Žuti Plavec in Croatian, rumeni in Slovenian, is an old and endangered indigenous variety of south-eastern Slovenia and the western part of hilly Croatia. Thanks to its pronounced freshness and innate elegance, it shows exceptional potential for sparkling wine, whether as a single-varietal cuvée or in blends. That much was clear at a walk-around tasting at Zagreb’s Hotel Esplanade, where 12 wineries from Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia presented wines made from, or with, Žuti Plavec: Istenič, Klet Krško, Mihelin, Jelenič, Pinterič, Berkovič, Sagmeister, Dular, Tomac, Jagunić, Coletti and Šember.
After the two-hour tasting, the wines made from Žuti Plavec, or with it as a component, were presented at a dedicated masterclass by Caroline Gilby, a British Master of Wine, and Saša Špiranec. The walk-around tasting and accompanying presentation were held as part of the RumeniŽuti project, co-financed by the European Union under the Interreg Slovenia–Croatia programme.
17 October 2025
