Restaurant wine in Zagreb — 10 May 2007

Bruce Shore

Zagreb, the capital city of present-day Croatia, was long a part of
the Austro-Hungarian empire, and so it is not surprising that a
visitor there is reminded of, say, Vienna. The earlier parts of the
city are atop two adjacent hills, where once there were two competing
walled towns: one was (and still is) the seat of the bishop, at home
in his great cathedral, and the other was (and still is) the center
of the civil government, nowadays comprising the parliament and
executive offices, in buildings dating from the 17th century.

A major promenade in Zagreb was once home to numerous
oldes-professional women. They have long departed. This sculpture
reminds passersby of that history of what is now a very popular
strolling street, for families too.

Between these two communities a valley provides separation. Nowadays a little
street winds through this valley, lined with old houses whose street
level offer restaurants or retail shops or, in one case, the outlet
of a brewery. But several decades ago the houses were occupied by
businesswomen plying the worlds oldest trade. This population is
commemorated now by an interesting sculpture: a window frame from
which there looks a bronze image of one of these young women, long
banished from the streets, but smiling as though she knew that
desires remain unaltered.

The vaulted dining area of the Ston restaurant, housed in a
refurbished cellar on Kapitol street in Zagreb

Atop the Cathedral hill, a short walk away, I found displayed on the
wall next to the entrance to a cellar, the menu of a restaurant that
seemed to specialize in various seafoods, calling itself Ston. On
entering I found a very nicely refurbished vaulted room, evidently
once the cellar for a well to do establishment, perhaps church
related. It is a small business; I was the only customer during my
stay.

Red and white wines of the Grasevina winery, served at the Ston
restaurant in Zagreb

The owner, and chef, is Zelko Ledinic. He speaks no English, but his
daughter, who works there, provided translations, and with her help I
understood a bit of his background.

The restaurant is a fairly new enterprise for him. An older one is a
family winery, where they make both red and white wines. I gather
that the winery is fairly well known — my Zagreb host later
recognized the bottle that I presented him, and was very pleased to
have it.

The “blackfish” at the Ston restaurant in Zagreb.

Taking advantage of the less-than-familiar menu items, I chose what
was billed as blackfish. It was a plate of very dark material, rather
like oatmeal in texture but with bits of non-vegetable matter. As I
understand from the daughter this is not squid or octopus, but very
definitely it was colored as one would expect from pouring a bottle
of india ink over the material. It was very tasty, and my selected
wines went very well with it. Upon advice I chose what I understand
is one of the winemakers specialties, a white wine with a name only
to be found in Croatia.

The owner of the Ston restaurant and winery,  Zeliko Ledinic, with
daughter (right) and a family friend (left).

After the meal I chatted a bit with the winemaker, through his
interpreting daughter. He is quite pleased with his wines, and takes
much care with them. Unfortunately you cannot buy a bottle of his
excellent white wines to take away — they are just available at the
restaurant or the winery I gather — but he kindly gave me a glass to
try, along with some fresh oysters.

Grgich wines are not only found in California but in Croatia, from
which emigrated Mike Grgich. Grgich won with his Chardonnay at the “Judgement of Paris” and had the highest score there and the highest score at the great Chicago Chardonnay Shootout.

Perhaps it is not surprising that the owner knows Mike Grgich, a
Croatian who has made a name for himself  making fine wines in
Rutherford, in the Napa Valley (the Grgich-Hills Estate label). The
Grgich name is well known also in Croatia, where it is to be found on
fine wines whose creation Mike oversees during homeland visits.

Overall, it was the sort of experience that adventuresome tourists
look forward to: and environment unlike what one can find in
California, with food unlike even the seaport of San Francisco can
provide, with wine from a good winemaker who spends a few moments
visiting, sharing (despite the language barrier) a few pleasant
moments of companionship.

A visit to a Croation winery,  11 May 2008

Bruce Shore

Croatia has been inhabited by humans since the Neanderthals and Cro
Magnons were competing for resources (their remnants can be seen in
the Zagreb museum of archeology). But only with the arrival of Romans
did vineyards and winemaking begin. That occupation has continued
over the ensuing centuries, and today some of the worlds great wines
come from the two basic geographic regions that comprise present day
Croatia.

