PLEŠIVICA
Our smallest wine region, and one closest to Zagreb, is a true treasure chest undergoing a great wine renaissance. The green mountain slopes offer beautiful vistas of the amphitheater-like vineyards where harmonious nature abounds. It is here where some of Croatia's best sparkling wines are born, in the traditional champagne style, as well as fresh and elegant wines from classical and old Plešivica varieties. You'll also find unique and aromatic amber wines, often aged in clay amphoras – the qvevris.
In this very region, the last of the artisanal coopers are preserving the craft of barrel making, resisting industrial production, and maintaining a valuable collection of old cooperage tools. The artifacts of the old ways of life are preserved in a unique ethnographic collection on display at an old village school. For Zagrebians in particular, Plešivica remains a popular outing destination - a gastronomic oasis of traditional, rustic cuisine and ancient recipes. You can taste them in local inns as well as fine dining restaurants adorned with stars and caps.
On this tour, you will visit a traditional cooperage workshop and experience firsthand how barrels are handcrafted. There is a unique collection of old cooperage tools and machines, some dating back two centuries. You will visit the two esteemed Plešivica family wineries and enjoy a guided tasting of their specially selected wines, along with tours of their vineyards and cellars. You'll experience the atmosphere of past times and the former self-sufficient way of life at one of the most valuable local ethnographic collections, led by an enthusiastic teacher-curator. The typical specialties of the region will be offered at almost every opportunity, including a traditional Plešivica lunch before the end of this interesting and educational tour.
