27^th January 2014

Croatian Wines from Dalmatia and the Slavonia and Danube Wine Regions available in the UK

Croatian Fine Wines add wines from Dalmatia and the Slavonia and Danube Wine Regions to its import wine list

Croatian Fine Wines Limited has one of the largest stocks of Croatian wines in the UK with a listing of 26 different wines from across three wine regions: ‘Istria and Kvarner’, and now ‘Dalmatia’ and ‘Slavonia and Danube’.

Mark Roberts, Managing Director, purchased the company in October 2013 and expanded the wine list of Franc Arman, Kabola and Pilato to include:

Istria and Kvarner

• Kabola Malvazija Istarska Amfora 2009 (EKO Organic), a unique natural wine that has had 7 months maceration on the skins in large amphora vessels, buried just outside of the winery, and then followed by maturation in large Slavonian oak barrels and bottle aging for 6 to 12 months to create a really special wine.
• Kabola Teran 2010 Vrhunsko (Supreme) (EKO Organic), another excellent example of the indigenous Teran grape tamed for its distinctive fruit taste, beauty in the glass and drinking pleasure. Teran from Croatia can be sold legally in the EU up until at least the 2013 vintage, following the Teran dispute with Slovenia just before Croatia’s accession to the EU in July 2013.
• Pilato Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 a pleasing and great value example of the much loved red wine grape.

Dalmatia

Two indigenous Plavac Mali wines from Dalmatia, including the famous EU Protected Designated Origin (PDO) region of Dingač on the Pelješac Peninsular, which is north of Dubrovnik and roughly half way along the coast to Split.

• Vinarija Dingač Plavac Mali 2008 Vrhunsko (Supreme) is an off-dry red wine with a very distinctive nose and slight hint of the sea mingled with mild herby fruit flavours that reflect the terroir and steep seaward facing cliff faces that the vines cling on.  This wine bottle has the famous donkey logo, which pays homage to the key role the beast of burden plays in bringing the grape harvest from the cliffs along perilous tracks to the winery.
• Vinarija Dingač Plavac 2010 is an everyday drinking Plavac Mali wine also from the Pelješac Peninsular, but outside of the Dingač PDO.

Slavonia and Danube

Vinarija Zdjelarević was founded in 1985, the first private winery in Croatia. Since then it has been one of the most successful family wineries, which also includes a prestigious hotel overlooking the vineyards, which stretch out from the restaurant terrace. The estate has 38 hectares of vineyards which produce six white grapes and six red grapes to create a large selection of single and blended variety wines.

The winery is situated on one of the richest area of continental Croatia within the Slavonia and Danube wine region, to the east of the city of Slavonski Brod in the rural municipality of Brodski Stupnik. On the north side of the Sava valley, the alluvial clay, with the crushed shells from the ancient Pannonian Sea, provide a highly fertile and structural soil rich in minerals, which together with high temperatures and long warm autumns make almost ideal conditions for growing a wide range of wine cultivars.

The wines from Zdjelarević have the recognisable character of pure taste and quality found with the best Croatian wine producers and include:

• Zdjelarević Classic Rajnski Rizling 2011 (Rhine Riesling)
• Zdjelarević Classic Graševina 2012 (Welsch Riesling)
• Zdjelarević Classic Chardonnay 2012 (Oaked)
• Zdjelarević Classic Special Edition Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 Vrhunsko (Supreme)
• Zdjelarević Nagual Grand Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot 2010 Vrhunsko (Supreme)

Mark Roberts, reported that “I am really pleased with the response to the new wine list as we did a good volume of business to old and new customers over the Christmas period. We even sold out of Vinarija Dingač Plavac Mali 2008 (Vrhunsko) and had to place another import order.”

Commenting further Mark Roberts said, “I see great potential in the long run for Croatian wines in the UK, simply because the quality and value proposition is so strong. There is still a big challenge of awareness of Croatian wines amongst consumers and the trade, but with more people experiencing Croatia as a fantastic gourmet, wine, culture and beautiful holiday destination this will increase demand as well as the wine selling its self on tasting.”

— ENDS —

Further Information:

Mark Roberts, Managing Director,
Croatian Fine Wines Limited, Winnington Hall, Winnington Lane, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 4DU
Phone : +44 (0) 1606 78 41 71                     Mobile: +44 (0) 75 25 26 59 37

mark@croatianfinewines.com
www.croatianfinewines.com
www.twitter.com/CroatianFWines

Mark Roberts FCCA

Mark qualified as a Chartered Accountant and set us his own accountancy practice in 2001. From 2001 onwards he has built up a sizeable property portfolio, both residential and commercial, which most notably includes Winnington Hall, former ICI management headquarters and Grade 1 listed building in Northwich, Cheshire. He then joined Thinkprint (UK) Limited, a leading print management company, as Financial Director in 2008. After visiting Dubrovnik in September 2013 and liking the country and wines so much, he came back to the UK and bought Croatian Fine Wines Limited the following month.