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[title]Occupying the vast sweep of north-east Croatia, Slavonia is known for its rolling landscapes, its equestrian tradition – and its wine. Produced in this gentle, continental, inland climate since the Romans, Slavonian wine may not be as well-known abroad as its Dalmatian or Istrian counterparts, but its reputation beyond Croatia’s borders is growing, recognised by Gold Medals at the annual Decanter awards, for example.
Ilok © Ivo Biočina
Croatians themselves need little convincing of its quality, however – the classic Slavonian variety of Graševina is the nation’s most popular. Late-harvesting and resistant to disease, Graševina also ages well. The 2013 vintage, for example, is said to be exceptional. Its precise origins are uncertain. It has links to the German Welschriesling, thought to have brought into Central Europe by the Romans. Even after the Romans abandoned the slopes of eastern Slavonia, wine continued to be produced here. The oldest cellar still in continuous use dates back to 1232, and the Cistercian monks of Kutjevo.
Kutjevo © Damir Fabijanić
The location is no coincidence. Here, at the 45th parallel, the same latitude as Istria, Veneto, Piedmont and Bordeaux, wine has long been a way of life. Between Kutjevo and Požega, the communities of Vetovo, Hrnjevac and Vinkomir lie on this same level, the slopes gaining just the right amount of sunshine.
Surrounded by historic castles and churches, not to mention perfect hiking and cycling terrain, Kutjevo is the heart of Slavonia’s wine industry. Almost every major winery lays on samplings, and most form part of the many wine tours on offer. Named by the Romans as Vallis Aurea – Golden Valley – this is where you find some 400 hectares of vineyards, between Kutjevo and Požega. More than ten million litres of wine are produced here every year.
Three wine roads take in 30 cellars – you can also tour the Cistercian Abbey itself, destroyed by the Turks in the 1500s, the monastery later restored by Jesuits from Požega, its wine production revived in the 1880s. The cellars, it was said, were the best-preserved part of the estate after the Ottoman destruction.
Srijem © Damir Fabijanić
Today, the main producers are also happy to meet the public personally, upon appointment, explaining a few tips and techniques. Many cultivate organically and sustainably. One particular aspect peculiar to Kutjevo is its so-called ‘ice wine’: pickers in thick gloves and winter wear go out in snow and sub-zero temperatures to pick prime grapes. Those with a high degree of Oechsle – a measurement of grape-must density and its sugar content – go into this exclusive and expensive dessert wine, which takes two years to produce.
This lucrative practice has been carried out for about two centuries but it’s a risky business and, outside of Kutjevo, only a select few winemakers undertake it. Even in Kutjevo, there are some years when the most experienced of winemaker must accept a bad harvest and hope for better the following winter.
Kneževi wineyards © Ivo Biočina
The grape concerned here is Traminac, the Croatian equivalent of the German Gewürztraminer also cultivated in California. Not all vineyards in Slavonia produce Graševina, far from it. Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Pinot Gris are also widespread, as well as a number of surprisingly good reds, including Pinot Noir, Syrah (aka Shiraz) and Portugieser. Frankovka, Blaufränkisch in the German-speaking world, the Pinot Noir of the East, is another major variety.
Frankovka is also widespread in Baranja, north-east of the Požega region, right up by the modern-day border with Hungary. Its name, in fact, is said to be derived from a bastardisation of the Hungarian ‘Mother of Wine’. Here, around Đakovo, more winemakers are clustered. The other key hub worth exploring is Ilok, thought to be where wine was first produced in these parts, and where cellars date back centuries. The ones below Ilok Castle, for example, stored the 10,000-plus wines sent to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
© Maja Danica Pečanić
As for wine routes, Daruvar west of Kutjevo has its own, with half-a-dozen wineries within a decent stroll of each other, including one whose cellars are set in a mansion built by the noble Janković family. Closer to Zagreb and perhaps ideal for a day trip, the villages on the wine trail of Bilogora, Maglenča, Puričani and Veliko Trojstvo, to name but three, offer a more rustic experience. Nearly all winemakers, though, now provide samplings, some typical regional food, others comfortable lodging.
Slavonia not only produces wine but the oak in which it is stored. The finest winemakers in Italy, responsible for the Barolos and Barbarescos from the Nebbiolo grape, entrust their valuable wares to Slavonian oak – Piedmont, after all, lies on the 45th parallel.