The excellent collaboration between the Vinistra Association and the most widely read wine media resulted in the first exclusive Decanter event in Croatia.

The prestigious Decanter 2024 Winners Showcase by Vinistra gathered around 200 guests, wine professionals, and journalists from across Europe last night at the luxurious Golf Adriatic Clubhouse - Kempinski Hotel Adriatic in Savudrija. 

At the first Decanter event in Croatia, organized by Vinistra, the association of Istrian winegrowers and winemakers, attendees enjoyed wines from around 40 Croatian winemakers who recently won a total of 364 medals at the Decanter Wine World Awards (DWWA) in London.

Celebrating the pure romance of Croatian wines.

The medals were presented to the Croatian winemakers by the great friend of Istrian wines, Briton Caroline Gilby, Master of Wine and regional chair of DWWA for the Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe, Croatia, and Slovenia. The morning before the event, she also led an inspiring masterclass, "Meet Istria," where international journalists and guests experienced our most attractive wine region through 13 selected Malvasias and Terans.

"Today, in a glass of Malvasia and Teran, you can see all the beauties of the Istrian peninsula, as well as the character of Istrian winemakers. It's wonderful to see the enormous progress that Istrian winemakers have made in the last ten years, as evidenced by the medals from the evaluations, with Decanter's judging criteria being very strict. The focus is solely on quality, and the entire viticultural year is evaluated in a glass," Gilby emphasized at the beginning of the award ceremony for Croatian winemakers.

Her colleague, Chinese Sylvia Wu, Decanter China's representative and regional editor for Asia, Northern, and Eastern Europe, expressed her great honor to be at the Decanter event organized by Vinistra and celebrate the pure romance of Croatian wines.

"In collaboration with Vinistra, we have discovered excellent wines not only in Istria but throughout Croatia, and since last year, Croatia has been featured on Decanter's wine map," Wu stated.

"The arrival of Decanter in Croatia and the world's most influential wine evaluation is a significant step in the growth of Croatian enology and domestic tourism as a whole. This event can be considered a confirmation that our country is continuously working on the quality development of wine production, thereby elevating eno-gastronomy as one of the sought-after tourist products that often represent an important motive for guests to choose a destination," said Kristjan Staničić, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, adding that special events like this greatly contribute to the development of year-round tourism.

Tour of 15 vineyard locations by helicopter 

Vinistra Association President Luka Rossi was extremely proud last night, highlighting that after last year's hosting of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, this is another significant event for promoting Istria and Croatian wines.

"Our association has organized visits to Istrian wineries and the latest offering in Istria, a tour of 15 top vineyard locations by helicopter, for foreign guests and media. I am confident that our guests will like everything they see and will return to us. I take this opportunity to congratulate all the awarded Croatian winemakers once again," Rossi said.

Tugomir Majdak, State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, congratulated Croatian winemakers, this year's Decanter medal winners, on behalf of himself, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and Agriculture Minister Josip Dabre. Ezio Pinzan, head of the Department for Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting, Fisheries, and Hunting Economy of the Istrian County, also joined the congratulations.

"After the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, having Decanter in Istria in such a short time is a great recognition for all winemakers and the Vinistra association, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year," Pinzan said.