Slavonia is a historical region located in the eastern Croatia. Besides being known for hunting, rural tourism and good food, this region is home to numerous varieties of grapes and famous quality wines.

Vineyards

Thanks to its location and tradition, Slavonia became a fertile ground for the cultivation of the vine. It is assumed that the vine in this area was cultivated before Roman times. Today, this region has ten vineyards which produce some of the best wines in continental Croatia.

Ten Slavonian vineyards are: Đakovo, Slavonski Brod, Nova Gradiška, Požega – Pleternica Kutjevo, Daruvar, Pakrac, Feričanci, Orahovica – Slatina and Virovitica.

Varieties

Slavonia has ideal conditions for the production of large quantities of wine. In this region white grape varieties are mainly grown. Graševina (Welschriesling) is the most common and it is considered as the main grape variety of this region.

There are several theories about the origin of Graševina. The world’s most common name for this wine variety is Welschriesling, but in some parts of Europe Graševina is known as the “Italian Riesling”. According to one theory, this variety is brought to Central Europe by the ancient Romans. However, the other theory suggests that the origin might be somewhere to the east of the Balkans. Unlike previous theories, a modern theory claims that Graševina originated in the Champagne region.

With Graševina (Riesling), some of the present white grape varieties in Slavonian climate are: Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Red Traminer, Fragrant Traminer, Green Silvaner, Rhine Riesling, Rizvanac, Kerner, Moslavac (Furmint) and Sweet White Zelenac.

Among the red varieties the most common are: Franconia, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Portugizac.

Interesting Facts

Graševina as the most common wine variety makes between 26 and 28 percent of the total wine production in Croatia.

Slavonian town Kutjevo is considered as the epicenter of Croatian winemaking and is home to the oldest Croatian wine cellar, built back in the 1232. Another interesting fact about this part of Slavonia is information that Kutjevo is situated at 45.3° North latitude, the same geographic line that extends westwards through some of the most famous wine-growing regions: Istria, Piedmont, Val du Rhone, Bordeaux and Oregon.

Enjingi, which gave to Croatia the first gold Decanter, with Krauthaker and Kutjevo, as winners of numerous prestigious medals, have a reputation as the most famous Slavonian wine producers.