Visiting Croatia for the International Wine Tourism Conference (IWINETC) next week will be very interesting. In addition to the numerous indigenous grape varieties that are known in Croatia is the history of wine, food and culture of the region.

From several sources, I’ve learned that the traditions of serving wine include mixing water with the wine.  Last night on the website, essentiallycroatia.com, I discovered more details. “One tradition found in Croatia is that of mixing wine with other drinks, such as Mineral Water or even Cola. A bevanda is red or white wine with plain water, while gemist is white wine mixed with sparkling mineral water. Of popular summer drinks, is red wine with cola, called bambus, or  fanta orange, topped up with red wine, called mist-mash.”

While in Croatia for IWINETC, I’m looking forward to learning about the traditions of the country, history, culture, foods as well as the way they enjoy their wines.

Cheers, Kathy