Since 2017, the International Wine and Gastronomy Festival WineRi has been held in the City of Rijeka, and this year it will be held on March 21st and 22nd at the Exportdrvo Congress Center (Grobnička riva bb) from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and it was announced at a press conference held in Kašetica Primorsko-Goranska, where the following spoke about the festival:
Support for the festival was given at the conference by Ambassadors of the Kvarner Wines brand and the European Region of Gastronomy project Časlav Matijević, Lucija Matijević, and Martina Škarica.
STATEMENTS:
The director of the Kvarner Wines Association, which is the organizer of the International Wine and Gastronomy Festival WineRi and the wine evaluation "Kvarner International Wine Trophy", Žarko Stilin expressed his satisfaction that Rijeka and Kvarner continue to have this great wine festival, which has become a gathering place for Kvarner winemakers and friends from Croatia and neighboring countries and is slowly becoming a festival of wines from indigenous varieties of Kvarner and Southeast Europe, that is, the emphasis is placed on wines from indigenous grape varieties. This year we have the honor to announce wines from more than 100 wineries with over 500 wine labels, which represents a great success in the organization and the fact that Kvarner and WineRi are recognized by winemakers, said Stilin. "Kvarner Wines" is ambitiously stepping into 2025 and organizing the first international national wine evaluation "Kvarner International Wine Trophy" which will be held on March 7 in Vrbnik, and I take this opportunity to invite all fellow winemakers to send their wines to this evaluation," said Stilin and thanked all patrons and sponsors for their support and invited everyone to the festival.
Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, as the most geographically diverse region in Croatia, has an exceptionally large number of top wines and successful wineries. This is the result of the dedicated work, expertise and innovation of our winemakers, with the continuous support that the County provides them, both directly and through the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development. This fact resulted, among other things, in their association in Kvarner Wines, and the growth of the WineRi wine-gastro festival into a first-class and unavoidable event on the international map of producers, connoisseurs and lovers of top wines. We wish the organizers and exhibitors much success in their further work and look forward to the imminent start of WineRi – emphasized Mladen Brajan, Head of the Department for Entrepreneurship and Rural Development of the Administrative Department for Tourism, Entrepreneurship and Rural Development of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.
The City of Rijeka has supported this and similar events almost from the very beginning, which raise the bar in the tourist offer with their program and quality and make Rijeka an attractive destination to visit. In this sense, the City of Rijeka has been announcing a tender for the award of non-refundable grants for the organization of events in the city area for several years with the aim of improving the quality of the existing tourist offer and developing year-round tourism. With the continuous growth in the number of guests and overnight stays, as well as investments that have been made and those that are in progress, I think we are heading in the right direction towards the development of Rijeka as a desirable urban tourism destination - said, among other things, Dario Dobrilović, Head of the Department for Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism of the Administrative Department for Economy, Development, Ecology and European Projects of the City of Rijeka, adding that Wine Ri has developed into a respectable event over the years.
The Kvarner Tourist Board's brand Kvarner Wines, with which we successfully promote and encourage wine tourism in Kvarner, will be part of this excellent wine story. This festival is exactly where we can highlight Kvarner Wines to the professional audience, the media, and our guests – consumers. In the last few years, WineRi has established itself as the most important wine festival in Kvarner, which has become a meeting place for all participants in wine tourism. We are extremely pleased that the festival is taking place in the year in which Kvarner, as a wine and gastronomy destination, is the first and only one in Croatia to bear the title "Kvarner – European Region of Gastronomy 2026", and all this year's activities are leading towards the year in which we will truly be able to mark this with a variety of programs. It is important to us that the entire project and brand "Kvarner – European Region of Gastronomy" gather more and more partners, and that it is promoted by a group of ambassadors – renowned experts in the wine and gastronomy sector and related activities related to wine and gastronomy.
