Come for the Wine: Posip

Showing posts with label Posip. Show all posts

Monday, August 11, 2014

BIG BIBICh BASH - Wines of Croatia

Three years ago this month, I held a Croatian wine tasting at my house with Frank Dietrich of Blue Danube wines, and it was the start of my love affair with Croatain wine and Croatia. See here, here, and here.

This Saturday, August 16th, we are doing it again with the BIG BIBICh BASH--featuring the wines of Alen Bibić.

I traveled to Croatia shortly after the 2011 tasting, and was supremely lucky to visit the Bibich winery in Skradin where I had one of the most phenomenal food and wine pairings of my life. The next day, some guy named Anthony Bourdain showed up for the same pairings and some extended drinking that was featured in an episode of No Reservations. But I like to say I was there first!

My post about the Bibich Dégustation has become one of the most viewed posts of all on my blog.

Frank will guide us though twelve BIBICh wines including the Lucia, Bas De Bas, R6 and R5, as well as the new to me P9 Posip. Follow the hashtag #BIBIChBASH for live tweets about each wine.

I’ve raved so much about my favorite BIBICh wines, such as the Lučia and R5, they have become known as “Croatian White Unicorns” by some of my wine friends due to the adoration and mythical status I bestow upon them. But Unicorn is an apt descriptor for these rare, unusual and mythical whites.

Here is a list of what will be poured at the BIG BIBICh BASH -- For more details, you can visit the Blue Danube site here.

Bibich Sparkling Rosé
Bibich Ambra
Bibich Bas de Bas Blanc
Bibich Bas de Bas Rouge
Bibich Debit
Bibich G6 Grenache
Bibich Lučica
Bibich P9 Pošip
Bibich R5 Riserva
Bibich R6 Riserva
Bibich Sangreal Merlot
Bibich Sangreal Shiraz

Okay, so no Teran above, but you can’t have everything!

Over the last three years I’ve been back to Croatia several times, and experienced an astounding array of food and wine. It is truly one of the best emerging destinations for wine travelers. If you plan to visit Croatia I offer you the following tips here.

RELATED POSTS:
* Spending Two Perfect Days in Zagreb
* Best Places to Eat, Drink and Stay in Istria

Croatia Series:
Croatia Series Preview: Zivili!
Croatia Part 1: Bibich Dégustation
Croatia Part 2: The Splendors of Split
Croatia Part 3: Šibenik Caressed by the Sea
Croatia Part 4: Zadar, The Perfect Date
Croatia Part 5: Pilgrimage to Pag: Land of Paški Sir
Croatia Part 6: Istria--Truffles, Olive Oil, Prosciutto & Wine!
Croatia Part 7: A Taste of Zagreb

OTHER CROATIA POSTS
The Wines of Croatia: A Preview Tasting
Croatian Wines Making Waves
Country of Good Vines: Countdown to Wines of Croatia
I Can Almost Taste It! Croatian Wine is Near
Wines of Croatia Tasting: The Recap
Ajvar Smackdown
Croatia: Memories Lost and Found
Eli's Caffé in Zagreb--Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
Maraschino - Wrapped in Tradition

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

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.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Croatia Part 4- Zadar, The Perfect Date

My visit to Zadar was like a round of speed dating. We sat down, said a few words, and then --Ding! Ding! Ding!--the bell rang and it was time to move on. I wanted to spend more time in this place with so much to offer-- a mixture of modern art and archaeological treasures.

Oh Zadar, I feel like I hardly got to know you. But what I did see of you makes me want to go steady. I want to hold hands with you and stroll the market, feed each other burek and share some wine at sunset as we listen to the sounds of the sea organ. I know if we had more time together, I'd probably be introducing you to my folks at Thanksgiving dinner.

Zadar Market

The compact section of old town Zadar is connected by causeways and has restricted car access making it easy for pedestrians to wander around. We stopped for a quick coffee and some burek, the flaky cheese filled pastry that seems to be a national obsession, then we went off to the market.

I would show you pictures of the burek we bought, but it was an obsession for certain travel writers in attendance too, I never had a chance to get a shot before it was devoured. In old town we met up with our charming and well-dressed guide Stjepan Felber, who hosted us on our trip to the Maraska factory to sample the cherry juice and Maraschino liqueurs (more about that in the next post) and for lunch at 2Ribara a modern looking restaurant in the Varoš section of old town Zadar.

Sea Organ

The most captivating spot in Zadar by far is the Sea Organ. The Sea Organ designed by Croatian architect Nikola Bašić, is incorporated into the sea wall. It’s a whimsical love note to the ocean, and an artistic engineering marvel--as the waves roll in, the song of the sea is played. The music was haunting and hypnotic. I could have stayed there all day. It’s a gathering point for locals and visitors alike and watching the sunset is a daily ritual. In Zadar the sunset has it’s own musical accompaniment. And after dark there is a light show as well. Take a look in the video below.

2Ribara
For lunch we went to 2Ribara (Two Fisherman) where we met Ivica Kujundzic our waiter and knowledgeable sommelier. Sommeliers are so cool. It's people like Ivica who make learning about wine a great experience.

Stjepan Felber (left) Ivica Kujundzic (right)

He poured samples of a few wines before we settled on the Korlat Cabernet Sauvignon, a Smokvica Posip from Korcula, and the Adzic Graševina from the Kutjevo vineyards for the main meal.

The Graševina was crisp and full of apricot and apple flavors with slight nutty taste, perfect with the octopus salad and the fish. The deep, dark Korlat paired well with the grilled fish, the spicy notes of violets and black currents were not overpowering and the tannins were firm but balanced. I'd never have guessed a Cabernet would pair so well with seafood dishes, but the Korlat was a delicious exception to the rule.

For dessert Ivica poured me mystery wine and asked me to guess what it was. I said it tasted like Sherry. “Yes, it's Sherry but not from Croatia. It’s Nier Mundo de Sueño from Spain,” said Ivica.

“Hold on there,” said our guide. “These writers are here to learn about Croatian wine!”

Ivica shrugged his shoulders. “It’s very good, that’s all that matters.” he replied.

And that’s it in a nutshell--when something is good you can’t help but want to share it and spread the word. Ivica was the real deal. He wants to turn people on to great wines no matter where the wine may originate. Bravo Ivica!

So here is what you must do in Zadar: Visit the market and buy some burek, cheese, figs, and of course pick up some wine. Then just before sunset, go hang out by the sea organ. As the sun sinks on the horizon let the mesmerizing sounds wash over you and sip some wine. Then sip and listen. Sip and listen. Gaze out to the sea. It does not get much better than this.