Wines after war, Part 1: Slovenia and Croatia

October 31, 4:29 PMWine ExaminerStacie Hunt

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Wines after war: Slovenia and Croatia

Some time ago a book was written about the Silicon Valley pioneer    Jim Clark, called The New, New Thing. The point being that we’re always in search of the “new”.

In many cases the “new” is really a rediscovery of the very old. This is the case with the new wave of wines from Slovenia and Croatia. Winemaking here began with the Greeks, who were overtaken by the Romans and their winemaking. The area is bordered by Northeastern Italy, Hungary and Austria. Southwest of Slovenia is Croatia. Years of overthrow, ethnic warring and massive refugee exodus played havoc with vineyards, winemaking and mostly –marketing. But now with the lights turned onto the region, these areas are creating some of the wildest wines the west has seen.

With a mix of coastal cities sporting sophisticated residents and tourists, urban areas that recall the architecture of Venice and fierce loyalties to tradition, you won’t find homogenized tasting wines from this region. Although many contemporary winemakers are experimenting with international grapes, you can still find the taste of place in these wines.

A few facts about Croatia: Croatia originated the necktie. And, is the home of what was thought of as America’s native wine grape: Zinfandel. In its homeland, the grape is known as Crljenak Kastelanski (pronounced tsirl-YEN-nock kash-teh-LAHN-skee). The discovery of this news is due to the tireless work of Mike Grgich, of Grgich Hills in Napa Valley, who is of Croatian decent. The varietal made its way from Croatia, to Italy, to Napa Valley.

While Slovenia doesn’t boast this kind of trivia, it does have its own fascinating pedigree – that being that its wines can sometimes feel as though they’re having an identity crisis wondering if they’re Italian or Slovenian, or perhaps a touch Austrian or Hungarian. Many of the white grape varietals that are stunningly good are made from the same grapes as are seen in northeastern Italy, such as Ribolla Gialla, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Malvasia. Some of the same vineyard rows are partly on Italian land and partly on Slovenian land, the result of the spoils of war being divided up without any thought to agricultural considerations.

The biggest crop of white wine comes from the home grape, Bugava, which taste-wise runs along the lines of Viognier.

The reds from these regions are robust, made from the usual suspects of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc along with some other Italian cousins like Refosk and from the Dalmatian coast, the “in your face,” Plavac Mali (pronounced Pla-VAHTS Mah-lee) a cousin of Zinfandel. The wines are not overly alcoholic with percentages ranging from 10-12%.

Another delicacy adopted from the Italians is their version of Grappa, called Rakija. Into their version they add berries, nuts and honey.

Local food of these regions draws from all borders with abundance of sausages, a sauerkraut made from turnips instead of cabbage. There’s also an Italian bent with fresh, grilled seafood done with local olive oil, herbs and garlic. Risotto plays a big role, mixed with the seafood.

In the Los Angeles area, scout out the deli’s and restaurants in San Pedro: Ante’s Restaurant, South Shores Meat Market and Alpine Village. In Gardena, Eschbach Meat Products (see more information, below).

In Pasadena, check out Tre Venezie restaurant (see below), drawing from its roots of the Slovenian and Italian mix with dishes such as the turnip sauerkraut. Slovenian cooking is similar to that found in neighboring Trieste and Friulli.

The wine market in this area is about $2.5 billion, which sounds like a big number until you realize that France’s market is $32 billion. Since the wars, the winemakers have received aid from world governments including the USAID program.

This “new,” little-known winemaking region that boasts 3000 years of experience is poised to be on the tip of our tongues—I’ll have a glass of Plavacs Mali!

“May God grant you as many years as there are drops of wine”.
--Croatian Toast

WHITE WINES

Citluk, Herceg White: made from native grapes (Zilavka, Bena and Krkosija) fresh, summer wine with honeyed finish………………………………….$18.00

Santomas Malvazija: Hawaii in your mouth! Passion fruit, mango
with a sweet freshness that is balanced with enough acid to make it a food or aperitif wine………………………………………………………………….$20.00

RED WINES:

Tilia, Modri Pinot: a Pinot Noir. A modern, international style of Pinot… $32.95

Santomas, Big Red Reserve Grand Cuvee: blend of Refosk, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Deep red-black color with a profusion of berries, licorice, cocoa, cinnamon—a real spice box. ……………………………. $50.00

 For more info:  RESTAURANTS and MARKETS:

Antes Restaurant (since 1945)
729 Ante Perkov Way (Palos Verdes Drive)
San Pedro 90731
310.832.5375

 Trattoria Tre Venezie
119 W. Green Street
Pasadena 91105
626.795.4455
(open Wednesday-Saturday)

South Shores Meat Market
2308 S. Western Avenue
San Pedro 90731
310.831.0044

Eshbach Meat Products
18045 S. Western Avenue
Gardena 90248
310.324.1376

WHERE TO FIND WINES OF SLOVENIA AND CROATIA:

Silverlake Wine
2935 Glendale Boulevard
Los Angeles 90039
323.662.9024
www.silverlakewine.com

Du Vin Wine & Spirits
540 N. San Vicente Boulevard
West Hollywood 90048
310.855.1161
www.du-vin.net

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Map, courtesy University of Maine