Melinda and Alfredo met during university study of viticulture and enology in Zagreb some 30 years ago. They shared the same bench. I didn’t ask if it was love at first sight. But I’m quite sure that many people, especially those visiting Istria, told me they instantly fell in love with their wines, charming and unpretentious as themselves. One or two generations back, Alfredo’s ancestors, Istrian peasants who produced wine only for their own use at the time, began the wine story of family Cossetto.

Alfredo’s father, cheerful, kind and outgoing. Photo: Maja Danica Pečanić

The heritage of these old times is kept in a vineyard with more than 40-year-old vines. Alfredo is especially proud of this piece of land because it gives rich and complex Malvasia that is great for aging, so that it reaches its peak after two years. The one from 2009 was alive and joyful as a little kid. Both this old vineyard and the younger ones where red varietals predominate (in total 7 hectares) are located only a few kilometers west from their house and winery. In 1994 the young couple came back to Istria, brought modern technology and progressive ideas into the cellar, experimented and learned. Soon they had two daughters, Gracija and Denis.

In the old Istrian Malvasia vineyard.

«Already in elementary school Denis started to help us, although only with her nose, in wine blending. For her it is a beautiful game», says Alfredo while we enjoy homemade Istrian pršut. Rotweiler Don looks at us imploringly asking for a piece.

The style of Cossetto red wines, Mozaik and Cabernet Sauvignon, immediately gets imprinted in your memory. The former is an unusual blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Istrian Borgonja and Merlot. It will win everybody, especially women, at first with its sensual scent of violet and iris, and then with its velvety texture in the mouth followed by a bite into a bitter cherry. The Cab is very similar but not so aromatic and with a stronger body. For both wines they use short macerations, 5-6 days, so they say, which is enough to get aromas and fruity flavors but avoid the extraction of rough tannins.

«These are not big but cute wines. Who knows, if in a few years the financial situation allows us, we’ll also try to make powerful reds by using long maceration and barrel aging of minimum 3-4 years. We definitely want to avoid wild tannins because we don’t like that», says Melinda.

As I leave, everything becomes crystal clear. In this small village above Mirna river valley, female touch managed to push a small family winery beyond the tradition, creating a style that makes Cossetto wines so easy to understand and recognize.

Melinda and Alfredo. Photo: Maja Danica Pečanić

They produce excellent Istrian pršut, too. Just for very special guests.

Cossetto Mozaik, a seductive blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Istrian Borgonja and Merlot.
Photo: Maja Danica Pečanić

Atmosphere is relaxed, there a lot of very interesting wines and delicacies to taste.

Besides the exhibition part,a rich programme consists of various workshops and panels, cooking shows,

and cigar puffing sessions.

I am addicted to their dandelion jam, but the others are also intriguing and no less tasty: sage, nettle, mint, elder, cornelian cherry and fig. All are produced with a high percentage of the actual herb or fruit, only 20-30% of brown sugar and absolutely no preservatives.

They are experts in the art of brandy making and have a portfolio of 20 spirits made from mistletoe, honey, pomegranate, wild apple, wild pear, carob, sage etc. One of them will probably catch your attention – delicious teranino, red wine liqueur.

Aura’s shops can be found in Buzet, Hum, Grožnjan, Rovinj and even on the island of Korčula. We present you their charming museum-like shop in the medieval tiny town of Hum in central Istria.

Something quite different from the usual konobas, Masèra offers the style of Rovinj’s top 5 restaurants but at an affordable price. The restaurant is set back from the road and is more like the club house for the tennis courts. Décor is smart modern, enhanced with some pieces of antique furniture. The menu is tasteful, with a modest selection of dishes suited to preparation from fresh ingredients. Presentation here is wonderful. The chef was previously at Restaurant Blu, where you pay a lot more for this sort of style.

