Croatian Wine
Since independence, Croatia has gained the right to be proudly reconnected with some of the great inventions that originated on its territory. It is widely known that the neck-tie, the cravate that the French named after mid-seventeenth century Croatian soldiers that had their scarves tied so specifically to develop the new style, immediately known as a la Croate, originates in Croatia. What is less known, or known only to a few afficionados in world curiosities, is that the pen, a writing instrument slowly disappearing with the influence of personal computers, comes from the surname of its inventor-Slavoljub Penkala. Penkala applied for the patent of his invention, known today as a pen, in 1906 in Zagreb.
This brings us to another product, a contribution that crossed the Ocean and become part of America's life: the most powerful and robust of all red wines, the ever popular Zinfandel. It's origin has been lost in historical developments and misperceptions, until recently when specialists finally found evidence indicating Croatia as a place of origin. Called in Croatian Mali plavac or Plavac mali, Zinfandel comes from the limited geographic area in South Croatia. Historical records testify the existence of Zinfandel on the Croatian soil in 183 B.C., and this almost 2,000 years tradition carries on in small vineyards along the Adriatic coast, with inhabitants producing wine either for domestic consumption, or in small quantities for sale. The limited source of this and other grapes, together with traditional aging process, makes Croatian wines rare and exquisite, a fact proven to the palates of numerous guests and tourists.
Wine is not only a product, its significance is deeper: cultivating grapes for wine production and drinking wine is a tradition deeply embedded in the roots of Croatian culture. Numerous Croatian holidays, feasts, traditions and a vast lore have developed around the appreciation of wine. One of the best known tradition is the feast of Martinje, during which peasants celebrate "the baptism of grape juice into young wine," a comical mimicking of a church baptism. This feast is celebrated on Saint Martin's day in rural parts of the Slavonia region. Other local customs, also associated with various saints' days, developed in different regions. Although with special regional variations, the common ground of these celebrations is the superstitious belief that if the grapevines were blessed during the resting winter months, they would bear better fruit in the spring.
The importance given to Croatian wine growing and cultivation is represented in special regulations outlining appropriate feast behavior called Krizevacki statuti (The Laws of Krizevci). They represent a code of rules, originally observed through oral tradition since at least the 14th century, and subsequently codified and printed in 1912. These ancient regulations are aimed at preventing disruptions at the wine celebrations, and ensuring the most enjoyable festivities.
The tradition of ensuring the reputation and quality of
Croatian wines is today continued by the enactment of the Law
on Wine in 1995. This Law regulates various types of wines-table,
quality, high-quality, archive, specialty (dessert, liquor, aromatized),
sparkling-and it classifies wines as dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet
or sweet, etc. According to the Croatian Wine Guide, there are
620 various kinds of wine produced from 54 sorts of grapes in
Croatia. These grapes are grown in four main regions with substantial
wine production: Dalmatia, Istria, Slavonia, and Zagorje.