We are pleased that the festival attracted such a large number of exhibitors from Croatia and the international environment, which also contributes to the image of the destination as a boutique wine tourism destination, and now, in March, it also contributes to tourist traffic and the promotion of our vibrant Rijeka and the entire region. Therefore, this year the Kvarner Tourist Board will again bring study groups of journalists to the festival, and participate in the organization of a masterclass on indigenous Kvarner varieties called "The Best of Kvarner", as well as other educational workshops and content that enrich this wine festival and spread the good Kvarner story, noted the director of the Kvarner Tourist Board, Dr. sc. Irena Peršić Živadinov.
Improving and promoting the quality of tourist products in the destination is one of the primary goals of the Rijeka Tourist Board, which is always happy to support events that present and raise the quality of the city's offer in the best possible way. Events such as the International WineRi Eno-Gastro Festival contribute to a better positioning of Rijeka on the world tourist map, establishing it as a recognizable year-round destination. With an excellent offer in the destination, tourism is developed as an integral part of the city's development concept, which we are happy to support. This kind of festival is a great opportunity to promote the gastronomy of Rijeka and the Rijeka Ring, and as part of this year's WineRi, a presentation of dishes will be organized in collaboration with Chef Aleksandar Salević from the Feral tavern, which holds the title Rijeka's gastronomic fishing ports, so that the wider public can become familiar with the richness of this part of Kvarner.
Katarina Kukolj, president of the Srce za nju Association, thanked the organizers for recognizing the work of the Association and supporting their activities, and announced 2 panels that will be held on March 21st and 22nd at 4:00 PM in Exportdrv on the topic of health.
Marija Jelić emphasized the importance of cooperation and support for wine festival organizers and the participation of distributors, and announced workshops that will be held at the WineCo Wine Shop.
Klaudio Jurčić spoke about the continuation of the Žlahtina - Wine Queen of Kvarner project, which he is implementing in cooperation with the Kvarner Tourist Board, namely the project to create a Žlahtina glass, which will be held in cooperation with the Italesse factory on February 28, 2025. at Pršutana Gospoja in Vrbnik. He also presented the Sansigot - Wine King of Kvarner project, which includes the standardization of wines from the indigenous Kvarner grape variety Sansigot.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:
The international wine and food festival WineRi, organized by the Kvarner Wines Association, will be held on March 21st and 22nd at the Exportdrvo Congress Center in Rijeka (Grobnička riva bb) and is open to all visitors from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased at the Wine&Co Wine Shop in Rijeka, at the entrance to Exportdrvo on the day of the festival, and via the Eventim system – https://www.eventim.hr/hr/ulaznice/wineri-rijeka-exportdrvo-662755/event.html. A novelty of this year's festival is the possibility of tasting rare and exclusive wines that can be tasted for an additional fee or by purchasing additional vouchers. This year's festival introduces a novelty and a competition to select the best wine of the festival by the audience, namely everyone who buys tickets will receive voting slips and will be able to choose the best wines exhibited at the festival, and wineries and competitors will win special prizes. As an announcement of the festival, Wine&Co Wineries, in cooperation with the Kvarner Wines Association, the Kvarner Tourist Board, the Croatian Sommelier Club and Regional Wine Organizations, will hold a series of workshops - 5.3. - Bregfest in Kvarner (Bregovita Hrvatska), 12.3. - Dalmatia in Kvarner (Vino Dalmacije), 19.3. - Slavonia in Kvarner (Graševina Croatica), 20.3. - The Best of Kvarner (Kvarner Wines) led by top sommeliers and Kvarner Wines ambassadors. On the days of the festival, the Wine&Co Winery will host a series of promotions and presentations of wineries that will be performing at the festival, such as the Chardonnay by Kristijn Harjač masterclass, a presentation of the best Serbian wines selected by the vinoRs portal, the Coletti masterclass, etc., and in the Exportdrva cinema hall at 4:00 PM on both days, the Srce za nju Association, in collaboration with the Women on Wine Association, will hold a panel discussion on women's health: Menopause without taboos and Early breast