The other day I went looking for a girl. She’d been a waitress at a restaurant in Rovinj and had told me she was now at another restaurant called Masèra, on the outskirts of town, down near some tennis courts.

Wow ! Was I glad I went. Firstly, I hardly recognised her. The jeans had gone in favour of a smart formal uniform, worn by all the staff. Clearly, if I hadn’t already realised from the décor, this was an upmarket restaurant. I ordered a coffee and gingerly perused the menu, expecting unaffordable wonders. I was impressed by the dishes on offer, but even more impressed by the prices.

I ordered the turbot in leek cream. This arrived on a long rectangular plate, beautifully presented, with the turbot in the centre, garnished with a sprig of rosemary. At one end were artistically arranged grilled Mediterranean vegetables and at the other, fried sliced potatoes, again artistically arranged. It was a feast for the eyes and could stand comparison with dishes from the smartest restaurants anywhere in the world. It was quite delicious.

There is no shortage of upmarket restaurants in Rovinj these days, for those prepared to pay the price. The difference here is the price. The turbot, complete with the vegatables, was just 50 kn !

After a short break, I followed it with the white chocolate souffle, generously covered with white truffle shavings and which looked equally amazing. The taste was all I could have wished for. The price? A mere 25 kn! I pay that for pancakes with jam anywhere else.

The wine list was equally impressive, albeit that for decent wines, the buying in price means they are going to cost more than open wine, which is also available.

The restaurant has apparently been here for some time, but had received a complete makeover during the winter and had only reopened in its present form at the beginning of April.

If you’ve champagne tastes and a beer budget, this is a place not to be missed.
To find it, head off down the road running south east from Rovinj towards Villas Rubin. Look out for the red shale tennis courts on the right.

Human brain is so powerful that is probably on the right way to understand how the Universe was created? But we often forget how this organ, if we consider its complexity, is actually the Universe at small scale and that we don’t know much about the way it works. Today one question still remains resolved: what influences our opinion about a wine when we taste it?

Is it only its aroma and flavor, tactile sensation in the mouth caused by tannins, “the heat” left by the presence of alcohol? Our eyes tell us if a wine is white or red. Have you ever wondered would the way you experience the wine change and would you be able to guess its color if you tasted it blindfold? Does the music that plays in the background while you taste it in a bar or in a winery also influences the perception of aromas and flavors? Put it briefly, are our senses independent from each other or they “talk” to each other? In other words, does sinestesia exist in wine tastings?

On our (literally experimental) tasting workshop you will be our guinea pigs. No worries, it won’t hurt and we promise it won’t be boring either. With your help maybe we won’t be able to find the answer to all of the above question but we’ll at least find the direction in which research, in this extremely interesting field where winemaking meets psychology, experience tourism and entertainement industry, should proceed.

Last year we talked about ourselves and the things that give us energy. This year it’s your turn to talk on these completely different wine tasting. We care happy to see you on our workshop on Sunday 13th May, 1 PM in Žatika. Looking forward that the experiments begin!

Find out more about the program of 19th Vinistra and our workshop.

Ljudski mozak toliko je moćan da je vjerojatno na dobrom putu da spozna kako je nastao Svemir. No, često puta zaboravljamo da je taj organ po svojoj kompleksnosti zapravo Svemir u malom i da zapravo jako malo znamo kako funkcionira. Tako danas još uvijek ostaje neriješeno pitanje: što sve utječe na naš sud o nekom vinu kad ga kušamo?

Je li to samo njegov okus i miris, taktilni osjećaj u ustima koje ostavljaju tanini, “toplina” koju osjećamo zbog alkohola? Naše oči govore nam je li vino crno ili bijelo. Jeste li se ikada upitali da li bi se promijenio doživljaj vina i da li biste pogodili njegovu boju kada biste ga probali s povezom preko očiju? Da li glazba koja svira u pozadini dok ga kušamo u nekom baru ili kod vinara također utječe na osjet okusa i mirisa? Ukratko, jesu li naši osjeti nezavisni jedan od drugog ili međusobno “pričaju”? Drugim riječima, postoji li sinestezija pri kušanju vina?

