Following the many gastronomic delights on the Croatian calendar of events in October – including pumpkins, truffles and chestnuts – it is the turn of drink for November. More specifically, wine. Why is wine celebrated in November? Well, that centres around Martinje – also known as St Martin’s Day – which is marked on the 11th November each year. Saint Martin is referred to as the patron saint of vintners and wine and this particular day is when wine is blessed and thanks are given for a good harvest. More importantly, it is also the day that young wine is considered suitable for drinking.
There are normally Martinje celebrations all over Croatia close to St Martin’s Day which – unsurprisingly – involve sampling local wines. Here I’ll take a look at some of the most exciting events.
Martinje in Istria
In Pula, Giardini Park will be the setting for Martinje celebrations that start today, 7th November, to 9th November. Each evening, eight local winemakers will be showcasing their young wines. The drinks will be paired by Istrian specialities, whilst DJs will be making sure the celebrations have a party feel each night.
Momjan near Buje in Northern Istria is the location of one of best Martinje festivities in Istria. This region produces many a wine wine, sweet muscatel in particular. This year, there will be Martinje events held on Monday 11th, Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th November, including the traditional blessing of the wine, muscatel tastings, sports events and live music.
In Sveti Ivan Zelina, northeast of Zagreb, celebrations will be held on Friday 8th November on central Ante Starcevic Square. With attendees asked to gather from 6pm, there will be the traditional blessing of the young wine, as well as tasty food and music from tambura band Fini decki. Sveti Ivan Zelina Museum will additionally have a special exhibition on “Martinje and Martinje Customs”.
This same event will be held in Jastrebasko on Saturday 9th November.
Part of several food and drink events – called “Food and Wine Stories” – being held in Dalmatia’s largest city this month, a number of restaurants will be offering a special menu (at a promotional price) from 8th to 11th November that includes young wine. For example, Sip 27 Tapas and Wine Bar will be offering a four-course menu for €40 that includes as much young wine as you can drink!
Eastern Croatia isn’t always considered a region to sample and enjoy Croatian wine which is an error – it is home to many a fine winery! The town of Kutjevo will be holding an Open Wine Cellars Day on Saturday 9th November with eight esteemed local wineries opening their doors to wine lovers for tastings. It’s a must!
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We were recently contacted by a very friendly chap called Ed who, we are very happy to hear, runs a half-Croatian bar called Amedea in Whitstable, Kent – only about an hour from London. Intrigued, we had to learn more about the bar (named after his grandmother!), how Ed came to set it up, and about his family and travel experiences in Croatia.
1) What is your background, and whereabouts in Croatia are your family from?
Hello! My name’s Ed, I’m half Croatian and Amedea is a bar named after my grandma/Nona. Amedea and my mum’s side of the family (the Croatian side) mainly live around Kanfanar which is close to Rovinj in Istria.
Ed at Amedea
Ed, his Nona Amedea, and his partner Abbie
2) How have you come to run a Croatian bar, and such a bar in Whitstable? Do you have any previous experience in hospitality?
I do not know is the short answer! Amedea has been a dream that I’ve been far too optimistically chipping away at for about 6 years that has somehow happened. Whether it was forcing myself to put in a very amateur planning application, Googling ‘how to do a flood risk assessment’ while having a barbecue, or editing my proposed floorplans on Microsoft Paint before work, this whole journey has very much been ‘I really, really don’t know how to do this, but I’m going to have to, and just hope that no one complains… Or even better, it might work!’ I’ve grown up in Whitstable and it’s a lovely place. The residents are all interesting people who always seem up for giving a unique new business a try.
I had no real bar experience before this and it’s also my first business (so yes my mama was worried!), I just know the Croatian way to host people from my experiences with family over there, and eating/drinking out. I’ve lost count of the amount of times Amedea herself, my aunties or my cousins have shouted ‘EDVUD! JESTI!!!’ at me – even if I’ve just eaten an enormous 3-course meal! I must admit, I used to find this quite scary when I was younger.
To say Croatian people always put their guests first doesn’t do them justice, their hospitality is incredible. Hopefully, when customers visit Amedea Bar, we can help share that experience, and transport them to Istria too! My mamina Suzi and my sister Saskia work here too, which is important with any independent Croatian business – family. My dad… Well, let’s just say he’s one of our best customers. I really want to say thank you to the other staff that work here too. Although not Croatian (British, French and German actually) they carry the place flawlessly and always make me look good. Front of house smiles go a long way!
The exterior of Amedea
The Croatian flag flies proudly at Amedea
3) Have you spent time in Croatia? What’s your favourite spot in the country? (If you can narrow it down to just one!)
I’d always visit Amedea and other family in Istria at least once a year…until Coronavirus. In 2016 I spent a month travelling down the coast visiting different places, which I would love to do again! My favourite (other than Istria of course) would have to be Makarska. Seeing those cliffs really took my head a while to compute, I’ve never seen anything like those before… And then directly below them, a cute little church on a town square. That place is so unreal and beautiful, and I haven’t even mentioned the sea yet!
4) What kind of Croatian products/specialities does Amedea offer?
Well, I think most importantly, we of course sell Smoki peanut puffs! Other than that, we’ve got Graševina, Plavac, Postup, Babić and always Malvazija on the wine list. We’ve got loads of spirits including Medica and Šlivovica, but beers have been a bit harder. So far I’ve managed to get Ožujsko and San Servolo in cans and bottles, but I’m still battling to get a Croatian beer on draught… It’s harder than it sounds! And last but not least, we sell Paški sir (sheep’s cheese) and pršut (cured meat) on our food boards – which go down really well with visitors whether they’re familiar with them or not.
