Essay on Croatia in Wine Enthusiast

October 2016 Wine Enthusiast 

So this happened.... Last Drop essay in the October 2016 issue of Wine Enthusiast!

I will share the link when it’s available online, but for now it’s only on newsstands. Thanks to Mary Cressler for the above photo.

The essay in the magazine is a thin slice of life about my April road-trip. Now that it’s published, the full story of the wild and epic Blue Danube Wine road-trip along the Dalmatian coast of Croatia and through Bosnia and Herzegovina can be told.

So much wine! So much food! So much fun!

Možeš Možeš -- The Epic Blue Danube Wine Roadtrip in Croatia!

Back in April I embarked on an epic two-week road trip through Dalmatia in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina with Frank Dietrich, Catherine Granger and Gisele Carig of the Blue Danube Wine team. This post kicks off my blog series that will recount all the extraordinary locations, people, vineyards, wine, food and vistas and adventures from the journey.

Gisele Carig, Frank Dietrich and Catherine Granger of Blue Danube Wine

I would argue that a road trip is the best way to really experience a place. Sure you can travel by train or bus or boat, but to really get off the proverbial beaten track to truly go deep into a place and get into all sorts of adventures and tight spots (literally!) --you need to have a car. All of the best travel experiences I’ve ever had (both good and hair-raising) were with a foreign car in a foreign land.

Tight squeeze in Vrboska on Hvar

Možeš, možeš  -- You Can Do It!
But things can go wrong in a jiffy on a road trip—getting lost is a mainstay of road trips, and getting in and out of tight spaces where cars don’t belong comes with the territory. Our very first day we were blocked in parking lot by other cars until a few helpful locals simply picked up the other car allowing us room to pass.

We learned our first and most important Croatian phrase: Možeš možeš. Možeš ti to (You can do it!) Along with a few Polako, polako’s (slowly, slowly) we were on our way to the first appointment.

Making new friends in the Konzum parking lot in Trogir

Yes, having a car is more trouble. Yes, you will get lost. Yes, finding parking may be impossible. Yes, you may find yourself where no car had gone before—but the rewards are greater too.

For efficiency sake during the trip we all took on specific roles. Frank—leader and key negotiator. Catherine—navigator and relief driver. Gisele—client liaison and schedule keeper. Me? I was more than ballast, I have skills too ya know. I’m designated as the Rakija Queen and gladly step forward to take one for the team whenever the potent schnapps is presented. Trust me in Croatia it’s a very important role.

Rakija Queen at sampling the local offerings.

So fasten your seat belts, and follow along as I file reports for the Blue Danube Wine blog about the trip from Split/Torgir to Dubrovnik, Korcula, Ston, Kastela, Hvar, Skradin, plus Bosnia and Herzegovina and the places in between.

Got Gamay? WBW #38

This months Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by Frank Morgan. I met Frank at the 2009 WBC and I follow his wine blog Drink What YOU Like. The topic Frank selected was Gamay and I was looking forward to discovering what Gamay, the grape variety grown in Beaujolais France, is all about.

I picked up a bottle of 2008 Jean Foillard Morgon Cote Du Py and brought it along on a road trip to Death Valley National Park. My idea of a successful road trip always includes a cooler stocked with some good wine. Our lodging choices were going to be very bare bones in Death Valley so I made sure our provisions would make up for the lack of creature comforts. Along with the Gamay I brought a bottle of 2007 Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre from Quivira and Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant 04.

I liked the Morgon. It was light with nice acidity and berry flavors. I thought it had a scent of violets but maybe that was due to my ultra violet exposure in the desert. But it did seem to have a distinct floral aroma to it. It also had a peppery component that reminded me of Pinot Noirs I’ve had in the past.

We tried the Gamay one night in our motel room with some slices of navel orange and Ricciarelli cookies. Ricciarelli are delightful Italian cookies made from almonds, sugar and egg whites. They are soft, just short of squishy, and not too sweet with a light dusting of powdered sugar and a trace of vanilla and orange. They paired quite well with the wine.

I would definitely try this wine and others like it again. I think Gamay is a great choice to pair with desert sunsets and spring wildflowers. And I must admit nothing upgrades a cheap-o Motel 6 room better than a good wine. Got Gamay? I do now. I won’t take a another road trip without it!