Na našoj (doslovno eksperimentalnoj) radionici kušanja vina bit ćete nam pokusni kunići.  Ne trebate se bojati, ništa vas neće boljeti a mi obećajemo da vam neće biti dosadno. Uz vašu pomoć možda nećemo doći do konačnih odgovora na ta pitanja, ali pronaći ćemo makar smjer u kojem treba nastaviti istraživanja u ovom iznimno zanimljivom području gdje se isprepliću vinarstvo, psihologija, turizam doživljaja, industrija zabave…

Prošle godine smo pričali o sebi i onom što nas pokreće. Ove godine, pričat ćete vi, na jednom potpuno drugačijem kušanju! Veselimo se, i s nestrpljenjem čekamo da pokusi počnu u nedjelju 13. svibnja s početkom u 13h u dvorani Žatika!

Više o samom programu 19. Vinistre i našoj radionici.

Miloš winery deals only with Plavac mali grape, the most famous Croatian indigenous variety, related to Zinfandel. He produces basic Plavac, excellent value for money, and the more ambitious, elegant and enchanting Stagnum, wine which reflects the soul of Plavac mali and Pelješac’s unique terroir. At the moment there are only two vintages of Stagnum on the market: 2003 and 2005. Miloš is not in a hurry, he lets his wine mature properly and it has amazing aging potential. What also makes him stand out among other producers of Plavac mali is his unwillingness to use the barrique method. This year Miloš’s first rosé wine, based on Plavac mali, of course, entered the scene and it went straight to Top 5 Croatian rosés of all times, as far as we are concerned.

Miloš winery and tasting room are a must for every true wine enthusiast. We were there for almost three hours and they went by like minutes. Untypical for a winemaker, Frano Miloš also produces an excellent herbal tea!

As a starter we had prosciutto and cheese, which were OK, but nothing spectacular. After their maneštra with bobići (thick bean soup with sweet corn) we wanted to lick the plate clean; probably it was prepared in the old-school way, simmering for many hours on low heat. However, the best thing you’ll try here is homemade pasta, like pljukanci or fuži, or even better ravioli stuffed with fresh cheese and spinach in fennel and pancetta sauce. Pancetta was, trust us, tastier than the prosciutto. The surrounding area is abundant in mushrooms so, in the season, of course, a sauce made with fresh boletus often accompanies these divine pastas. You can also order pasta with wild game goulash or truffle based sauce.

We were too full for the main course, usually sauerkraut with cured pork sirloin or sausages and various grilled steaks with truffles. But it’s a sin to skip desserts here! They are rustic and always follow the season – baked apples in caramel sauce, for example. The wine offer is quite limited, but some good bottles from Rossi can be found.

Interesting fact: In Cukarin they use ammonia for baking instead of modern leavening agents, just like in the old days.

Fažana Fishing Academy “Pilchard” opens up its doors to the land and sea! A specially interesting activity is its School of salting pilchard. It is a chance to try your hand at this old skill of the sea, cellar and kitchen, stand by the competitors who in marked tin containers arrange salted pilchard, using their knowledge handed down from generation to generation…

Children, locals, visitors, beginners and experts: they will all learn or say something about the needed amount of fish, salt, oil, spices… And after three months the tin containers will be opened and the best salted pilchard will be announced. A special occasion for tasting and a chance to talk about the choice of perfect wine for such festive occasions. In any case, the fish must be salted properly! And to know that, school is needed. 

