On February 12th, the Burlington County Bar Foundation held a virtual wine tasting.  This was not the first wine tasting that I’ve attended virtually since the pandemic started, but it was the best so far (IMHO). 

You may remember that last November, I had the pleasure of being 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.

Indira told me that she was doing a virtual wine tasting for Pfizer, to celebrate their release of the vaccine first.  She showed me four airplane-sized bottles that they would be tasting.  I immediately thought that we could do one for the Bar Foundation, and we began planning it.

Along with a history and geography lesson, we tasted four wines:  one white, and three red. 

The first wine (white) was the 2016 Stone Cuvee, a blend of 90% Žilavka (Zhe-LUV-kah) and 10% Bena (Ben-na). The suggested food pairings were: goat cheese, bruschetta, sausage, chicken, shellfish.  I paired it with some goat cheese brie. Coming in at 13% ABV, this is a full-bodied white wine, with flavors of white flowers, citrus, some almond/marzipan on the nose, and green apples and lemon on the palate.  The acidity was nice and bright, cutting through the creamy fat of the cheese. I would compare this wine to a White Rhône or White Rioja.

The second wine (red) was a 2015 Blatina (Blah-TEE-nah), an grape indigenous to the Hercegovina region. The suggested food pairings were: pizza, prosciutto and figs, parmesan cheese, anything eggplant.  I paired it with prosciutto. The wine was my favorite of the night.At 13% ABV, it’s a lighter-bodied red, with a lovely feminine quality to it. It’s a beautiful ruby color, with blueberries, plum, and vanilla on the nose; dark plum, blueberry, blackberry on the palate; and a little chocolate on the finish, with soft tannins. Blatina is a rare grape that only produces female flowers which only bloom for three days. In order for pollination to occur, it is required to be planted in the same vineyard with Merlot, Alicante Bouchet, or Trnjak. Not every year has a Blatina harvest, due to the three-day window.  I would compare Blatina to a Pinot Noir, Gamay, or Blaufrankisch.

The third wine (red) was a 2015 Plavac Mali (Plah-vatz Mah-lee), the primary grape grown along the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia. The suggested food pairings were: steak, rich cheeses such as Manchego or Sharp Cheddar, or sausage/chorizo. I paired it with Monchego, but thought it would be a great pizza wine. At 14% ABV, the wine is medium-bodied with aromas of pomegranate, red currants that continued on the palate, joined by cranberry and a little chocolate on the finish. The tannins were a slightly rougher, giving the wine a slightly rustic quality. I would compare this wine to a Merlot or Grenache

The fourth wine (red) was a 2015 Vranac (Vrah-natz), a grape common to Croatia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Macedonia. The suggested food pairings were: rich cheese, sausage/chorizo, warm chocolate bread pudding. On the nose, aromas of red currant, cranberry, and figs were joined by flavors of fresh red fruit on the palate, with a nice, spicy finish. I paired it with a square of 85% dark chocolate, and the spicy finish really accentuated the chocolate beautifully. At 13% ABV, this was really well-balanced, with smooth tannins.  I would compare this to a Zinfandel or Primitivo.

Wines of Illyria are available locally at Wineworks, Cork n’Bottle, Liquor Loft, in PA Wine and Spirits stores, and online at https://winesofillyria.com/  Živjeli!