The picturesque Bistro Market in the centre of Zagreb, at Gundulićeva 13, hosted the 26th edition of ‘Wine by the Spoon’ (Vino uz žlicu), the signature eno-gastro project of Renata Cisar and Mustafa Topčagić, journalists and lovers of wine and gastronomy. Six years ago it was opened by Fran Ćurković, a young banker who pursued gastronomy as a hobby, but things turned serious when, at a street-food event, his deconstructed sarma (stuffed cabbage rolls) became a genuine hit. He then made a risky move — resigned from the bank, borrowed money from family and friends and rented premises in Gundulićeva Street, wanting to offer good food at fair prices. The business grew and Ćurković was joined, as co-owner, by the Hvar restaurateur Antoni Jurica, while the kitchen has for five years been run by Goran Stanisavljević, who in his native Rovinj learned from the best, such as Tomo Gretić.
Spring soparnik with a homemade sauce was the finger food with which media guests were welcomed. Alongside the triangular morsels filled with chard, guests enjoyed the Iskra brut sparkling from the Zagorje winery Najman of Martinkovec near Varaždinske Toplice. Made by the traditional method from Pinot Crni (Pinot Noir), it spent two years on the lees, with no dosage liqueur added. It was precisely these welcome bites and Najman’s sparkling that the eno-gastro journalists declared the best pairing of food and wine.
The gathering continued with brandies from the Kotal distillery in Cerovlje, Istria. The owner, Armando Lušetić, presented five brandies to the guests. Kičica, made from red centaury, has a markedly bitter taste and is a good remedy for the stomach; Kuš is a sage brandy, highly aromatic and a natural antibiotic; Loza Barik is aged in small barrels of Slavonian oak and rich in aromas of wood and spice; Ruda is mildly bitter, excellent as an aperitif and a digestif; and Travarica is colourless and cooked to an old recipe with more than ten medicinal herbs.
Then Zoran Kalčić of Vrsar in Istria presented his extra-virgin olive oil. So, alongside the fine homemade sourdough bread baked daily at Bistro Market, guests had the chance to taste Buža, Leccino, Istarska Bjelica and Selekcija, a blend of the varieties Istarska Bjelica, Buža and Rožinjola. The family has been engaged in olive growing and oil production since 1997, and their former grove of 120 trees has grown into an olive orchard of a thousand trees across 3.5 hectares. 
Homemade cheese-filled gnocchi were the first substantial dish on the tables, where guests were greeted by Šoškić Graševina 2024 from Plešivica. A lightly piquant dish, one that vegetarians might also enjoy, it married nicely with the fruity, fresh Graševina from the ‘Taste of Terroir’ line. The Graševina grapes on the Rebri site were picked as early as August, and the wine released for sale in December. The Šoškić vineyards lie on the former country estate of the ‘father of the homeland’, Dr Ante Starčević. 
With the open raviolo à la chicken paprikash came Galić Chardonnay 2021, nurtured on fine lees. It aged for nine months in small barrels, ‘rested’ in stainless steel and then ‘settled’ in the bottle. This was followed by Pašticada à la Market, the house speciality, though made not from a leg of beef but from veal shank braised for two days. The Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 from the Zlatno Brdo winery held its own well against this dish. Judging by what was tasted, the 2019 vintage was exceptional and can be called a true ambassador of Baranja.
Luka Radiček, chief oenologist and head of production at the Slovenian winery Puklavec Family Wines, presented the Rumeni Muškat (Yellow Muscat) 2024 with just six per cent alcohol. Oenologist Radiček joked that the excellent refreshing tiramisu, served as dessert, held more alcohol than the wine. This was the final summer edition of ‘Wine by the Spoon’, from which the Cisar/Topčagić duo wished winemakers a successful harvest and restaurateurs plenty of good recipes, a rich yield and quality produce in the autumn, when they will lead eno-gastro lovers to some new venue.
Text and photographs: FAMA & Julio Frangen
25.06.2025.
