It’s Never Too Late for Wine School

To order malvasia and not know that it is from Istria, to not know that champagne is exclusively that from the French region of Champagne, and that the others are just – sparkling wines, that a strong red wine does not go with white fish… today in business circles it is akin to ignorance about the value of stocks on world exchanges.

If there is a drink that has been an undeniable and unbeatable trend in Croatia, but also in the world, for the last few years, then it is – wine. The wine and restaurant scene in Croatia is rapidly developing. There are more and more true wine lovers who are also increasingly demanding guests. The hospitality staff is expected to provide advice on wine and food pairing, quality presentation of wine to the guest before consumption, and professional serving. Accordingly, fortunately, there are also more and more wine ‘schools’, courses, wine associations, and circles that can truly help people interested in this noble drink not to appear ignorant in society, in restaurants when ordering, and in the increasingly numerous wine bars. To order malvasia and not know that it is from Istria, and that malvasia, on the other hand, is from Dubrovnik or to not know that champagne is exclusively that from the French region of Champagne, and the rest are just – sparkling wines, to lack information that a strong red wine should not be ordered with white fish, as well as that it is drunk warmer than white, today in business circles is akin to ignorance about the value of stocks on world exchanges. Wine is a pleasure, but also a kind of study.

Although one should listen to their own taste and although it is true that the best wine is not the most expensive one but the one you like the most, there are still some basic rules about opening bottles, glasses, serving, and pairing with dishes that it is not a bad idea to get acquainted with. And this is regardless of whether you are in the hospitality industry or a wine enthusiast eager for knowledge, an advanced student of the wine drop, or simply an ambitious businessman. At numerous business dinners, in fact, hosts are increasingly expected to take the initiative and suggest food and drink choices.

Education and Socializing

One of the recently most popular wine schools was launched by Jelena Šimić Valentić as part of her company with the interesting name Pupitres. This is an informal educational program intended for a wide range of interested parties, although Jelena, as a consultant, also educates the professional staff of hospitality establishments. Her wine schools combine education and casual socializing with a wine glass in hand, conducted in three levels, and thematically and temporally divided into two-hour sessions ‘First Encounter with Wine’, ‘Wine Routes of the World’, and ‘Food & Wine’, during which five different styles of wine from around the world are tasted, and participants are engaged in an interactive program.

Jelena is a sommelier with a diploma from the Croatian Sommelier Club at the third level according to the program of the Association de la Sommeliere Internationale and a student of the third level WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust), and she calls her school the first true boutique of wine culture in Croatia. She has always nurtured a love for food and wine, has twelve years of experience working in top hospitality establishments, and is particularly delighted by cooking and exploring the world of wine while traveling and socializing with winemakers and people who share the same passion. In addition to passionately leading monthly wine workshops, she is a great individual ‘1 on 1’ trainer when working with one participant.

– I have no sponsors because I want to be independent, I want to provide participants with a unique experience, not push a sponsor’s wine. I plan to have a wine school throughout Croatia, so ‘schools’ are already being arranged in Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Rijeka, Mali Lošinj… – says Jelena, who also announces for the first time the book ‘Wine School of Jelena Šimić Valentić’ and the filming of a short video school on YouTube, and is preparing and organizing study wine trips.

Oxford for Wines

WSET – the professional educational program Wine and Spirits Education Trust, which Jelena also attended, is one of the most prestigious world institutions for education about wine and spirits, and its certified branch in Croatia since 2013 is Wine Academy Croatia. In colloquial speech, WSET is often referred to as the ‘Oxford’ of winemaking because since 1969 this renowned institution has been holding high-quality seminars for professionals in the wine industry, operates in more than 60 countries worldwide, and just last year, over 61,000 people completed various WSET programs. For some time now, WSET has also opened its doors to amateur wine lovers and enthusiasts.

– So far, around 600 participants in Croatia have completed one of our courses. Our goal is for the WSET course to become a prerequisite for employment in the industry as it is in major world enogastronomic metropolises. Our mission is to create wine lovers, and our vision is to introduce a new dimension to the everyday need for food and drink. We believe that everyone loves wine; many just have not discovered that passion yet. We enjoy a sea of flavors, pairing wine and food, and celebrating life. Why shouldn’t you? – ask Dražan Šunjić and Zoran Paunović.

