The Vinski klub crew proclaimed the Cabernet Cortis Rosé 2020 a rosé sensation during last autumn’s visit to the Chresno winery, whose official address is in Pitomača. Their vineyards lie on Bilogora, in Mala Črešnjevica — the village whose medieval name inspired spouses Ivona Bura Slaviček and Miroslav Slaviček to name their winery. They grow classic varieties such as aromatic Traminac, white and yellow Muškat, Rajnski Rizling (Rhine Riesling), Zeleni Silvanac (Green Silvaner), Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, along with four PIWI varieties: Solaris, Muscaris, Cabernet Blanc and the aforementioned Cabernet Cortis. This autumn’s tidying of the cellar turned up a forgotten bottle of the Cortis and confirmed last year’s impression: it is exceptional.
The colour is a deeper, more saturated pink. The wine is unfiltered. The nose is thoroughly calm, with hints of fruitiness, though the herbal character is more pronounced. It is somehow warmly green, calling to mind a garden after rain. The palate is full, almost dense, so it does not wash the mouth but coats it. A breath of freshness comes from its minerality, and it does not race down the throat but descends slowly. For a few minutes more it lingers, as if still there. I felt like a blind hen that had stumbled upon a grain as I sipped it alongside catfish baked with potato and squash and blanched Brussels sprouts. And I drank it, slowly, on that sunny afternoon. Lucky the young company was not in the mood for wine, because there was no other bottle either…
It is not unimportant that a bottle at the Podravinoteka in Đurđevac costs 8.75 euros. It is time for another visit to Podravina. Cabernet Cortis was created last century by the German Valentin Blattner. He crossed the noble European Cabernet Sauvignon with a multiple hybrid of American wild vines and a European variety, whose formula is Merzling X (Zarya Severa X Muscat Ottonel). The result is a variety that refines the best traits of Cabernet Sauvignon with greater resistance to grapevine diseases. You can read more about PIWI varieties in this April article, PIWI-li pa živili.
12.10.2025.
