The Riesling 2021 from the Kocijan winery in Strigova, Medimurje, shows classic aromatic notes of apricot, apple and pear with a citrus lift and hints of straw. It is a textbook example of cool-climate Riesling, which our northernmost wine district certainly is. Andreja and Petar Kocijan are unassuming, but their wines speak for themselves. They also make Chardonnay, Grasevina (Welschriesling), Sauvignon, Traminac Mirisavi (aromatic Traminer), as well as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, and they are sure to bring some of their whites to the second Rizling Raj(n)ski festival on Saturday, 22 November, at Hotel Capital in central Zagreb, Jurisiceva 22. 
Wine brings good people together, wine makes new friends, says Rajko Cmrecnjak, the father. His son Marko adds that wine is the little thing that makes the difference, and that the beauty of life lies in precisely those small things. The Cmrecnjak family winery from Sv. Urban near Strigova bottled its first wines in 1992, reached the Zagreb market in 1993, opened a tasting room in 1994 and won four gold medals at the Vino u Hrvata competition, and in 1995 introduced controlled fermentations. Today they have 27 hectares of vineyards and wines under 17 labels. They will certainly bring some wines made from Pusipel (the Medimurje name for Furmint) and the other whites they grow, namely Sauvignon, Pinot Sivi (Pinot Gris), Silvanac Zeleni (Gruner Silvaner), Muskat Zuti (Yellow Muscat), Grasevina and Rizvanac (Muller-Thurgau), and there is no doubt their wines will charm at least as much as they did last year.
Two years have passed since we first tasted the Riesling 2015 from the Kezele winery in Sumecani, Graberje Ivanicko. We enjoyed it and praised it deservedly, and the impression was similar this past spring, when the then still-young Riesling 2024 also greatly pleased. The 2019, meanwhile, was outstanding. It carries some unfermented sugar that is barely perceptible. As with the greatest Rieslings, it is masked by a freshness the wine does not lose despite the years. The Riesling 2012 also proved a wild wine. Not in the literal sense, of course. Janko and Drago Kezele also make, naturally, Skrlet, Grasevina, Chardonnay, and even Crni Franc, a tasty, fresh blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. They have plenty to bring to the Rizling Raj(n)ski festival, then, and visitors will have plenty to enjoy.
And Sunday, 16 November, is the last day to buy discounted tickets for the masterclasses and the Festival itself. For more details, read here.
15.11.2025.
