This relates primarily to the accessibility of certain wines. As we have already said (and as the Slovene example demonstrates), quantity is not the main precondition for good export results in the sphere of premium wines. However, notwithstanding a desirable penetration into Western markets, where wine could play a great role in promoting Croatian tourism, the Croatian wine industry does base itself on domestic consumption, which increases significantly during the tourist season. We cannot stress strongly enough that Croatian wines must be a part of Croatia’s image as an increasingly popular tourist destination, and that they must become an integral element of the Croatian tourist product. In order to achieve this, the main Croatian wine brands must be relatively widely available which, however, must not reflect negatively on already achieved standards of quality.

The leading Croatian wine makers, particularly those from distinctly tourist-oriented areas such as Istria and Dalmatia, are facing a complex task: not to give in to the challenge of hyper-production, which necessarily results in a reduction in quality, while at the same time ensuring that there is no shortage of their main wines.

This is particularly pertinent during the tourist season and which was known to happen in 2004, in even some of the most popular Istrian and Dalmatian tourist centres. Besides ensuring sufficient quantities, which in future can be ensured only through the planting of new vineyards, the second most crucial issue is the introduction of quality standards. With the exception of several Istrian Malvoisies and Plenkovic’s Zlatan plavac, Croatia does not have reliable brands in its tourist areas which, if rectified, would achieve at least a similar quality every year and which would ensure that such wines would be widely available.

Quality standardization is a precondition for recognizance and long-term market success of Croatian wines, especially those of medium level, which are mostly served in restaurants.

And thirdly, Croatian wine makers, with the exception of those from Istria, are not as yet investing enough in the promotion and marketing of their wines. So far, the Croatian wine industry cannot claim to have implemented systematic marketing methods, or to have achieved individual marketing successes which could be used as a general model of promotion. It is to be hoped that this brief wine guide will constitute a contribution towards a positive breakthrough that will serve to change the current situation.

For several years now, the trend on the world markets has been a growing demand for indigenous varieties, particularly with regard to the smaller wine producing countries. Responsibility for a continual rise in quality rests primarily with the producers themselves. Just as the Istrian wine makers have set certain quality standards for Malvoisie through the annual fair Vinistra, so should Dalmatian producers set up a competition for Plavac, or an association which would continuously monitor the quality of individual Plavac wines and which would categorize wines not only based on their geographic origin but also on the basis of regular annual wine tasting.

This system has been implemented in Austria over the past 15 years and in that very same period the country has experienced a veritable wine renaissance.

Furthermore, procedures for the production of individual wines should be clearly defined. Andro Tomic, author of the exquisite Hectorovich Prošek, has proposed that production methods for several types of Prošek, one of the more important Croatian wines, and the qualitative differences between them, be defined by law. In addition to constant insistence for higher criteria and continual tasting, control and assessment of wines, the second main direction of development for the Croatian wine industry must be urgent privatization of the remaining large estates owned by wine producers. There is no denying fact that the best Croatian wines are produced by private winemakers.

In 2004 Kutjevacki podrumi, a large and important company, has been privatized, but there are thousands of hectares of excellent vineyards in Slavonia which are still state-owned, and they could be providing grapes for some of the best wines in this part of Europe. Finally, one of the essential directions in which the Croatian wine industry must develop is closer cooperation with restaurateurs: gastronomy and wine production are businesses that naturally go together. Considerably more must be done to ensure that restaurant owners know which Croatian wine to offer with a particular style of cuisine, and what it is that makes those very wines specific. Restaurants and hotels should, just as they are in Champagne or Tuscany, become permanent exhibition-comeinformation points for the Croatian wine industry. Added to all this is the necessity to plant new vineyards before Croatia becomes a member of the European Union, whereupon the expansion of vineyards will be legally limited.

Today, Krauthaker obtains his grapes from over 50 hectares of vineyards around Kutjevo and is producing between 280,000 and 350,000 bottles per year. Some of the white wines are fermenting and aging in barriques while the reds are first fermented in large barrels built from Slavonian oak (which Krauthaker refers to as "badanj") and which, after fermentation, are stored for up to a year in small, oak kegs. Krauthaker’s best locations are Rosenborg and Mitrovac, which is where he also grows the Chardonnay variety which, a few years ago, won him a silver medal at the World Championship of Chardonnays in France and which really is one of the best Croatian white wines produced lately.

In addition to the brilliant Chardonnays bearing the names of those two vineyards (four stars) Krauthaker’s standard Chardonnay marked as unfiltered (three stars) also deserves complimenting, while his Sauvingon, also unfiltered and with a strong barrique aroma (three to four stars) requires no small amount of understanding and patience; it is an unusual, original wine produced without any compromises, which has achieved a certain degree of success on the market. Standard Grasevina continues to be a permanent fixture on the wine lists of the majority of Croatian restaurants, while the semi-dry Zelen (made from a very rare but by no means indigenous variety) is a characteristic example of Krauthaker’s innovativeness. Merlot Rosé (three stars) is probably the most reliable dry Croatian rosé, andGrasevinas from selection harvests (four stars) are at the very peak of dessert wines on offer.

Besides not filtering his best wines Vlado Krauthaker was among the first to begin picking green grapes, which should further enhance the structure, aromas and taste of Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs, and most certainly enrich the standard Grasevina. He has also planted a whole string of varieties which have so far not been commercially cultivated in Croatia, including Syrah and Viogner. It is to be hoped that Krauthaker will soon achieve at least similar success with his red wines as he managed to do with his main white wines.

KRAUTHAKER

Enjingi won the category of white blended wines (a blend of several varieties) costing less than £10 He won the championship title with his truly glorious 1998 wine Venje (four stars), of which some 20,000 bottles were produced. Venje is a blend of barrique-nurtured Riesling, Traminac, Pinot Gris, Grasevina and Sauvignon, and it fascinate with its fullness, elegance, oily structure and maturing capacity. Soon we are to see Venje 2002 (four stars) on the market, and Enjingi considers it to be even better than the champion version. Needless to say, Venje is produced only in the best years. Apart from Venje, Decanter also rewarded, although with lower category awards, two other Enjingi wines: late harvest 2002 Grasevina (three stars) and Pinot Gris (three stars).

The story of Ivan Enjingi is paradigmatic for the development of the Croatian private wine industry. When he appeared on the market towards the end of the 1980s Enjingi gave us a hint of his ability to take advantage of superb wine growing areas of Slavonia. Some of his first bottles were simply excellent, although many ended up being merely mediocre. But having established relatively large scale production Enjingi managed to accrue a certain amount of funds which he invested in improvements of both the vineyards and his wine production.

Today, Ivan Enjingi produces a relatively wide range of wines, outstanding among which is an unusual Traminac with a very high alcohol content, vinified in the Alsace style (three stars), and Zweigelt from barrique (three stars), one of the rare red continental wines of Croatia to deserve attention. Enjingi owns 47 hectares of vineyards, which is an exceptionally large area for a private producer in Croatia. His vineyards include some of the best locations in the Valis Aurea [Golden Valley] around Kutjevo, such as Hrnjevac, Mitrovac and Venje, after which Decanter’s world champion was named.