In Voloder near Popovača, in the heart of Moslavina, the Vrabec family has been farming for three generations, professionally since 1993. It all began with apple orchards, followed by the production of apple cider vinegar and apple and pear juices. Alongside the orchards there was a vineyard from the very beginning, and over time it grew into one of the family’s main stories.
Today the winery is run by Tomislav Vrabec, a graduate agronomist who returned to his home region after completing his studies in Plant Protection at the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb, and together with his family set about expanding and modernising production. The apple orchards cover seven hectares and are equipped with hail nets and an irrigation system, while the vineyards have grown from a modest initial 0.2 hectares to today’s four hectares.
For years the family made its wine in the cellar of a fellow winemaker near Kutina, until March 2024, when they opened their own winery in Voloder. The cellar currently has a capacity of 30 thousand litres, with a clear ambition to grow further to 80 thousand litres.
The opening of the new winery brought together the wine scene of Moslavina, from fellow winemakers of Popovača, Voloder and Kutina to the family’s many friends and associates. The turnout and the atmosphere showed how warmly the new winery was welcomed in the Voloder area.
Škrlet as the backbone
The backbone of the vineyards is Škrlet, the autochthonous Moslavina variety that occupies the largest share of the plantings. Alongside it, the Vrabec family grows Graševina, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, Muškat žuti and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The wines are released under the house slogan “wines with a royal signature”, a tribute to the rich winemaking tradition of Voloder and the Moslavina region. The winery’s character is further underlined by labels carrying the names and nicknames of close family members, giving every bottle a personal, family story.
That the young winery is not only winning hearts but achieving concrete results is confirmed by its first awards. The Škrlet of the 2025 vintage won a gold medal in the summer wines category of the Vinske zvijezde project, while the new wines also premiered at the Wine Festival in Kutina, where they too received several gold medals.
A family story that keeps growing
The Vrabec Winery remains above all a family story. Tomislav is a father of four, and his sons are already showing the greatest interest precisely in the cellar and winemaking, so there seems to be no shortage of future successors.
Vrabec wines are easiest to taste and buy at the doorstep in Voloder, at the family stand along the Kutina – Sisak county road, but also at a growing number of restaurants that include them in their offer. Alongside the wines, the family still offers the fruit products with which the whole story began: homemade apple juice and apple cider vinegar.
Vrabec Winery: family tradition, Moslavina Škrlet and wines with a royal signature.
Website: www.vinarijavrabec.hr