Very often overlooked by tourists making a beeline for the coast, Zagreb is a fascinating destination on its own, combining the best of Eastern and Western Europe. As the political, economic and cultural capital of Croatia, the city throbs with energy but has retained a good deal of old-world graciousness. The sober Austro-Hungarian buildings in the town centre house elegant restaurants and fashionable boutiques along with scruffy pubs and rowdy beer halls.
When many people think of Croatia they do not think of wine tourism. Think again!
Croatia is lucky to have inherited numerous indigenous varieties from its rich centuries-old wine tradition. Even today, when fashion dictates absolutely everything, even the type of grapes grown in vineyards, Croatia’s own wine varieties have managed to preserve their primacy in the total assortment in the country. Today Croatia has approximately 60 grape varieties in commercial production, with as many as 200 varieties which can still be found in vineyards. However, in such a numerous population, three varieties stand out as the most important ones, Graševina (gra-she-vi-na) in Continental Croatia, Malvazija Istriana (mal-va-zia) on the Istrian Peninsula and Plavac Mali (pla-vatz ma-li) in Dalmatia. Together, the three varieties, each the leading representative of its region, occupy as much as 47% of the total area.
The Croatia conference promises to be every bit as exciting and surprising as the previous conferences. We have a number of novel attractions to entice you and plan to provide you with a Croatian flavour and a memorable experience. Pre-Conference Events will take place on Thursday 14th March, followed by the conference and exhibition from Friday to Saturday. Post – conference tours will be available on Sunday 17 and Monday 18 March.
The conference will bring together wine and travel lovers and professionals from around the world to discuss, reflect on and develop their ideas re wine and culinary tourism. The conference programme will offer many opportunities for professional contact and development. It involves a two-day programme of over 30 talks, presentations, panel discussions and workshops It also gives delegates a chance to taste wines from around the world and to meet leading wine and travel figures and writers and exchange ideas with fellow professionals from all sectors of wine and culinary travel.
We look forward to welcoming you to Croatia!
