Alcoholic Beverages of Croatia

Description:

Wines - Croatia produces some very nice wines of an excellent quality. The traditions and recipes are decades old and Croatia, which is situated along the coastline of the Adriatic Sea, is ideal for grape cultivation with its hot, humid summers and mild winters. Located along hillsides and slopes, wine regions along the coast receive many hours of sunlight, which is also ideal for grape production. The coastal region includes four primary wine producing areas including: Istria, Northern Dalmatia, the interior of Dalmatia, and Central/Southern Dalmatia. These regions are famous for producing fruity, dry white wines from a wide range of grape varieties, most famously the Malvazija and Graševina grapes. Along with these native grapes, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay are also grown in the coastal regions of Croatia. Some of the best white wines are: Graševina, Malvazija, Kutjevački rizling (Riesling from Kutjevo); among the red wines are: Postup, Plavac mali, Dingač, Babić (Area around Primošten); The best desert wines are: Sweet Malvazija and Prošek.

Beer - "Pivo" is the Croatian word for beer and is a very popular drink in Croatia. By far the most popular brands are Karlovačko and Ožujsko - Karlovačko being the signature product of brewer Karlovačka Pivovara, located in the city of Karlovac. Ožujsko beer (Ožujsko pivo) is a lager beer, which has been produced by the Zagrebačka pivovara (Zagreb Brewery) since 1892. Other less widely know beers are: Pan - a  lager beer, which is produced by Carlsberg Croatia, Velebitsko pivo - a beer brand from Croatia, brewed near Gospić on the Velebit mountains, in Lika. Daruvarsko Pivovara makes the Staro Cesko Beer (Daruvarsko Pivovara is one of the oldest breweries in Croatia and started operations in 1840).

The most popular spirit in Croatia is home made Rakija. This is a very strong distilled drink made from a variety of fruits. Examples include "sljivovica" (made from plums), "loza" (made from grapes), and "orahovica" (made with walnuts).