A great selection of Croatian spirits!
5) (I know you’ve unfortunately been subjected to lockdowns in the past year…) but do you have many Croats in England as guests? How do non-Croats enjoy the Croatian products?
Surprisingly, yes. My mum has lived in the UK for 30 years and has never seen so many Croats here until I opened the bar, they’ve really come out of the woodwork! I’m pleased to say that when Croats do visit Amedea, they tell me their experience was genuine, which really means a lot.
It seems our non-Croat customers have been really enjoying the experience too, and some of our reviews have brought a tear to my eye! The people that come to Amedea pretty much all seem to be genuine, interesting, and most of all, nice, which is something money just could not buy. It really helps that Croatia has become such a well known holiday spot over the last few years too because it means more customers can relate. Only this month, I sold a Whitstable resident some Croatian goodies so she could recreate her holiday in Hvar for her husband on Valentine’s day!
The wine list at Amedea, next to the Kanfanar coat of arms
More drinks at Amedea – and a painting by Nona Amedea
6) How have you/your bar found lockdown?
Well, it’s obviously been very tough, but a combination of a good landlord and the government grants has meant we’ve kept our heads above water. It also helps that Amedea is still a fairly new business, as it means I’m very used to living on a shoestring budget anyway!
The good news is, summer’s now in sight along with the end of lockdown. Being at Amedea this summer is going to be great and I’m really excited, especially now that the hard part’s out the way and we can fly the Croatian flag proudly again. Although something I’m certainly not looking forward to… Croatia vs. England in the Euros. ‘It must be win/win for you Ed!’ – No, it’s actually a horrible game to watch and for some reason, they always seem to play each other! My family and I just don’t like either side to lose TOO much.
But for the record…
I always support Croatia!
Thank you so much to Ed for answering our questions. We certainly can’t wait to visit Amedea!
Be sure to check out Amedea online for now at www.facebook.com/AmedeaBar and in-person once lockdown restrictions in England are over! We are sure Ed will give all of his guests a wonderful welcome!
https://www.visit-croatia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ed-thomas-croatian-bar-amedea-scaled.jpeg25601920annazhttps://www.visit-croatia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/visit-croatia-logo5.jpgannaz2021-02-26 14:32:142021-02-27 10:24:38The half-Croatian bar an hour from London
We’re sure you’ve enjoyed a glass or two of outstanding Croatian wine while on holiday in the country. Thanks to new company Wines by Aizia, it’s now possible to enjoy Croatian wine in the UK too!
Croatia – A long history of wine
Although there are many fine wines that are produced in almost every region of the country, what many perhaps don’t know is that Croatia has a long history with wine. The plains of Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, for example, are a listed UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the oldest continuously cultivated vinicultural site in the world dating back to the 4th century BC.
And how’s this for a fascinating bit of Croatian wine trivia? For the coronation of Her Majesty The Queen in 1953, Buckingham Palace ordered 11,000 bottles of Traminac wine from Ilok Old Cellars. This 1947 vintage white wine, specially chosen for its intense perfume, full body and intense flavours of rose, orange blossom and tropical fruits can still be purchased today.
Croatian wine in the UK with Wines by Aizia
Wines by Aizia are proud to bring some of Croatia’s outstanding, award winning wines to the UK market. The company works closely with selected wineries and small local producers to offer a premium selection of the best Croatian wines at competitive prices. Their small producers produce award winning wines in limited quantities. The specials that they have are exciting and fresh, sometimes unusual and only available to Wines by Aizia’s members while stocks last.
Later this year Wines by Aizia will also be offering wine tasting tours to Croatia, visiting a selection of carefully chosen vineyards. Guests will be shown around the vineyard’s cellar and the estate by the winemaker and English speaking guides and enjoy a tasking session of the best local food and wine.
Mikki Hall, the MD of Wines by Aizia, said:
“I am excited to be bringing Croatia’s excellent wines to the UK giving consumers the opportunity to discover the great variety and quality available. Our autumn collection showcases producers from Eastern Croatia, Feravino, Vina Papak and Wineries Erdut.”
The Vina Papak Traminac Radosh (left) and the Vina Papak Graševina Radosh (right)
Vina Papak is a family owned winery run by husband and wife team, Mladen and Snjezana Papak. Malden was director of the famous Old Ilok Cellars and in 2014 took a brave step to pursue his passion and started their own vineyard and wine production, creating the most eco-friendly vineyard in Ilok and perhaps all of Croatia.
Wines by Aizia are very pleased to announce that in a recent wine tasting by esteemed wine critic Jancis Robinson OBE, their Feravino Dika Grasevina scored 16 out of possible 20 points.
Mikki’s passion for Croatian wine is as a result of hailing from Croatia herself. Although she moved to the UK when she was 19, she and her husband David (co-owner of Wines by Aizia) have explored the vineyards and wine cellars of Croatia for years. Their aim is to improve the availability of ease of purchase of fine Croatian wine in the UK.
More information
For more details on Wines by Aizia and full information on how to purchase some of their very fine wines, please see aiziawines.com.
https://www.visit-croatia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/wines-by-aizia.png112202annazhttps://www.visit-croatia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/visit-croatia-logo5.jpgannaz2017-10-04 21:25:412018-10-15 14:35:54Discover Croatian wine in the UK with Wines by Aizia
