We Reveal the Long Kept Secret of Ilok Vineries
that the Wine World is Talking about. These Wines will Thrill You
What is your first association to Ilok Traminac? No, this time we will not talk about it even though this sort in the Croatian east has won many awards. Even though it was enjoyed by the noblemen and kings since the first vines in the famous vineyard area and rural estate of Principovac were planted in 1710 by the Odescalchi family … Graševina? No, we will not talk about it either even though the Ilok vineries produce excellent Graševina and also other white sorts such as Chardonnay, Traminac, Rhine Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gris.
Exquisite Red
This time we will talk about a completely new Srijem experience, a wine experience talked about in the wine world for ten years already. We will tell the story of the red sorts in Srijem – Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Frankovka. The connoisseurs say that these are top wines with an excellent price-quality ratio.
With its deep red colour, the Ilok Merlot offers a combination of fruity fragrance with notes of cherry and wood. It will remind you of the spring scent of the forests in Srijem. It is very drinkable and soft.
With its dark ruby colour, Cabernet Sauvignon is a harmonically rounded wine, with soft and ripe tannin, pleasant taste, good structure, pleasant fragrance of clove, blackberries and vanilla. Very classy.
Frankovka too boasts with its deep ruby red colour, flashy fruity aromas, interwoven with soft spice and smoke nuances. It is of a pleasant, harmonious and full taste, of soft tannin and well rounded, with a great potential for additional maturation in the bottle. It is also excellent as rosé but also in cuvée.
Let these three brief descriptions be your ‘teaser’ for your next purchase or journey through Srijem and Slavonia. Pure joy of aroma, taste and ‘aftertaste’.
TRs, author: Danijel Soldo, source: TZ VSŽ
Best Buy
Until you travel to the Croatian east, here are some proposals for your home winery. You must complete it with the Decanter Bronze Medal Merlot Liska of 2017 of the Buhač winery, a soft and rich wine, matured in wooden barrels. You will also be thrilled by the excellent Cabernet Sauvignon of 2016 of the Trs winery, with an aroma of dark cherry, blackcurrant and blackberry, of a somewhat hot taste with a nuance of spices and soft and pleasant tannins. Best buy includes also the harmonious Čobanković’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Papak Cabernet Sauvignon/ Radosh Cabernet Franc and Ilok Cellar Kapistran, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Frankovka.
Papak, author: Danijel Soldo, source: TZ VSŽ
An excellent selection to enjoy along with the daily dishes at informal gatherings but also for sipping on a terrace in summer nights.
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Wine Stories of Srijem
If you want to include the Ilok wine road into your Srijem and Slavonia itinerary, the new brochure of the Tourist Board of the Vukovar-Srijem County with a list of the tasting rooms and all the wine producers in the Srijem vineyards is a good source of information for wine lovers and tourists.