Mike Grgich was the winemaker at the California winery Chateau Montelena, whose 1973 Chardonnay triumphed at the Judgment of Paris, the celebrated blind tasting of American and French wines held in 1976. Miljenko Grgic, to give him his Croatian name, later founded his own winery in California, and from his former Montelena comes the Riesling Potter Valley 2023 to the Rizling Raj(n)ski festival at Zagreb’s Hotel Capital. It will be one of the stops on a wine tour across three continents on which our renowned sommelier Kresimir Kozic will guide Riesling lovers on Wednesday, 19 November, from 5 pm. 
Alongside this Californian Riesling, at his “Riesling Around the World” masterclass Kresimir will also present the New York Ravines Dry Riesling Finger Lakes 2021, the Australian Leeuwin Estate Art Series Riesling 2024 Margaret River and Grosset Springvale Riesling 2023 Clare Valley, as well as the Italian Planeta Eruzione 1614 Riesling 2022 from Sicily and Falkenstein Riesling Alte Rebe 2021 from the Alto Adige region.
The story of wines made from this great variety will continue that same day in the same venue with the masterclass “Archive Rieslings of Hilly Croatia” from 7 pm, and two more will follow on Saturday, 22 November, on the eve of RizlingFest itself. We will publish fuller details about them tomorrow, along with how to register for the masterclasses and for the Festival.
08.11.2025.
