Kraljevina, Croatia's autochthonous grape variety, is increasingly in demand. In the past, its grapes were used to produce white sour wine that was drunk as gemišt, and today, monovarietal wines and even sparkling wines are produced from the kingdom.
Winegrowers from Sveti Ivan Zelina and its surroundings, known for producing Kraljevina, claim that the current demand for royal vines exceeds the supply. They believe this year's grape harvest will give the kingdom a new excellent wine.
"Vinegrowers and winemakers, especially in the Zelina region, have become aware that this autochthonous variety is a jewel that should be preserved and devoted to. We should base most of our production on that variety by which we are recognizable, and thanks to which we can offer customers and tourists, of whom there are more and more in continental Croatia, something that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Thanks to our clonal selection in collaboration with the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Zagreb and the yield reduction that we applied to our vineyards, we can say that Kraljevina has gained added value. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer vines every year. It is not possible to produce as many grafts as the producers would like to plant," said Ivana Puhelek from the Puhelek Purek winery in Gornji Psarjevo near Sveti Ivan Zelina, whose vineyards are dominated by Kraljevina.
The most responsible for this is her father, who did not want to say goodbye to Kraljevina in the eighties of the last century when the vineyards of this variety in Prigorje were massively cleared to replace them with world-famous grape varieties.
"It is up to us winemakers to remove the prejudices cultivated against Kraljevina for decades! We also neglected her promotion. Namely, we are close to Zagreb, so it is easier to sell our wines. Now that the world is drinking light wines, it is time to highlight Kraljevina. It fits perfectly into that trend! "Kraljevina is a light, fluffy wine, ideal not only for summer but also for many occasions when we want to enjoy wine slowly," said Mario Jurišić from the winery Kos - Jurišić in Nespeš near Zelina.
In the Zelina region, they like to point out that even Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers of all time, enjoyed his time in Kraljevina, thanks to his friendship with Countess Ana Maria Erdödy.
"Great wines can be made from Kraljevina today! Everything depends on the creator, the winemaker who creates the wine. My goal is to get the most out of both grapes and wine. Creating exciting wine novelties from old grape varieties, including Kraljevina and Štajerska belina, is a special challenge. I hope that, as winemakers, we will set an example for each other and encourage each other to raise the bar when it comes to wines from old varieties", said Franjo Žnidarić from the Žnidarić winery in Hrastina, near Zaprešić. He added that Kraljevina is not reserved for the Zelina region but can thrive throughout Central Hilly Croatia. He explained that its quality cultivation primarily depends on the microlocation and the soil.
In addition to the more than fifty-year-old Kraljevina vineyard, the Žnidarić winery has a new one from 2018. TheKraljevina seeds for that vineyard arrived from Slovenia, and the planting material was from Croatia.
Kraljevina wines will be available to the people of Zagreb and their guests at the 3rd BregFest, the Bregovita Croatian wine festival, which will be held in Zagreb's Lauba on Friday, October 25, 2024.
Photos: Ante Gudelj
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