The best food and drink festivals in Croatia this autumn and winter

A traditional festival of chestnuts, harvested at this time of year from all around this region. This family-friendly event manages to attract a remarkable 40, 000 people nover its duration with people of all ages tucking into roasted chestnuts. There's a tourist train ride, trips down the river and trails through the trees, a music programme and an exhibition too.

Marunada is the biggest annual gastronomic event in the town of Lovran, offering assorted dishes and pastries made from the town's famous maruni sweet chestnuts, a product of the town's distinct climate. Roasted chestnuts, a type of mead (domestic brandy made from honey) and young wine are consumed and the town's cafes,patisseries, restaurants and street food vendors all offer specialized menus that observe the festival. The festival is accompanied by a series of sports and entertainment events, which visitors may participate in. Traditionally held during Marunada are: bocce invitational tournament, the "Giro di Marunada" bicycle tournament, a mountaineering excursion, training regatta, old-timer cars meeting and fishing competition. The entertainment programme includes performances by regional stars Opća Opasnost on Friday 12 October, Magazin on Saturday 13 October and Šajeta on Sunday 14 October.

Velika Gorica is so close to Zagreb (it's right next to the airport) that it's easy for visitors to assume that it's merely a suburb of the city. It's not. Gorica is a city all of it's own and in fact exists within a different region to Zagreb. That micro region is called Turopolje and this traditional, week long event explores the cuisine of that region. Gastro Turopolja offers the chance to try the specialties of the region's restaurants and producers of food and drinks. There is a dedicated week of special menus throughout the region's restaurants and on the final day, Sunday October 14, the festival reaches its climax with the Sunday Turopolje Lunch, when visitors will have the opportunity to see and taste the variety of dishes of Velika Gorica caterers at an outdoor event with a great atmosphere and a lively entertainment and music programme attached. Attractions will include an apples exhibition, a honey festival, a competition in the preparation of Turopolje kotlovina (a meat stewed on a wide tin plate) and hunter's stew.

This large, three day festival of the pumpkin comes at just the right time of year, not just because it's the harvest time for these sometimes gargantuan vegetables, but also because it's Halloween season. There's an all day programme of events here catering for young and old, with cookery presentations and activities for children. There is usually a music programme attached to, with concerts going on late into the evening.

An exhibition of old varieties of apples and other fruits and the products made from them. Family farms, wine shops and others will present their produce with a gastro program and lecture program attached. Lectures will cover subjects such as the preservation of old apple varieties and general lectures about fruit produce. Family farms from the area of Desinić and the wider region will be represented and visitors will be able to sample food and drinks from local restaurants, including the traditional jabučjak

The Sole is a high quality white fish which is known locally as the švoj and is highly prized in this particular region. So much so, that each autumn the Istrian cities of Umag, Novigrad, Buje and Brtonigla host a month long celebration of the fish, with this year, as many as nine recognized restaurants and taverns offering specialised menus with Sole at the heart of some dishes. Sole Days has become one of the highlights of autumn in northwestern Istria, with many visitors returning to try three coarse Sole based menus, perfectly partnered with Istrian wine and olive oil.

Popular and relaxed wine festival with with a substantial selection of wineries and wines represented, held in the much liked Lauba venue. Get the opportunity to talk to the actual winemakers and walk in an unhurried manner around the stalls. The event also has a pop-up wine shop where you can purchase the wines you like.