PROGRAM: SCHOOL OF SALTING PILCHARD - we invite you to salt your own container of pilchard under the expert guidance of Fažana’s fishermen, course semester for attendants and visitors

LECTURE ON TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY WAYS OF PROCESSING AND PREPARING PILCHARD

GASTRONOMY OFFER „SARDELIJADA“: various pilchard dishes 

TASTING AND SALES OF TYPICAL ISTRIAN PRODUCTS: olive oil, cheese, prosciutto, Istrian wine and brandy, fig products, honey, Istrian pastries

FISH MARKET “PAOLO AND NINA’S” – presentation of Fažana’s fish markets in the 1930s and sales of salted pilchard

ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS

In the pic: home-made pasta with musky octopus, marjoram sauce and lemon juice.

It’s the same place where today you can sit down, taste some homemade wine, olive oil, brandy or cheese. Or just stop by and buy their very good olive tapenade. And you’ll see grandpa’s official license for the inn, dating back to 1926, proudly hung on the wall.

TOC: Which of your wines represents your character the best?
NV: Babica, because nobody has this variety and makes wine from it.

TOC: What do you like to eat with your wines?
NV: Oily fish, especially sardines, with Babica, steaks with Babica barrique and I use Babica rosé as summer refreshment.

TOC: With which wine would you like to be stranded on a deserted island?
NV: Plavac wines from the island of Hvar.

TOC: What’s your suggestion for improving tourism in Croatia?
NV: Education on all levels, from cleaning maid to manager, taking down the importers lobby.

Pag is a dry and rocky northern Dalmatian island of 8,000 inhabitants and 30,000 autochthonous sheep with a long tradition of cheese making and agriculture. A powerful winter wind called the Bura kicks up the surface of the Adriatic Sea and deposits sea salt on the grass and endemic herbs, which the sheep graze on, creating a unique milk high in butterfat and protein and ideal for making the island’s famous cheese, Paški sir.

Ivan Gligora was born into a traditional agricultural family in Kolan on Pag Island. His father and forefathers were skilled in the art of cheese making, and passed these skills on through generations. Ivan passed these skills on to his son, Šime, who is now Director of Operations at Sirana Gligora; someday, Šime will pass these skills on to his son.

Today, “Sirana Gligora” (Gligora Dairy) directly employs twenty-seven people and supports more than 250 local farmers in a cooperative, which helps sustain all-natural, traditional agricultural practices on Pag. The dairy produces over fifty tons of Paški sir annually, from January to the end of June. (To give you an idea of how much cheese that is, it’s equivalent to the weight of eight adult elephants!)

The cheese making process begins at the reception of milk from local Pag Island farmers. After processing, the milk is pasteurized to remove additional negative bacteria. The milk is then transferred into cheese vats, where the heart of production takes place: Rennet is added to aid the coagulation process, and the mixture is blessed. After the mixture has had time to set into a curd-like consistency, it is molded and pressed into cylindrical containers. The young cheese is immersed in brine for one day, and is set out to dry before being transferred to the basement “cave” for ageing, and later, packaging for sale.

In addition to Sirana Gligora’s famous sheep’s milk Paški sir, which won three Superior Gold Medals in the U.K.’s 2010 World Cheese Awards and was ranked one of the top ten cheeses in the world, the dairy also produces Kozlar, a hard goat’s milk cheese; Žigljen, a hard sheep/cow’s milk blended cheese; and Kolan, a hard cow’s milk cheese.
Sirana Gligora products can be found on Pag Island in its own farmhouse cheese shop attached to the dairy in Kolan, and at an outlet in the City Galleria shopping center in Zadar. Gligora’s products can also be found in most commercial centers around Croatia.

By Kristin Vuković
author of the project psfrompag.com

Pet bunara manages to combine organic ingredients, traditional local dishes and simple but superb cooking in a friendly next-door restaurant. From various seafood to lamb and beef. There’s also a selection of excellent and somewhat different pizzas. Be adventurous and try cuttlefish with chickpeas or barley risotto with cuttlefish.

Their desserts are must-try, especially chocolate and maraska sour cherry cake.

