Recognizing the need for international, high-quality, objective and professional wine evaluation in Croatia and emphasizing wines from indigenous Croatian grape varieties, in cooperation with the Kvarner Wines Association (Winemakers' Cooperative and the Kvarner Wine Producers' Organization), a wine evaluation will be held on March 7, 2025.„Kvarner International Wine Trophy".
The organization of the aforementioned evaluation will be organized for the first time in 2025 in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, namely in Kvarner, which holds the title of European Region of Gastronomy 2026 and is one of the most important Croatian gastronomic regions. The evaluation has so far been supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the Municipality of Vrbnik, the Croatian National Tourist Board, the Kvarner Tourist Board, the Vrbnik Municipality Tourist Board and the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The partners of this year's evaluation are Italesse glasses and Jamnica 1828.
The judging will take place in Vrbnik on the island of Krk at the Gospoja prosciutto farm, and the wine will be judged by certified judges from the Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food, enologists, sommeliers and wine journalists. The president of the judging panel is Dr. Ivana Puhelek, and the wines will be judged according to the internationally recognized 100-point method.
„The "Kvarner International Wine Trophy" diplomas for the best wines will be awarded at the "International WineRi Eno-Gastro Festival" in Rijeka on March 21, 2025 at the Exportdrvo Congress Center, and education on indigenous varieties, a lecture on the impact of wine on health, masterclasses and the promotion of indigenous cuisine are also planned. A catalog of the wines that participated in the competition will be created and presented to a wider HoReCa audience.
Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:
Based on the number of points scored, wines receive the following awards:
Wines rated below 71.00 points are considered rejected with a note on the rating sheet and are not included in the catalog.
Winemakers via the web www.kvarner.wine/trophy or e-mail kvarner.trophy@gmail.com submit the application form for wine evaluation by February 28, 2025 and send wine samples to Vrbnik in Pršutan Gospoja at the address Sveta Nedija 5, 51516 Vrbnik.
For each submitted wine sample for evaluation, it is mandatory to submit four (4) bottles of wine with original labels or a label containing at least the following information: first and last name or name of the producer, name of the wine, year of harvest, wine-growing region/ZOI.
In agreement with the best restaurants in Kvarner, holders of quality labels (Michelin, JRE, Gaullt&Millau, Kvarner Gourmet...) we will arrange the representation of the best-rated wines on the wine list, which will contribute to the networking of producers with restaurants and consumers, which will raise the quality of the offer and the promotion of the region as a region of gastronomic excellence.
Given the costs of such an organized evaluation, the price for sending samples for evaluation is €123.45 + VAT per sample, but given that the evaluation is being carried out for the first time and due to the extremely challenging wine-growing year that is behind us, this year the price will be reduced by 50 % and will amount to €62.00 + VAT, or €77.50. A discount of 30 % is calculated on the third and each subsequent sample. Winemakers exhibiting at the International Wine and Gastronomy Festival WineRi will have additional benefits (1 + 1 free).
Kvarner International Wine Trophy media team