Business Etiquette

That wine is an integral and unavoidable part of table culture, and that it is part of business etiquette, was understood by two wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs Ivan Salopek and Nenad Trifunović, who recently launched the Wine Reading Room primarily with the desire to improve table culture as an important segment of corporate etiquette. Their workshops are designed so that participants receive as concrete information as possible and acquire basic knowledge about table culture with a particular emphasis on wine. The maximum number of participants is 12, and all exceptional wines served are available in the offerings of Croatian restaurants and wine shops (with the exception of special thematic workshops), and they use specific wine lists as well as menus from the most esteemed business restaurants in Zagreb and Croatia. Trifunović has been regularly writing impressions about wines on his blog vinopija.com for six years, which records an impressive 20,000 visits per month, thus becoming one of the most influential wine critics in the country. Over the years, he has held some of the most important wine workshops in Croatia, and in the Wine Reading Room, he is responsible for leading the workshops. Salopek is the conceptual founder and has a sommelier diploma and experience in organizing some of the largest wine events and festivals.

– Companies in Croatia have not paid attention to whether their leading people know table culture, but they are increasingly realizing that ignorance of it can cause reputational damage – said Salopek at the presentation of the Wine Reading Room.

– The goal is to provide participants with direct insight into wine, i.e., reading wine, to involve participants and provide them with a solid foundation for further study of wine and ensure enough knowledge to navigate everyday situations in business and private environments – emphasizes Trifunović.

Be a Sommelier

The Croatian Sommelier Club has been operating since 1993, and since 1994 it has been a member of the World Sommelier Association (Association de la Sommellerie Internationale – ASI). In its educational program, it has three levels of courses. After attending lectures and passing the exam, a certificate of completion for a specific level is obtained, and the participant can enroll in a higher-level course if desired. The sommelier diploma is obtained by passing the final exam after the third-level course. The main task of the HSK is the advancement of the sommelier profession, but also of citizenship and deepening awareness of food and drink culture. This includes the promotion of Croatian winemaking, as well as presenting Croatia in the best possible tourist, hospitality, and winemaking light in the world, which is successfully achieved thanks to competitions and meetings organized by the International Sommelier Association. HSK also organizes national competitions, professional lectures, and trips. So far, it has organized as many as 18 competitions for the best Croatian sommelier.

For Beginners and Others

The company Eno Expert deals with wine consulting, which includes advising on wine production, designing wineries, organizing wine evaluations, organizing trips along wine roads, advising on wine legislation, equipping wine laboratories, but also wine education. The users of wine consulting services are mainly winemakers, and the educational programs are tailored to different levels of knowledge and interests united in the Eno Expert Academy.

– In the Eno Expert Academy, we have a wide range of educational programs for wine lovers. From beginner courses for people just entering the world of wine to advanced courses for true wine connoisseurs, for people in hospitality and tourism, and for winemakers. The most visited course is called ‘VinoLjubac’, which was initially designed for people just entering the world of wine, but good feedback is also coming from professionals and true wine lovers. ‘VinoLjubac’ is intended for all people who want to learn or repeat what wine is, how to serve wine, and how to choose, taste, and enjoy wine. After attending the ‘VinoLjubac’ course, several courses that build on the basic course are available to everyone – emphasizes Miodrag Hruškar.

All programs are conducted by agronomy engineers, certified enologists with experience in wine production and professional wine tastings, founders Miodrag Hruškar and Krešimir Hren, who have also worked at the Croatian Institute for Viticulture and Enology and are both professional wine tasters, and there is also Jelena Puh Miloš with a degree from the Faculty of Agriculture and guest renowned lecturers from specific fields.

Learning and Enjoyment

The mini eno-gastronomic educational project ‘Alphabet of Fine Bites’ does not offer systematic education or diplomas, but pleasant socializing with food and selected wines, from which you will learn something. It was designed by Marija Vukelić, a member of the women’s wine association WOW, a professor of Italian and French languages, and a lover of wine pairing, primarily of Croatian varieties – with dishes that suit them and according to the alphabet or some other linguistic key.

– I combined linguistics, gastronomy, and enology, and it is a synonym for the beginning and an invitation to go further after the first letter. And this is so that we can learn together, talk freely, and enjoy the things that beautify our lives – food and wine. The alphabet approaches every wine and every dish from the beginning, as the first time, and the first ones are always remembered: from the base, name, initial letter… It is difficult to form a coherent sentence with one, but with the whole alphabet, we write stories, even novels – explains Vukelić.

The first ‘pairing of letters’ took place in October last year, in the famous Zagreb restaurant Pauza in Preradovićeva. In the first episode, on the letter Ž, the indigenous Croatian variety, žlahtina, was paired with žganci, a simple and healthy dish of our ancestors, which in modern execution is a true specialty. The guest winemaker was Ivica Dobrinčić, from the Šipun winery in Vrbnik on the island of Krk, from a family that has been engaged in viticulture for several generations. In the second installment, ‘on the letter T’, in the bistro Jadranka in Zagreb’s Vukovarska street, teran from the great Istrian winemaker Moreno Coronica was combined with Lareto truffle, and the story of Istrian terroir was told.