Episode 76
Bok, prijatelji!
Thank you for joining us for another fun episode of Let’s Learn Croatian!
Today, we will learn some words for the creative people out there.
If you like art, drawing, painting or photography, this will be a great lesson for you!
Lesson - Art
art - umjetnost
drawings - crtanje/crtati
pencil - olovka
scissors - škare
crayon - krejon
paintings - slikanje
photography - fotografija
camera - fotoaparat
shape - oblik/figura
color - boja
line - crta
The Super Slatko Report
About the Grape Vine,
Graševina is a white wine grape variety, known outside of Croatia as Welschriesling. That name in German translates to Romantic Riesling, but with the origins being uncertain, and the Graševina name having more Balkan ties, its hard to pin down where it actually came from. Wikipedia has it coming from the Champaigne region in France, by way of Austria-Hungary, but that is just one theory.
That being said, the Graševina grape variety is extremely well known world wide, with strong ties to Croatia, as it is the most planted Grape Variety in all of Croatia. The vine thrives in cooler soils and continental climates and continues to yield quality wines even when outside challenges are present..
It’s said that its so popular that even though the wine is internationally celebrated and loved, that most of what is produced is actually consumed domestically.
What about this particular grape variety makes it so special?
The grape itself is harvested late, meaning more time on the vine, more time to ripen and become sweeter, leaving an end product with fruity, flowery notes, but still light enough to fall into medium alcohol levels and have a bit of crisp to it. This grape variety is also beloved as its more disease resistant than others and for that its said that every 5th vine you see in Croatia is Graševina. This grape can also be harvested in the winter, when the grapes are frozen, for the very sweet Ice Wine.
An interesting fact about wine that I learned when researching this, is that there is something called the Noble Rot Bortrytis. The Noble Rot is actually desirable, it’s a grey fungus that affects wine grapes during moist conditions when the grapes are ripe. Then when weather changes and drier weather conditions prevail, the grapes raisin slightly known as the noble rot, resulting in a concentrated sweeter wine. This is something the Graševina is particularly prone to, especially in Croatia, yielding some truly fine wines.
According to the article after the Noble Rot:
“These styles show more complex and structure, fruit aromas become riper and, in some cases, cooked. There is a honey character on the nose, but well balanced with the fresh apples and citrus fruits.”
And in case you’re wondering, yes the Noble Rot also tends to raise the alcohol content as well, in some cases all they way up to 14%, yet still keeping the wine balanced from a flavor/character perspective. So something to pay attention to when you consume a Graševina that has gone through this process, or could explain the abv when looking at a bottle.
The article goes on to offer more helpful information, such as, where the best Graševina wines come from. So if you feel so inclined to pick up a bottle for yourself, pay close attention to its source, if its from one of these 4 places you’re in great shape:
Kutjevo
Hrnjevac
Mitrovac
Venje
All these places tend to have the best conditions to offer some of the best examples of this grape variety.
The Graševina grape variety is also being used to make bubbly! This could be another option for you to keep and eye out for..
Typically a bottle of Graševina wine is meant to be consumed young and fresh, but apparently ages well too!
And that’s it for the Super Slatjko Report!
Wine & More Article