cancer and what we can do better and why enea. A panel on the challenges facing wines from indigenous grape varieties of Croatia is also planned, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Regional Wine Organizations and Kvarner Wines. The promotion of the gastronomy of Rijeka and the Rijeka Ring will also be held at Exportdrva, through the promotion of food and wine, organized by the Rijeka Tourist Board and the Rijeka Ring Tourist Boards. This, the only Rijeka, eno-gastro festival this year brings together more than 100 exhibitors with more than 500 wine labels from Croatia, France, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, while the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County will be represented by all members of the Kvarner Wines Association. The Kvarner wine representation is made up of OPG Ružić from Zvoneća (Matulja) with Jarbola wine, Kapić Winery from Matulja and OPG Rubeša from Kastav with Plovanić (Belica) wines, Pavlomir Wine House from Vinodol, Ivan Katunar Wine House from Vrbnik, Vrbnik Agricultural Cooperative, Šipun Winery, Gospoja Agricultural Cooperative, Katunar Estate Winery and Nada Winery. Members of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Chamber of Crafts from the caterers' guild can get free entry by registering with the Chamber of Crafts, as well as members of the Croatian Sommelier Club. Partner associations whose members receive a discount on tickets are the Association of Winegrowers, Winemakers and Olive Growers of Sveta Lucija Crikvenica, the Association of Friends of Grapes and Wine Ružica Vinodola Novi Vinodolski, the Association of Friends of Roses, Grapes and Wine Belica Kastav, the Association of Winemakers of the Island of Krk Bukaleta, the Association Women on Wine, the European Order of Wine Knights, the Brotherhood of Croatian Wine Knights. The festival, like every other one so far, has a humanitarian character and will help the Association Heart for Her, which provides transportation for women with cancer, and all festival visitors will be able to donate to the association. The organizers believe that this year's number of visitors will greatly exceed last year's and that the festival will become a place for producers to meet and gather on the one hand, and wine professionals, wine and wine lovers and caterers on the other, i.e. that the event will become, in the true sense of the journalist's words, "an ode to the Mediterranean way of life." The patrons of the festival are the President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the City of Rijeka, the Croatian Tourist Board, the Kvarner Tourist Board, the Rijeka Tourist Board, the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and Jamnica Water.
ABOUT WINE EVALUATION:
Recognizing the need for national, international, 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 will take place in Vrbnik on the island of Krk in the Gospoja ham, and the wine will be evaluated by certified evaluators of the Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food, enologists, sommeliers and wine journalists. The president of the evaluation committees is Dr. Ivana Puhelek, and the wines will be evaluated 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 28. 2. 2025 and send wine samples to Vrbnik in Pršutan Gospoja at the address Sveta Nedija 5, 51516 Vrbnik. Sample collection will take place in Zadar on 22.2. and in Zagreb on 1.3. - contact Žarko Stilin at +385917639776). For each wine sample submitted for evaluation, it is mandatory to submit four (4) bottles of wine with original labels or a label containing at least the following information: name and surname or name of the producer, name of the wine, vintage year, wine-growing region/PDO.
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 for the third and each subsequent sample. Winemakers exhibiting at the International Wine and Gastronomy Festival WineRi will have additional benefits (1 + 1 free). The registration fee must be paid to: Winemakers' Cooperative Producers' Organization of Kvarner Wines, Frankopanska 1, 51516 Vrbnik, PBZ IBAN HR7023400091111122232, SWIFT PBZGHR2X, Purpose: KIWT 2025, Reference number: OIB of the applicant. The invoice will be sent to you after the evaluation in March.
WineRi 2025 program:
21.3.2025.
22.3.2025.
During the WineRi festival, the Directorate for Professional Support to the Development of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is able to hold education under the name Diseases and defects of wine which is primarily intended for wine producers, and was financed from intervention 78.01. ZPP Strategic Plan 2023-2027. and it is free for participants.
EXHIBITORS AT WINERA 2025:
