80 euros per person (semi private small group tour)
approx 4 hours
Meeting point: Gregory of Nin Statue or accommodation
Departure time: approx 10-11 AM Duration: approx. 4 hours
100 euros per person
Croatia can sometimes be frustrating. Various traditions are set in stone harder then the Excalibur. Olive oil is a victim of one of those set in stone ways. It has been relegated to a role of complementing sea food and even the most basic variations are meet with disapproval.
However, tourism had it’s way with people in Dalmatia and tides are changing. They’ll even let you dip some nice bread in their olive oil. Score. Or Not.
In our infinite quest for different flavors, and pissing of traditionalist, we went for it and splashed olive oil on some walnut ice cream.
Western civilization will think of it as a “passe” play but for Dalmatian standards this can be as revolutionizing as the light bulb. Or Not. It’s just delicious.
And we like the look on the olive oil producers face every time we do this. Priceless.
Recipe:
– Go to nearest supermarket
– Say Hello to the cute girl/boy that’s doing cleanup on aisle 7
– Pick you favorite ice cream
– Go to gourmet department and pick a nice Mediterranean olive oil, fresh and fruity
– Invite cute girl/guy on date and dazzle them with your foodie chops
Your welcome!
p.s. you could always take one of our olive oil tours and impress your date even more 😉
Its just that time of year. Summer is over, some say fun is over, some say winter is coming and we just say what’s for dinner!? Why? Well for kicks and giggles, and then maybe because were bored, but most of all because we are hungry.
After one of our last spearfishing trips of the season it was time to revisit the art of grilling a whole fish, You know, no steaks, all of it, head, bones, eyes, hair, um wait…anyway, the whole thing is destined to burn.
So there is this place called the sea where you can dive in with a shotgun (not really, don’t try this at your home ocean) and take a fish on chest to chest, man to man, eye to eye. If you come out on top sometimes can end up with something like this.
His majesty: The Amber Jack (Croatian: Gof). Whole 2 kilos of it, score.
So if you follow these next simple steps you’ll be able to prepare a Mediterranean feast and/or burn your house down (disclamer):
1. Dive into your ocean of choice, spear a fish or two, depending on appetite
2. Find a friend that owns a winery so you can score some wine with the fish, we captured Anton from the Putalj winery
3. Hope said friend also has a grill, as our does, Anton we love you!
4. Be excited about you catch and be sure to lie to your friend about how big it is (the fish that is…)
5. With a sharp knife, cut the beasts belly and shake until organs fall out (or you could pull them with your hand, usually works better)
6. Get a fire going while sipping on some wine (disclaimer applies)
7. Put that weird thing you never knew how to use on the fire to burn off the rust, paint, mushrooms and everything else that accumulated there for years
8. Take some vineyard scissors and cut of the monsters tail (or something else handy, we just wanted to have some fun)
9. When fire settles down, slam the beast to the grill, turn on other side after a while
10. Take a rosemary branch dipped in olive oil and gently brush the fish
11. Punch whoever does that and pour olive oil from the bottle like a boss
12. Make an awkward, ugly and stereotype stock type of setting and take a picture
13. Don’t forget the wine
14. Devour
So there it is, our late farewell to the summer, and grilling lesson for the ages. Hopefully the next season of cooking classes and spearfishing tours will be as exciting as this one.
See you next summer!
Meeting point: Accommodation or other upon request
Departure time: Flexible, upon request
Duration:
4-5 hours
90 euros per person
Dalmatia’s hinterland is a place of rich cultural tradition and legend. Tight knit villages where family, hard work, dedication and a passion for food and wine are essential parts of life. In ways similar to the bucolic villages throughout Burgundy, small family estates scattered through the Dalmatian hinterland produce amazing and mysterious olive oils from indigenous varietals.
On this tour we take you through villages of Kaštela to visit some of the oldest olive groves in Croatia and taste a span of different varietal olive oils along with blend and aroma infused olive oils. In addition you will learn to distinguish fake from real extra virgin olive oil and what is the proper technique of tasting.
Finger food pairings and a refreshing bottle of rose wine from the area await at a finishing picnic.
End of the tour takes you to a 700 year old (still operational) watermill and will give you an opportunity to learn about old school production of flour and oil. On the site we will have lunch of either meat or fish based local specialties (veal or trout).
80 euros per person (semi private small group tour)
approx 3-4 hours
Putalj Winery has been founded by Anton Kovač in 2008. in an effort to build on his family’s hundred years old wine making tradition and to finally live out his true passion to the fullest. So much that he put in all he had into building a small boutique winery right on the doorstep of his house in Kaštel Sućurac.
Anton’s desire is to produce high quality wine and olive oil completely from his own vineyards and olive groves. His first three vintages have drawn rave reviews and collected a slew of regional awards.
From tending to the vineyard, harvesting, pressing, fermenting, cellar work to hosting tastings Anton displays passion and commitment know only to those who have tasted his wines.
approx 5 hours
140 euros per person with cooking class and lunch
Payment: Advance payment or cash on site
Walking tours in Split are culture and history-oriented. It’s a 1700-year-old town for crying out loud! However, there is a part of history and culture in Split that is difficult to experience by accident or through a large group tour. Gastronomic pleasures are hidden and kept a secret, as part of the tradition and passed along through generations.
Let us take you on a journey of Croatian, and specifically Dalmatian, food and wine. Visit the green market called Pazar, fish market, a local butcher, cheese and prosciutto producers, wine shops and chocolate producers with your private guide. Learn the stories and myths about the ancient recipes still being prepared in Split. After the walking tour, we’ll drive to a local ecotourism estates to enjoy a private and personal cooking class with your guide and chef.
Recipes and vendors will change as season dictates; we will use only the freshest seasonal ingredients in our cooking class.
Split is a Dalmatian metropolis, with a history, culture, gastronomy and lifestyle so diverse and unique that you could think that you’re visiting a 2 million people city rather than a 200,000 one.
While in Dalmatia, especially on the islands, you will run into a dessert wine called Prošek. For a while its brand had been compromised by poor legislation that allowed certain companies to produce “sugar water” and call it Prošek. On the flip side Italy and the EU now have a bright idea of banning the name “Prošek”. Excellent, there is no such thing as bad publicity.
So anyway, Prošek is supposed to be a very sweet desert wine made from grape varietals such as Maraština, Bogdanuša, Prč, and Kuč. Grapes are picked then put on mats and dried in the hot Dalmatian sun (it can get silly hot sometimes). A little bit of squeezing the syrup and fun with fermentation and we have a winner.
Prošek, when done right, is a high alcohol, high sugar content miracle that you should try even if you are not a fan of the sweets (like me).
Prvi Poljubac (The First Kiss) is a half-bottle sized orgasm. Sorry blogging puritans, ill wash down my keyboard with holy water later. But it’s true, this Prošek, produced by Ivo Duboković, is loaded with aromas of caramel, coffee, dried apricots….list goes on and on…funny story, once after a bottle of Prvi Poljubac I went to a rock concert and drank a lot of hard stuff you usually drink there (hint: bikers are not fans of Beaujolais), got hammered, then woke up next morning still feeling only the aromas of Prvi Poljubac, nicest hangover ever….
Anyhow, Ivo has a gem and people better take notice. Try to book a tasting at his winery, or find a specialty shop and find this; take it home, open it on your anniversary by the fire and then you can thank me.
You’re welcome.
You have heard about French garage winemakers. Aura of mystique and unavailability surrounds the stories of strange people hanging around their small cellars acting more like crystal meth producers than winemakers. Ok, maybe not meth producers, but let’s say Bill Gates circa 1974.
Croatia of course has a version of its own. Professor Ivo Duboković and his late father Jakov built a true wine paradise just across the street from the biggest (bankrupted) wine cooperative.
Ivo isn’t a winemaking or viticulture professor, he’s a marketing professor and that alone should turn on the red light for those who are aware of power of branding in the wine industry.
But fortunately for us wine lovers his juice tells another story. Especially the reds, oh the reds…my mouth is watering already…focus, focus, focus…ok, I’m back…
His top line of red wine, made out of grapes from the southern slopes of Hvar, on “appellation” called Medvid Bod, is something to behold.
I call them The Balrogs of Jelsa….nerd alert, Balrogs are scary looking things from Tolkien’s First Age, you know, that guy that almost kicked Gandalf’s ass…
What’s the connection? Hmm, hidden underground, powerful, able to stop in the track anybody who can fully grasp their strength…ok, enough with the geek talk…
Medvjedica is actually a name of a endangered Mediterranean seal who once enjoyed life in a cave just beneath the vineyard itself, Medvid is supposed to be a male version, for those not versed into Croatian language gymnastics.
Medvid & Medvjedica are made from Plavac Mali grapes and their main difference is oak influence. Medvid has seen some new oak, and his female counterpart soaked in some used oak.
Both wines are extremely juicy and delicious, not made for food in my opinion, you open this as a dessert and enjoy a glass with couple of special people. Please take note that it’s a dry red wine, I just think of it as dessert because I’m not a fan of sugar, and even if I was, this would win.
Look for 2008, 2009 and eventually 2011 vintage when it gets released.
Remember book reports? Yikes, didn’t like those, so I often opted out to cut the whole process short and go play my guitar. Discovering cliff notes and cheat sheets has been one of the most important events in my life. It cleared time for reading about and doing things I actually care about. Wine is one of them, but not for everybody, people are different, and I wouldn’t take it any other way.
So, you are on vacation, want to have a nice bottle of wine but don’t want to go through the nerd stages of figuring out every single thing about something obscure as Croatian winemaking.
Good, here is a strip down of Croatian wine stuff, as simple as it can be, maybe even simpler that it should be. Regions, varietals, producers.
Dalmatia is probably place where you will end up in anyway; places like Dubrovnik, Hvar and Split are exploding as world class destinations
If you barely heard for Croatia, chances are, you heard stories about Istria…the northwestern peninsula is a leader in branding and development and has made great strides in their winemaking last 10 years.
Slavonia
Croatia’s bread basket Slavonia is the home of Graševina, most widely spread white varietal in Croatia but be sure to avoid drafted or “house wine” ones. Stick with producers like Galić, Enjingi, and Krauthaker. There are also some nice Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot wines from the like of Galić and Zdjelarević.
Central region
Located around Croatian capital Zagreb, this region is on the rise as the official forth region and is getting recognition for its light indigenous whites like Škrlet or best Croatian sparklers from Tomac and Šember. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are also being grown in bunches, Burgundy lovers take notice!!
