On November 15th, I was delighted to be invited to an American Wine Society National Tasting at Capital Grill in Cherry HIll (outside, under a tent, socially-distanced seating).  I was invited by Indira Bayer, who imports wines from Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina through her wine company, Wines of Illyria. 

Indira was working for the US Embassy in Sarajevo five years ago, and was distressed to see such high unemployment in her country.  She decided to try to open the US Market for wines from this Balkan region to create some jobs. At the time, most of her country’s wines were being exported to Austria, Hungary, and Russia, but not to America. Wines have been produced in this sunny, limestone-rich area along the Eastern Coast of the Adriatic Sea for thousands of years. We tasted 30 wines, mostly native grapes that I had never tasted before.

We started with eight white wines, made of Žilavka, Posip, or Tmnjanika grapes. The whites are very aromatic, this being a warm weather area. Now, here it where I have to disappoint you:  because these wines are going to be used as a tasting project for the American Wine Society’s National Wine Project in 2021, I cannot print which my favorites were. But I can tell you which my favorite varietals were, and where you can buy these wines.

My favorite out of the Whites was a 2018 Posip from Bosnia & Herzegovina. The wine had some petrol notes on the nose, with green apple and citrus. The green apple and lemon continued on the palate. The acidity was nice and bright, which, as you know from reading my prior articles, means the wine will pair well with food. I also enjoyed a 2019 Tamnjanika (apricot, lemon, white flowers on the nose, citrus and apples on the palate) and a 2019 Žilavka  (green apple and honeysuckle on the nose, lower acidity then the Posip, but still nicely bright).

We tried four Rosés, two made from Blatina and two made of Plavac Mali. I preferred the two made of Blatina, a grape grown in the Herzegovina region of Bosnia and Herzegovina.* Interestingly, Blatina only produces female flowers, so it is grown with other varieties, either Alicante Bouschet, Merlot, or Trenjak, which bloom at the same time as Blatina, in order to pollinate the vines. The Blatina Rosés had aromas of cherries and strawberries, which continued on the palate, joined by a white pepper finish, with lively acidity. The Plavac Mali Rosésfrom Croatia were a pretty salmon color, but I did not find they had much aroma or finish.

We next tried eighteen Reds (yes, my palate got tired), made of Vranac, Blatina, Trnjak, Tribidrag, Plavac Mali, and some blends.  Wines from Blatina remained my favorite among the Reds, as the wines have a more feminine style, reminding me of European Pinot Noirs.  Aromas of cherries continue on the palate, joined by white pepper and sometimes mentho on the finish, with nice acidity, making it a great food wine.

My second favorite Red wines were made from Vranac.  You may be familiar with Vranac, because I’ve served Tikveš Vranac at the Bar Foundation Wine Tasting in the past.  It reminds me of a rustic Cabernet Sauvignon, with green pepper, dark red fruit, and firm tannins.  Vranac is grown in Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia. 

I preferred Plavac Mali as a Red rather than as a Rosé, but they were still a little overly tannic for my taste.  

The two blends we had were also delightful, made of Vranac, Blatina, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Alicante Bouschet. 

Wines of Illyria are available locally at Maro Brothers, Martin’s Liquors, Cork n’Bottle, in PA Wine and Spirits stores, and online at Wines of Illyria. Many are priced in the $15-25 range. The Bar Foundation is hoping to bring you a tasting event of these wines in the future, so stay tuned!

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*Interestingly, Blatina only produces female flowers, so it is grown with other varieties, either Alicante Bouschet, Merlot, or Trenjak, which bloom at the same time as Blatina, in order to pollinate the vines. Some years, the vines don’t get pollinated, and, there is no Blatina harvested.