The champion of the 57th Exhibition of Continental Croatian Wines in Sveti Ivan Zelina is the Chardonnay Ice Harvest 2018 from the Bodren winery in Hum na Sutli. No surprise there: Boris Drenski is known for crafting outstanding predicate wines, but this time his ice Chardonnay earned a perfect 100 points. Naturally it took first place in the predicate category, and the second-best-rated wine of the Exhibition is also his: Triptih 2020, a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Traminac, scored 96 points. 
Although this flawless Chardonnay comes from the 2018 vintage, the fruit was picked in early January 2019. That is when the temperature dropped to minus seven degrees, the point required for an ice harvest, when the grapes are pressed while frozen to concentrate sugar and acidity. A total of 307 samples were entered for judging, and the full list of category winners is available on the zelina.hr website. The presentation and award ceremony will take place on Friday, 13 June 2025, at the Kralus Hall in Sveti Ivan Zelina at 6:00 p.m.
5 June 2025
