plavac, Krajancic Posip, and Terzolo Teran.  If you'd like to join in live with your own tasting notes you may be able to find the wines at your local wine shop, or you can order them via Blue Danbue Wine. 

In addition to all the wine and food exhibitors on the show floor, there will be Master Class tastings including presentations by David Gates of Ridge Vineyards and by Ivo Jeramaz of Grgich Hills. Seminars topics include a session with George Taber on The Judgement of Paris. A full slate of films will be screened including the Life on the Douro. You can view the full schedule here.

ISTRIA

After the Wine Gourmet Weekend I'll be exploring the wilds of Istria (and wifi permitting) tweeting all my finds as we hike the trails, forage for asparagus with wolves and bears, sample traditional rakija recipes, and taste and drink our way around the tiny towns of the region.