The Croatian hillsides outside of Zagreb have hosted vineyards for
centuries. Here is a typical view over a vineyard, towards a typical
small village.

On the coastline of the Adriatic sea to the west the climate,
affected by sea breezes, is said to favor white wines. These are
associated with the more detailed geograhical descriptors of Istria
and Dalmatia. Inland, in what are termed continental regions (around
Zagreb), one finds the wines of Slavona, Prigoria and Plesivicka. It
was to the latter region that I was driven by my Zagreb host, to the
west-facing hills that bound the city of Zagreb. 

A simple sign guides wine seekers to the Drago Rezek winery, on a
small road in the scenic hills outside Zagreb, Croatia
 

 There, on the
hillsides and valleys that make this a landscape of remarkable
beauty, one sees strips of vineyards, the Croatian equivalent of,
say, the vineyards familiar to visitors of the Rhine or Mosel wine
growing areas of Germany, or the hills of Burgundy in France.

Owner and winemaker Damir Rezek greets visitors to his winery, Drago
Rezek (named for his father) on a hillside in the wine growing region
outside of Zagreb.

  The vineyards of Croatia are not so extensive as they once were:
economic changes have not favored winemaking. The young people have
left the family home for life in the big cities.  Their elders, if
living, are too old to be active in the fields, and so the owners
await the arrival of someone prepared to pay a very high price for
their land that now lies unused between cultivated vineyards.
Furthermore, government restrictions on exports make it difficult for
a winery to become known outside Croatia — a real challenge for an
enterprising entrepreneur.

The Drago Rezek winery, in the Plesivicka wine growing region of
Croatia, has modern facilities though the family business dates back
to the 16th century. The upper floor windows are the tasting room.

Our destination on a lovely Sunday afternoon was pursued over narrow
country roads that passed some new attractive industrial buildings or
well maintained single homes, some new, past also the construction of
a grand new stadium for the sport of handball, a favorite with
Croatians. Our goal  was a small family winery that, from internet
search, was one of the few to offer wine tasting on a Sunday. The
winery offers not only the traditional white wines of the area, but
also a few reds.With the assistance of a very simple
internet-supplied map, and a very few strategically placed signs, we
found our destination, the Drago Rezek winery.

Winemaker Damir Rezek opens a bottle of his 2007 Pinot Noir, bottled
only that day and as yet unlabled.

Our arrival was greeted by Damir Rezek, who now runs the business. It
has been in his family for generations — the family came from
Hungary in 1589. The wine cellar dates from 1774  but the present
buildings and facilities date from 1992 and later. His father, Drago,
did much to establish the present operation, with its many awards and
gold medals won in competitions, establishing the winery as one of
the very best in Croatia. But he died rather young, a few years ago,
and now the entire operation — business and winemaking — falls onto
the broad shoulders of his son Damir, who is a Sophomore at Zagreb
university, majoring in agriculture. (Fortunately young Damir is not
entirely without family help; there are uncles and cousins nearby.)
He was a most genial host for our afternoon (spoke English fluently
– he learned by watching cartoons on TV), proudly opening bottles of
his wines in the very nice new tasting room, after showing us through
the very up-to-date winery, and barrel room, fully temperature
controlled. It is an operation not unlike the more modern of the
Livermore wineries.

A snack of home made cheese and bacon, with bread, was a welcome
supplement to the wine tasting at Drago Rezek winery

The three of us (my Zagreb host,his wife and myself) were the only
visitors that afternoon, but I gather that tour buses come by, with
groups of visitors; certainly the operation has been structured to
offer them pleasant surroundings for winetasting.

Genial Damir Rezek, winemaker and owner of Drago Rezek winery outside
Zagreb,  enjoys a glass of one of his wines, while hosting the
winetasting of the bottles on the table

Our first wine was a 2006 Muller Thurgau, labled Rizvanac. It was a
blend of Riesling and Plemenka, a local varietal. 11.9% alcohol. Very
light, excellent for a warm afternoon refreshment.

Your reporter in the tasting room of Drago Rezek winery, in the hills
outside Zagreb, with some of the wines sampled. On the walls are some
of the awards won by Drago, the father of present winemaker Damir
Rezek.
The center bottle of the collection, has the PP label traditionally
used for Portugese wine. The pitcher contains the as-yet-unbottled
2007 Chardonnay.

