Autumn in Croatia through wine and food experiences
40,000 wine producers on 20,000 hectares, 7 Michelin-starred restaurants and 51 restaurants with Michelin Plate awards make Croatia one of the hottest destinations for wine and gastronomy in late summer and autumn 2021.
Croatia has a new generation of winemakers and is a small-scale producer with strong traditions from the past. There are 200 indigenous grape varieties in Croatia. The average size of a Croatian vineyard is only 0.5 hectares. The 2500-year-old vineyard of Stari Grad, also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the world's oldest continuously cultivated vineyard. Wine has been produced longer in Croatia than in France, for example.
In Ivan Dolac, on the island of Hvar, the vineyards are located on slopes that slope up to a striking 44 degrees, which means that all work is done manually. The vineyards can be visited throughout the year, but the highlights are the autumn harvest season and the celebration of local festivals.
There are currently 36 different Croatian wines at Systembolaget, two of which are included in the regular range; Kutjevo Grasevina and The Dalmatian Dog.
"Testament Winery is Croatia's first Swedish winery. Our goal is to create the best wine in Croatia. It is so inspiring to see how the Swedish people have taken the very local Croatian grape babić to their hearts through the wine The Dalmatian Dog" Robert Karlsson CEO at Testament Winery
Croatia grows as a destination for gastronomic tourism
Seven restaurants around Croatia have been awarded a Michelin star. The country's development as a gastronomic destination continues as restaurants Noel in Zagreb and Draga di Lovrana in Lovran, each received a Michelin star while Pelegrini in Šibenik, 360º in Dubrovnik and Monte in Rovinj retained their Michelin status in 2019. In addition, the Bib Gourmand list now has a total of ten restaurants, which is double the number from the previous year. 51 restaurants in the country now carry the Michelin Plate label.
The warm Croatian autumn offers many experiences for Nordic and other visitors. So far this year, Croatia has registered 55.3 million tourist overnight stays. The number of arriving tourists has reached nine million so far this year, or 1.2 million more than in the whole of 2020, according to the data collected by the e-visitor platform. Of these 55.3 million nights, 46.6 million nights were spent by foreign holidaymakers and 8.7 million by Croatians. Overall, the Nordic countries increased by 280% compared to 2020 from Sweden the increase is 220% more than in 2020.
“This year's trends showed that safety and quality were crucial factors in choosing a destination. We aim is to create sustainable tourism with its focus on the quality and on guests eager to consume as many amenities as possible in their destinations and thus generate higher spending, which can encourage new investments in the tourist sector” Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac said.
Croatia priority continues to be the safety of its people and visitors. The necessary measures are continuously taken. With this spirit, the Croatian authorities released and update new conditions for entering the Republic of Croatia for EU and Schengen citizens. Currently, all passengers regardless of whether they come from a country that is on the "green list" or some other colour status, according to the ECDC map, must present the EU digital COVID certificate or one of the certificates of vaccination, illness, etc. upon entering the Republic of Croatia.
See “The Most Well-Known Wine Roads in Croatia” here.
See the list of Croatia’s Michelin restaurants selected here
Complete and update information to be found at our dedicated Coronavirus site.
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