Politicians, wine writers, sommeliers and trade professionals from across Europe gathered to celebrate Croatia’s record medal haul at the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).
Tugomir Majdak, State Secretary for Agriculture, was among the dignitaries that gathered at the 5-star Kempinski Hotel Adriatic in Istria for the special event.
Guests tasted the best wines from 40 different producers, who won 366 medals in total at this year’s DWWA. Caroline Gilby MW, the regional DWWA chair for Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Croatia and Slovenia, handed out the awards.
Medal-winning Croatian winemakers celebrated at the 5-star Kempinski Hotel Adriatic. Credit: Vinistra
She said: ‘It’s wonderful to see the enormous progress that Istrian winemakers have made in the last 10 years, as evidenced by the medals from the evaluations, with Decanter’s judging criteria being very strict.
‘The focus is solely on quality, and the entire viticultural year is evaluated in a glass. Today, in a glass of Malvasia and Teran, you can see all the beauties of the Istrian peninsula, as well as the character of Istrian winemakers,’ she added.
Sylvia Wu, Decanter’s regional editor for Asia, Northern Europe and Eastern Europe, also attended the Decanter 2024 Winners’ Showcase on the Adriatic coast. ‘We have discovered excellent wines not only in Istria but throughout Croatia, and since last year, Croatia has been featured on Decanter’s wine map,’ she said.
Sylvia Wu, Decanter’s
