Young Wine for Cold Days

The first bottles of Portugizac reach their audience already in early October. Also known as Blauer Portugieser in English, Portugizac is not our native grape variety, but in Croatia it thrives in the small wine region of Plešivica, some 40 kilometres from Zagreb. It is now one of the trademarks of the region, a protected Zagreb County product, and everyone’s favourite herald of autumn.

Slika 1. “The harvest of Portugizac officially started on 10 September this year.” Image credit: Jastrebarsko Tourist Board

In the world of wines, Portugizac is like a toddler. It ferments quite quickly, you leave it be for a few weeks, and then it's already out, lively as it is. It's a dry wine, soft, refreshing, with lower alcohols and lovely red fruit aromas. It is meant to be served slightly colder than a regular red wine, at around 14 °C. Apart from being pleasantly drinkable on its own, the best thing about Portugizac is that it really shines when paired with traditional seasonal dishes. The simplest and most delicious combination you'll encounter is Portugizac with roast chestnuts – a match made in heaven. I'm sure the world would be a much better place if all those street vendors selling roast chestnuts could also pour you a glass of Portugizac. As soon as the temperatures drop low enough to start wearing a vest, there's also a switch in the food we eat. All of a sudden, there are sausages, sauerkraut, goulashes, bean stews, roast duck and goose, wild game dishes... Portugizac is made to complement hearty autumn/winter food and you should enjoy it while you can.

Slika 2. “The image of autumn – Portugizac and roast chestnuts.” Image credit: Vedrana Orlović

The tradition of producing Portugizac is long and goes without saying in the hills of Plešivica, so all the wineries have it, one way or another. Some don't bottle it, but have a smaller quantity straight out of the tank. Many bottle it and put it on the market, and there's a special winegrowers and winemakers association called Portugizac Plešivica, focused only on this single variety. Since a lot depends on the weather and the conditions in the vineyards, wines can never be identical from year to year. However, some standards need to be met and so the bottles of the highest quality will have a seal of approval – a unified label or a stamp with the association’s logo. And then they took it a notch up. Nine winemakers mixed selected grapes from their best positions and together made around 1,000 litres of premium Portugizac named Portugizac Plešivica Selection 2020. I was present at the ceremony of opening the first bottle and tasted it – it truly is Portugizac at its best. The year 2020 was generous to us, at least in this case. And at the price of around 30 kuna, it's also a great value-for-money. Grab it as soon as possible, that’s my advice!

Slika 3. “The best there is – Portugizac Plešivica Selection 2020.” Image credit: Sandra Rončević

As our most famous and most common nouveau wine, Portugizac definitely deserves more attention. Watch out for many little events taking place in the next couple of months, organized with the aim of promoting Portugizac, bringing it closer to consumers and raising awareness of the importance of drinking locally. A handful of roast chestnuts and a glass or two of Portugizac in good company guarantees to lift your spirits and warm you up in these drab and cold days to come.

Slika 4. “Hearty winter food tastes better washed down with a glass of Portugizac.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

Header image credit: Vedrana Orlović

Author: Morana Zibar / Taste of Croatia