SLOVENIA:
Emerging from decades of communist atrophy
followed by the horrors of the late 20th century Bosnian wars, Slovenia is now home
to some of the most exciting wines in Central Europe. Following the deadening
effect of State-owned co-operatives, much of Slovenia’s wine production has
returned to small, family-owned operations where individualism and
experimentation have taken center stage. Long recognized for its oak trees,
which make some of the world’s finest wine barrels, Slovenia is increasingly
being recognized for its wines.
CROATIA:
I hitch-hiked down the Dalmatian Coast through
Croatia during the 1960’s when it was still part of communist Yugoslavia and
fell in love with its wines. On the dramatic and beautiful Adriatic coast,
facing Italy, Croatia has been producing wines since even before the Romans
arrived. I was a young man in the 60’s but I still vividly recall the heady
taste of freshly-grilled goat-meat washed down with generous glasses of the
local Crljenak Kaštelanski (Zinfandel ) sitting on a moonlight beach beside the
wine-dark-sea.
Croatian emigres in the 20th century were very influential in
the development of the Californian, Australian and New Zealand wine industries
and now, following the end of the Bosnian conflict, they are returning home and
promise to make Croatian wine a major player once again on the world stage.
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