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Croatian Wines are getting more popular, and why not!! Croatia has they have a long history of wine making, some of the best wine family's in the world originated from Croatia apparently and there are some fantastic ones to try.

In 2009, Croatia shocked the wine world by walking away with eight gold medals at the prestigious Decanter Wine Awards, beating out such stalwarts as Chile and New Zealand. Sweet, white wines won most of the medals. Wine judge Angela Muir described the dessert wines as" "exclusive, expensive, high-end and they are no question up with the great Sauternes." It's worth noting also the the gold-medal winners come from continental Croatia, not the coast. Here are the winner

Badel 1862 Graševina Daruvar 2007

Bodren Château Bezanec Chardonnay 2007

Bodren Couve 2007

Bodren Pinot Sivi 2006

Bodren Rajnski Rizling 2007

Iloski Podrumi Tramanac 2006

Krauthaker Graševina Izborna Berba 2007

Krauthaker Zelenac Kutjevo Izborna Berba 2007

Among the top quality red wines to be found are Postup, Faros, Babic, the Dingac red from the Peljesac peninsular, and the Teran wine of Istria. Among the first class whites are Posip, Grk, Bogdanusa, and the well known sweet desert wine, Prosek.

Even the region's drinking water, which flows from the rivers Jardo and Cetina, is a speciality. Thanks to its purity and pleasant taste it is considered not only to be healthy, but is also mixed with wine to create Bevenda.

Pošip is an white wine grape that is primarily grown on the Island of Korčula. The prime growing regions are in Čara and Smokvica, which are two villages on the island. While on Korčula there are red wines (primarily Plavac Mali where is it produced) the main focus of the entire island is on this grape. Pošip is light, around 12-13% in alcohol and usually drunk at 14C. It is a natural companion for fish dishes as well as prsuto and the light-bodied cheeses that Croatia produces.

Prošek is a sweet dessert wine that is traditionally from the Balkans and made using dried wine grapes. Good quality Prošek is usually much more expensive by volume than other wines due to an average of seven times more grapes being needed to make the same amount of wine. Prošek is often confused with Italian Prosecco, which is a sparkling wine

Plavac Mali, a cross between ancestral Zinfandel and Dobričić grapes, is the primary red wine grape grown along the Dalmatian coast. The name refers to the small blue grapes that the vines produce: in Croatian plavo means blue and plavac refers to 'what is blue'; mali means small. Plavac Mali is known for producing wines that are rich in flavor and high in both alcohol and tannins. Common flavors and aromas include blackberries, dark cherries, pepper, and spices. Croatian wines from this grape include the reds Dingač and Postup (both localities on Pelješac peninsula), Ivan Dolac and Sveta Nedilja (Hvar island), Bolski plavac (Brač island) and the rosé Opolo (a vinification style

Terrano is made from the grapes of the refošk (refosco) vine. It is a rich, slightly sour, full-bodied red wine with a high lactic acid content. It is very palatable, and highly prized by connoisseurs of fine wines. It is also very rich in iron, and in the past it was prescribed as a therapy for anemia. The wine produced from the refosco grape acquires the distinctive flavour and bouquet of Terrano only when it is grown in the specific terra rossa ("Red Earth") soil typical of a very restricted area: within Slovenia, Terra Rossa is present in the municipalities of Sežana and Komen.

Babic is one of the best known grape varieties in Croatia. It is mainly grown in Northern Dalmatia - Šibenik area. Babic wine is known for it's full body.Man’s ability to create beauty with only limited resources and an abundance of perseverance is represented in a picture of the vineyards of Primošten where Babic is produced hangs in the foyer of the United Nations in New York City. Each vine sits in its own patch of fertile earth within a framework of stone walls covering the surrounding hills. Hundreds of years of effort by the local women of this seaside town produced this inspiring quilt. Enjoy Babić, the wine which is the result of their toil.

Grk is an indigenous white grape variety and wine of the same name from the village of Lumbarda on the island of Korčula. Literally, "grk" in Croatian language means bitter, but the wine is dry, high in acidity, somewhat aromatic, with hints of pine.

The Grk vine only has female flowers. To ensure pollination it must be co-planted with another grape variety with male flowers, ratio about 10-20 percent, usually Plavac Mali.

Bogdanusa is high quality dry white wine from the wine-growing hills of the island of Hvar. It is produced from the grape variety bearing the same name, growing in the ecologically clean regions called Blato, Krusevje and Polonda. It is yellow-greenish in color with a distinctive bouquet and a well balanced and surprisingly fresh flavor. Before being bottled it must be aged for at least 12 months. It contains from 12 to 13 vol. % of alcohol as well as 5.5 to 6.5 g/L of acid. We recommend the wine be served at temperatures from 10°C to 12°C with white meat and fish.