But don’t worry, even without San Salvatore, you will enter Zen mode when you visit Benvenuti’s vineyards with a view of the hilltop medieval town Motovun.

Since the country and its cuisine are so plentiful and diverse, for his first trip Bourdain chose the northern part of the Adriatic: Istria and northern Dalmatia.

We recreated the itinerary as seen on No Reservations (stops 1 to 10), and included additional suggestions on other interesting spots nearby.

View Anthony Bourdain’s itinerary in Croatia in a larger map

Wine Vault Restaurant

Hotel Monte Mulini in Rovinj is the realm of masterchef Tom Gretić, currently one of the most famous TV chefs in Croatia. In the hotel’s Wine Vault Restaurant, Tom prepared a feast for Bourdain and his Croatian buddies. By the way, Tom’s Swiss wife Priska Thuring is also a top chef, running the kitchen in Rovinj‘s supermodern hotel Lone.

Croatian chefs (Tom Gretić, Mate Janković, Denis Zembo and David Skoko) and Anthony Bourdain playing tough

More in the surroundings:

Konoba Kamene priče, Bale. Jazz. Food. Drinks. Only 16+ people.
No children after 7.15 PM. Enough said.

Restaurant Giannino

This seafood restaurant has a long-standing tradition and has always been managed by family Pelizzaro, indigenous Italians from Rovinj. Their cozy terrace on a small square, away from crowded streets in the center, is great for relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere of Rovinj as it once was. Cold starters are always made from the freshest ingredients and creatively presented, but seafood pasta and risotto could be better. Fish prepared on the grill, under čripnja or in the oven is again top notch, although its price may be a bit higher than average.

More in the surroundings:

Stancija Meneghetti, Bale. This establishment is not just another luxury holiday villa for clientele with loads of money but also a place where outstanding extra virgin olive oils and innovative wines (unusual for Istria – wine blends) are produced with care.

The Lim Bay

Pazinčica River flows into the sea forming a 10 km long estuary, a protected area famous for its oysters and mussels. Avoid the tacky stands with cheap souvenirs, and especially fluorescent coloured “homemade” brandies in funny bottles. Choose one of the two restaurants – Viking or Lim Fjord – both offering fresh fish and shellfish from the bay.

More in the surroundings:

Stancija 1904, Svetvinčenat. Stancija 1904 is an idyllic agrotourism getaway tucked back from the rest of the world. Expertly prepared traditional Istrian dishes, exquisite wine, brandy and atmosphere.

This post was partially written by Manjada, an Istrian guy who also offers great tailor-made culinary classes and wine tours in Istria based on local ingredients, authentic recipes and off-the-beaten-path experience. Contact him on goran.zgrablic at gmail.com.

Motovun

Motovun is one of the most beautiful, preserved and popular old Istrian medieval towns, with a spectacular view of Mirna River Valley. Motovun Forest is the best place for hunting the famous Istrian truffle and the nearby village of Livade is considered the truffle capital of Istria. You probably won’t have your own truffle hunting guide as Anthony Bourdain did, but at least you can enjoy this precious underground jewel in local restaurants, taverns and family farms.

More in the surroundings:

Agritourism Tončić, Zrenj. Homemade ingredients used to make delicacies coming from grandma’s cookbook. Try their delicious fuži with shaved white truffles, which are fairly priced, too!

Benvenuti Winery, Kaldir. You will enter Zen mode when you visit Benvenuti brothers’ vineyards with a view of the hilltop medieval town Motovun.

Konoba Batelina

This modest family-owned tavern is one of the most exciting places to eat in Croatia. Skoko family – father fisherman, mother and mother-in-law cooks and son manager and the coolest Croatian chef – is a perfect example of an honestly run local restaurant business. For a fair price and with no phony pretentiousness, they turn often neglected kinds of fish into magnificent dishes, celebrating pure taste and simplicity.