Next we had the 2006 Zeleni Silvaner (Zeleni translates as “green”.
This had won an award as the best in all of the Zagreb area (akin, I
gather, to a similar judgement in, say, the Livermore or Napa area,
where also there are many wineries and vineyards). 12.8% alcohol.
This was even better, and I bought several bottles for consumption
later (I shared these with attendees at a Colloquium I gave in Zagreb
the next day.)

Then came the 2007 Chardonnay. This has not yet been bottled, so it
was served from a pitcher. It had won a local gold medal, and I could
see why.

The last white was a Sauvignon Blanc, 13.6% alcohol. It too was very
good, though my notes are a bit sparse.

My Zagreb host thought it might be good to have a bit of food to
augment the effects of the wine, and he spoke (in Croatian) to Damir
who, in turn, brought his mother in to discuss possibilities. Soon we
were presented with slices of cheese, made by the grandmother (who
has a cow) and some slices of home cured bacon. I felt like I had
been invited into a hospitable home. “The first glass I pour, after
that you are at home” said Damir.

We then started on the red wines. The first was a 2007 Portugese (a
“Croatian Beaujolais”). The traditions associated with the Portugese
wine is rather similar to those of Beaujolais: various winemakers
compete to see who shall bring the first bottle to the city (Zagreb)
for the fall harvest festival. It is not uncommon to put the grape
juice directly into containers and bring it, as it ferments, into
town.  The prizes and income from the Portugese wine, over the last
years, have financed the central heating at the winery.

Next came the 2007 Pinot Noir (9 months old, 12.6% alcohol). This was
being bottled on the day of our visit, and we were sampling from a
bottle to which the label had yet to be applied.

My own favorite red was the 2006 Pinot Noir, Barrique. It had 11.8%
alcohol.  I gather that the alcohol content  can vary a great deal
from year to year — same grape, same vineyard, but ranging from
11.5% to 13.5% between adjacent years. The hillsides are too steep
for mechanization, and so the grapes must be picked by hand.

As the name Barrique implies this wine was aged in oak. It was aged
in Croatian oak — I was told that since Napoleonic times oak from
Croatia goes to France, where it is made into barrels and becomes
French Oak. I was also told that Croatian oak underlies and supports
much of the city of Venice.

Our last wine of the day was a 2006 Chardonnay Sur Lie, a truly
outstanding very special wine. During the fermentation it is stirred
every 15 days, amongst other hand-work details. It is a champion in
the Zagreb area, and was truly outstanding.

Not surprisingly, we departed with numerous bottles in our car, some
to be cellared by my host, others to be shared, as I mentioned, on
Monday.  It was, overall, a remarkable experience, one that supported
my impression that Croatians have a wonderful sense of exuberance
toward living, and that they welcome visitors who soon become friends.

From Damir came the following very wise maxim: “To be a good
winemaker you must be a servant in the vineyard and the master in the
cellar”

http://www.naparegister.com/articles/2008/05/16/news/local/doc482dd5626d76f161005272.txt 

Robert Mondavi dead at 94

Robert G. Mondavi — the 94-year-old Napa Valley visionary who put California wine on dinner tables around the world — died Friday morning.

Mondavi is widely credited with being the driving force behind Napa Valley’s propulsion to the top of the wine world, a place where great grapes are grown and wines made, and  where the industry thrives.

Prior to Mondavi launching his own winery and brand in 1966, American wines were considered cheap imitations of those produced in Bordeaux, Burgundy and other long-established winegrowing regions of the world.

Aware of the potential of the local sun-splashed terroir, vintner Mondavi was a tireless promoter of the Napa Valley and developed a reputation for consistent, high quality. Starting Robert Mondavi Winery as a small, premium operation, he and his family built one of the largest, most respected wineries in the United States, producing more than 500,000 cases of quality wine varieties per year.

Even as he slowly walked into a new millennium, Bob Mondavi remained a player on the world stage of wine.

His wine empire sold off to the highest bidder at age 92, Mondavi vowed “to start over.”

Teaming up with son Tim, daughter Marcia and his wife, Margrit, Robert Mondavi did just that — launching the Continuum wine brand, which had its first release in the spring of 2008.

Wine on the world stage

Mondavi earned the respect of the world as a symbol of Napa Valley premium wines, as one of the world’s leading innovators, producers and marketers of fine wine.

