Croatia is an important wine-producing country on the Adriatic Sea, at the western end of Europe's Balkan Peninsula. Formerly Part of Yugoslavia, it borders Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro.
Export trade, although modest, has grown over the past two decades. The main Croatian styles are Dry white wines of Grasevina (WelschRiesling) and Malvasia, and rustic, Full-bodied red wines.
These wines are usually made from the Plavac Mali Grape.
White wine accounts for about two out of every three bottles produced in the country. In the interior regions, only 10% of the total annual production is red wine. The multitude of indigenous varieties that were once common here has declined alarmingly in recent decades.
Grasevina (Welschriesling) has Long been the preferred white variety in Croatian vineyards. It is supported by the regional specialties Bogdanusa, Grk, Posip and Vugava. The first is so reliable and prolific that it is called a "godsend". The second, Powerful and aromatic, was once considered the Viognier of the Rhone Valley.
Originally from Bordeaux, Sauvignon, or Sauvignon Blanc, is reputed to be one of the best French grape varieties for white wine. It is a white grape variety, not to be confused with Sauvignon Gris and its pale yellow color, or with Cabernet Sauvignon which produces red wines. Particularly famous thanks to Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc is cultivated as far as New Zealand, where it produces great wines whose reputation is well established.
white wines from the region of Croatia go well with generally quite well with dishes of spicy food, sweet desserts or rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) such as recipes of chicken curry samoussas, meringue for dummies or chinese fondue.
On the nose in the region of Croatia often reveals types of flavors of earth, citrus fruit or tree fruit and sometimes also flavors of microbio, non oak or oak.
