…Wine from Croatia at House Red, that is! Last Monday, I wrote about the surprising and delicious wine from Lebanon I enjoyed from Massaya Winery at House Red, a self described vinoteca in Forest Park, Illinois. But the 2010 Massaya Blanc was not the only wine I swirled, sipped, and savored. Neb Mrvalijevic, the owner, was kind enough to present to me a flight of two whites and one red from Croatia…(and I tasted another wine from my friend’s flight!), but let me backtrack just a bit.
My article written in November 2011, My (way too) Short Journey to Croatia, was about a Croatian wine tasting I attended at Chicago’s Lockwood Restaurant. Several wines were poured and it took me some time to wrap my head around the aromas and tastes. I promised myself that I would learn more about the culture and its people (which I have thanks to research much of it by the way of Cliff Rames’ blog, Wines of Croatia) and give their wine another chance…which I did.
I was fortunate to try four wines at House Red..(and sorry about the sketchy tasting notes – I was having too much fun to write down everything – but I think you’ll get the picture)! And so, my journey to Croatia continues!!
***2008 Ilocki Podrumi Cellars Traminer – The Traminer grape is a sweeter variety, somewhat like Gewurtztraminer and the Ilocki Podrumi winery has cellars dating back to the 15th century. In 1953, Ilocki Podrumi suppied 11,000 bottles of Traminer for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and in 2009 the Decanter Wine Awards honored its Traminer with a gold medal. The wine I tasted was a deep wheat like color which had a sweet, peachy taste. If you like a semi-sweet wine and want to try something a bit different, this may be the wine for you!
***2009 Saints Hill Nevina – This wine is a blend of Chardonnay and Malvasia Istriana grapes and has 14% alcohol. With a golden straw color, there were vanilla and floral scents with some spice and grass on the nose. On the palate, the wine was dry with some minerality and I tasted spices of ginger and nutmeg, a touch of oak, and some tropical fruit. There were some grassy and spicy notes, too, most likely from the Malvasia grape. The satisfying finish prompted me to purchase a bottle and take to my own house! Check out the Facebook page for Saints Hill – included are some beautiful pictures!
***2008 Korta Katarina Posip – The Posip grape is a light skinned white wine variety grown almost exclusively on the Dalmation Coast. The Korta Katarina estate is a Southern Croatian winery and apparently the winery, villa, and vineyards are situated on the edge of the Adriatic Sea with drop dead gorgeous views of the Coast. This wine was gold and green in color, very aromatic on the nose, and showed high acid and plenty of citrus on the palate – an easy drinking wine! And I wouldn’t mind going to the winery some day, too~
***2008 Korta Katarina Plavac Mali – This wine is just what I was looking for in order to “sort out my palate” from the November wine tasting in Chicago! It was full bodied with ripe flavors of herbs, spices, and dark fruit and with some earth notes as well. Just delicious…if you would like to try a Zinfandel-like wine with old world flavor, this should be one of your choices!
During the wine tasting, the group I was with enjoyed the sounds of the folk band, “Rough Around the Edges“, featuring none other than a former co-worker! Yet, our fantastic evening was anything but “rough around the edges” – the company, the venue, and the wines were pretty smooth and I’ll be back to House Red to continue my (wine) journey to Croatia!
Neb Mrvaljevic, Cindy, Fred Louderman of Rough Around the Edges Band
Zivijele! ~ Cindy
