Zmajevac: This Croatian region makes wine loved by Queen Elizabeth II – with cheap bottles like 4 pounds
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IF hobbiton had a lover with Loire Valley, and the offspring will be Zmajevac: a small community in the wine industry in the Slavonia region, rural Croatia, which is famous for the cellars of wine with wonderful gables (known as “Gators”) that wanders at its back ends to the hill so that the bottles can get cold birth.
Walk in the village, exploring both Zmajevac’s competitors from “Wine Street” – one traditionally Catholic, one of the Protestants – realized that I had not seen many cellars in such a focused area of my life.
I passed by dozens of these Gators, many of which are restaurants or home bars and dwelt on the paved street. Thanks to a strange tasting room, full of old writer machines and pottery pots, Josić quickly caught our attention. She stopped free taste, wearing a brittle white made of Cardone and the local Graševina grapes before I moved to Reds fat, who made me jealous of people in Josić Restaurant, who was mistaken in steam from the massive sender.
Croatian wine may not be particularly known at the international level, but he was quietly accumulating prizes, and gained a follow -up worship between those who knew. Only one of these people is the late King of Britain, Queen Elizabeth II.
The wine was presented from Slavonia in the Queen’s coronation in 1953 and has been presented in many of the most important royal events since then, including the wedding parties of the Prince, Princess Wales, Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
As I learned during the next few days, the ties between the British royal family and the relatively unknown wine area in Croatia do not end there.
I was appreciating myself in Osijek, the regional capital, and I spent the next few days in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II and the current king Charles. Both of them visited (and loved) Slavonia; The grandfather of the Great Queen Elizabeth Franz, the Duke of Tek, was already in Osikik.
Renting a pair of rented bikes for the price of the deal of 0.66 euros for 30 minutes, began to explore with a local guide. With a similar combination of Art Nouveau, Baroque and Medieval Architecture, the city resembles a rustic Prague or Budapest, with the exception of less imposed and almost any other visitors. “In the summer, everyone escapes in Croatia to the coast,” said our guide Renata Forsjan. “Most international visitors have not heard of Slavonia. They are heading directly to the coast, which is a great shame.”
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She explained that Slavonia is not related to mass tourism: “It is peaceful and calm. People come for the art of cooking, wine, craftsmanship, culture and nature.”
The lunch was a glamorous hole in Lumiere, a restaurant with a beautiful open -air balcony filled with pots and a blackboard list next to the river. Thick panels from Colin (Local experiment on Chorizo) With a drop of sour cream, followed by the melting of the black pork joint – regional appetite – fuel was welcomed after cycling. Although it is one of the smartest restaurants in the city, the main courses started at only 10 euros (8.40 pounds).
The next day, I ventured the countryside to explore more wine factories and was surprised by the secret when I found that the prices were noticeably accessible to everyone.
In Vina Belje, one of the most respectable wine factories in the country, bottles began from only 5 euros (4.20 pounds). You can also take a great tour of the cellars that turned into prisons during the Ottoman times when the drinking is inhibited. Metal screws where prisoners chains are used to suspend looked between huge oak barrels.
Everywhere, we also felt delicious. The local population was low but friendly-and it was easy to know why the Royals team kept this small secret.
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But how long have you wondered, can this secret last? Last year, Ryanair launched a direct trip from London to Osijek, a communication that was not present for several years and that could boost visitors’ numbers.
What’s more, Slavonia recently got the first luxury hotel (according to international standards). Mother HotelWhich opened last year, he feels a world far from the rest of the Slavonia. Elegant architectural snakes of glass and concrete around a central courtyard with an endless blessing and high ginsengo trees. I spent several happy hours in the wide spa area, where she jumped between the sauna, the endless swimming pool and Jacuzzi in the open air, which all looked at an acre of the open field.
I felt that we were in the middle of the place, although the hotel is only 18 minutes’ drive from Osijek and 27 minutes from the airport. The rooms start at a price of 197 euros (165 pounds) including breakfast, which, given the quality of the rooms and services, was impressive-and will be weak in a well-known wine area.
With such prices, what was previously the best secret of the British royal family could be about to reach the main current. Although I doubt that I will collide with King Charles on the upcoming Ryanre trip.
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