Driven by his belief that he could produce world-class wines here, Mondavi launched his own wine brand at age 53.

Born June 18, 1913, in Virginia, Minn., to parents who emigrated from the Marche region of Italy, Robert was largely influenced by Old World traditions.

“My passion for bringing wine into the American culture was motivated by a desire to plant deep into the soil of our young country the same values, traditions and daily pleasures that my mother and father had brought with them from central Italy: good food, good wine and love of family,” Mondavi wrote in his 1998 autobiography, “Harvests of Joy.”

Mondavi’s passion unarguably sparked a revolution in the American food and wine experience.

A 1936 graduate of Stanford University with a degree in economics and business administration, Mondavi understood that marketing was as critical as winemaking expertise in achieving success in the wine industry. Upon graduation, he joined his father at Sunny St. Helena Winery in St. Helena. During the war years, he convinced his father to purchase the Charles Krug Winery, upgrading the technology of the family enterprise as part of his desire to raise quality.

When he and his younger brother, Peter, had a falling out in the mid-1960s, Robert Mondavi established in 1966 the first major winery built in Napa Valley since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. His goal was to combine European craft and tradition with the latest in American technology, management and marketing expertise.

To celebrate the pleasures of wine, food and the arts, the Robert Mondavi Winery was built as an enduring landmark with a sense of California history as reflected in its mission-style architecture. In fostering a wine culture in America, tours and wine tastings were initiated to educate the American palate. Throughout more than three decades, the Robert Mondavi Winery has provided the creative setting for jazz and classical concerts, art exhibits and culinary programs.

At the Robert Mondavi Winery, in the late 1960s, he pioneered many fine winemaking techniques in California, including cold fermentation, stainless steel tanks and the use of French oak barrels. A sales and marketing leader, he was responsible for popularizing dry-fermented oak-aged sauvignon blanc as fumé blanc — a move now acknowledged as the catalyst for the recognition of this grape variety in America. Mondavi also initiated blind tastings in the Napa Valley, allowing consumers and the trade to evaluate wine quality.

Always the visionaryMondavi’s comprehensive wine and food program greatly evolved over the years. The Great Chefs program was established in 1976 as the first winery culinary program in this country. This program has featured such luminaries as Julia Child, Paul Bocuse, Alice Waters, Paul Prudhomme, Jean and Pierre Troisgros, Marcella Hazan and Joel Robuchon.

During the latter half of the 1980s, Robert Mondavi launched the Mission Program to counteract the anti-alcohol campaign that was gathering force in America.

“At the Robert Mondavi Winery, we view wine as an integral part of our culture, heritage and the gracious way of life,” the world-renowned vintner declared. The Mission Program educated media, trade and consumers about the health benefits of moderate wine consumption. One thousand tapes were produced and distributed to the press and public at large. The Mission statement was put on every bottle of Robert Mondavi wine and was supported by hundreds of wineries nationwide.

Mondavi felt that great wines should be recognized internationally. In the 1970s, the Robert Mondavi Winery was among the first to export premium California wine. This international outlook led to partnerships with other prominent wine families: the Frescobaldi family of Italy (Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi), the Eduardo Chadwick family of Chile (Viña Errázuriz) and the Oatley family of Australia (Southcorp/Rosemount Estate).

The framework for these partnerships was initiated in 1979 with Baron Philippe de Rothschild. “The idea was to take our different cultures and traditions, along with the best materials and know-how from Bordeaux and California, to create a wine with its own style, character and breeding,” said Mondavi. Opus One was the result of this partnership. A record sum of $24,000 was paid for the inaugural case in 1981 at the first annual Napa Valley Wine Auction, of which Robert and his wife, Margrit, were founders.

Mondavi was a major benefactor of cultural and educational institutions. Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, a cultural center in the heart of Napa that celebrates the bounty of the American table, opened in November, 2001.  Enhancing an already extraordinary contribution to California’s wine industry, Robert and his wife, Margrit, made a substantial personal gift in late 2001 to the University of California, Davis, to establish the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science and to name the campus’s new Center for Performing Arts.  The Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts opened in October 2002.

An uncompromising perfectionist, Mondavi was guided by his belief: “If you wish to succeed, you must listen to yourself, to your own heart, and have the courage to go your own way.”