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Visiting Croatian wine country: The Zelina wine road in the forest primeval
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Fairies in the primeval forest
If you drive about 15 miles northeast of Zagreb, you’ll hit the Zelina wine road. Materials from the tourist board call this northern route “Trails of the Court Fairies” because of all the castles and manor houses that dot the landscape and back into the primeval forests. At the end of this road – about 48 miles -- is the picturesque town of Varazdin.
Early on the route we stopped at the Kos-Jurisic Winery in the town of Nespes, where they make wine from local grape Kraljevina (about $5 per bottle), as well as Pinot Gris and Kerner (each about $7 per bottle). Kerner is a grape mostly seen in Germany and the Alto Adige region of Italy. When it’s made well, it reminds me of a wonderful Riesling with no residual sugar. At Kos - Jurisic Winery they store wine in traditional wine casks instead of the 225-liter barrels you generally see in California. Because these store up to 8,000 liters, they are not meant to add oak flavor to the wine (not enough wine in contact with the wood at that size). They are storage vessels used to help develop the grape characteristics until the wine is ready for release.
The most wonderful part of the day was a visit to the Zlatne Gorice Winery (Golden Hands Winery) in the town of Gornji Kneginec. We were met by the “high priest,” who took us on a tour of 12 stops along the winery property, called the Way of the Cross. Each stop is dedicated to an ancient Croatian god or goddess, and each has a ritual and/or a “test” attached to it. For more information on this fabulously visual and interactive tour, please see the Slideshow below. Afterward, we tasted a variety of their wine and had lunch in their restaurant. Their 2007 Grasevina (Welsh Rielsling) was a standout and has won the gold prize in local competitions.
A final winery stop was at Vitez in Vitezove Gorice, one of the few local wineries that produces sweet wine. We really enjoyed their Traminer, which was a sweet fortified wine that would be a lovely ending to any meal.
All of this is on the way to the town of Varazdin, where you can spend the night. Croatia’s former capital is a beautiful pedestrian town that is one of Europe’s most intact Baroque centers (after Prague). It’s definitely worth a visit. According to the Financial Times: “The revenue the town generates has gone a long way toward restoring an exquisite town centre, replete with impeccably crafted baroque buildings in a multitude of colors.”
We stayed nearby at the Turist Hotel, a reasonably priced, small, clean three-star hotel walking distance from the old city of Varazdin. We had dinner at the lovely Zlatne Ruke restaurant. You can also choose from a handful of other restaurants in the old town.
- Kos-Jurisic Winery, Nespes 8, tel. + 385 1 2043 491
- Zlatne-Gorice Winery, Tel : ++ 385 42 666 054; www.zlatne-gorice.com; the “Way of the Cross” can be enjoyed by groups of at least 12 people for 15 euros per person. You may also need to hire a translator. Like anything in Croatia, you need to book in advance. Expect to spend two to three fabulous hours on this tour.
- Information about Varazdin, www.croatiatraveller.com/Zagreb_region/Varazdin.htm
- Turist Hotel, Aleja kralja Zvonimira 1, 42000 VARAZDIN; +385 (0)42 395 395; www.hotel-turist.hr/engfiles/index_eng.php
- Restaurant Zlatne Ruke, Ivana Kukuljevi?a 13, 42000 VARAZDIN; + 385 42 320 650, www.zlatneruke.com
For information on the Zelina Wine Road or about any aspect of visiting Croatia, contact the Croatian National Tourist Office at 212.279.8672 or cntony@earthlink.net (350 Fifth Avenue, suite 4003; New York, NY 10118; www.croatia.hr). Please note that advanced noticed is required for visiting most wineries in northern Croatia.
Next, the Durdevac wine road and midieval Croatia…
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