Valamar Blog

We all know that good wine goes with good food, and the sommelier’s job is to recommend it. Come to one of Valamar hotels and let our rich gastronomic offer and top quality wine experts absolutely thrill you.

Four representatives from the Valamar Group took part in the 14th Croatian Sommelier Championship held from 10 to 12 May in the town of Sveti Martin na Muri and they are Edi Brcic from Porec, Dragana Frankovic and Ester Miletic from Rabac and Luka Travarevic from Dubrovnik. It was a priceless experience for all participants presenting our destinations. The championship counted 25 participants which had to prove their skills in a written exam and evaluate and describe the wine after tasting it (they had to define its origin, manufacturer, vintage, durability and recommend a certain dish that goes with it, and they also had to open a bottle of wine, recommend a certain type of wine with the given menu as well as many other disciplines).

Although I am not a sommelier, let me tell you some basic information regarding the most significant wine sorts in Istria, and you can learn more when you visit some of Valamar hotels. The typical and most significant wine sort is the Istrian malvasia. Since it grows only in Istria, it is a synonym for white Istrian wine. Alongside malvasia, the most important Istrian white wine, the typical red wine representative of this area is teran. It is very unusual and gives the wine its exquisite rubin red colour with purple reflection; it is of intense uncontrolled scent, mostly berries, and of a strong character. Alongside malvasia and teran, typical indigenous Istrian wine sorts, the muscat (dessert) wines are also well-known. Come and enjoy Istrian wines and specialities!