I could not have made a wine like this before, because I did not have Frankovka, and it is the most important grape in this wine, said Ivan Enjingi as he presented the new Crno Venje, drawn from the 2016 and 2017 vintages with a little from 2018, at the celebration of his 85th birthday at the winery in Hrnjevac near Kutjevo. Crni Pinot (Pinot Noir) makes up the largest share, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Frankovka and Zweigelt, with a touch of Merlot. The wine is sensationally fresh, still a little wild, and asks only for time to soften its tannins. 
The celebration began with a dinner for some 200 friends on Saturday, 17 May, and carried on into a late-night tasting of select wines, among which those from 1998 delighted, while the 1994 Zweigelt surprised with its liveliness. For a smaller circle it ended only with a tour of the tanks on Sunday morning. All with song, of course, for which the tireless guests from Sibenik deserve the most credit. The lads from the Sveti Mihovil klapa (traditional Dalmatian a cappella group) and the band Jutro were rechristened the Venje Sibenik klapa, which literally never stopped singing. 
Dear Ivo, may you live another 85 years for us, and then we shall agree on what comes next!
Photographs: Vinski klub
19.05.2025.