More in the surroundings:

Miramare, Pomer. Mira, the chef, is an expert in seafood prepared in the traditional South Istrian way (like crab salad), but she dares to invent some innovative dishes like breaded wild asparagus, cuttlefish meatballs served on dandelion and motar salad or the ultimate treat – squids stuffed with scampi (prawns).

Trapan Wine Station, Šišan. Postmodern architecture, concrete walls, funky billboards and photos on the walls, furniture in Scandinavian minimalist style, all this modern stuff is cleverly put together to create a nostalgic feeling of traveling that only a train station can create. Only here the wine takes the role of a steam locomotive.

Boškinac Restaurant and Winery

The island of Pag boasts such goodies as the celebrated Pag cheese and lamb, and Boškinac restaurant & winery (also a boutique hotel) is something like a shrine of local gastronomy. Run by a brilliant chef and great enthusiast Boris Šuljić, Boškinac combines high-end cooking standards and the best of local ingredients and tradition. They also produce great and unique wines from forgotten local varieties like Gegić.

More in the surroundings:

Gligora Dairy, Kolan. On the island of 8,000 inhabitants and 30,000 indigenous sheep you will want to visit the best and most awarded cheese maker.

Plus, don’t miss visiting Lun olive groves which are considered to be among the oldest in the world. You can admire more than thousand-year-old trees with most unusual shapes and textures. These living sculptures modeled by the sea, salt and strong bura wind will take your breath away.

Bibich Winery

Alen Bibić is a real visionary. He built a successful private winery in secluded Dalmatian hinterland, used underrated local varieties to make high-quality labels and he was one of the first exporters of Croatian wine to the USA. Yet he remained a friendly, down-to-earth and fun-loving guy. Tastings in his cellar can be spectacular when the wines are paired with imaginative dishes prepared by Alen’s wife. Check out why Eva Longoria fell in love with Bibić’s dessert wine Ambra.

Some photos courtesy of Secret Dalmatia.

More in the surroundings:

Bonaca, Skradin. Old school, sincere, value-for-money traditional Dalmatian cuisine respecting local ingredients.

Konoba Porat, Zaton. Near the local church you will this family run place managed by Krešimir Živković since 1982. By Porat’s modest appearance you would never guess that authentic flavors of this magical landscape are hiding in the kitchen.

Restaurant Foša

Foša is considered the best upscale seafood restaurant in Zadar, a fusion of modern culinary trends and Dalmatian tradition. It is situated in a small port called Foša, just across the town walls dating from the 16th century.

Photo courtesy of Dalmacija moja inspiracija.

More in the surroundings:

Pet bunara, Zadar. Their originality brought them the title of the best authentic local restaurant in Zadar and surroundings.

Šopot, Benkovac. Being in business from 1904, they serve as a real front liner in presenting the hard-core traditional food: peka, lamb on a spit, home made bread.

Zadar Fishmarket

When in Zadar, don’t miss the opportunity to stroll around the central market, check out the last night’s catch on the fish market and haggle with the old ladies selling homegrown fruit, vegetables, olive oil and cheese. Soak in the atmosphere of the place where people have been trading and socializing since ancient times.

More in the surroundings:

Family Farm Babac, Vrsi. Being surrounded with loads of ripe figs, Sandra decided to try making a fresh fig jam following her grandma’s recipe. Turns out she’s a talent.

Kornati Islands National Park

Finish off your trip to northern Dalmatia with a tour of Kornati National Park, an amazing archipelago of 140 amazing uninhabited small islands. You won’t find any fancy restaurants along the way, but most of the excursions run by local agencies include a fish picnic.

In case you wish to travel (taste, eat & drink) following Anthony Bourdain’s steps with an experienced local guide, feel free to contact us at goran.zgrablic at gmail.com. We’ll be glad to organize it for you!

Also, don’t miss our smartphone apps for Android or iOS that can be useful if you want to avoid tourist traps and find good food, wine and traditional produce on your vacation in Croatia.