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Cracking Croatian Wine: A Visitor-Friendly Guide is a practicaland informative book, designed for people who enjoy wineeither casually or with great curiosity and vigor. The mostcommon problem encountered by wine lovers when visiting awine region that they’re unfamiliar with is how to spend theirlimited amount of time sifting through all the wines andproducers on the shelves. That is why we have created thisbook, which will provide the pertinent information to maximize avisitor’s time in Croatia.

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About the Book

While Croatia is a young country, its wine history dates back to over2,500 years ago.

In the early 1990s, as the grip of socialism loosened and Croatiagained independence, small-production wineries that focused onquality began to surface throughout the country. Joining theEuropean Union in 2013, the membership brought along subsidiesfor private producers, which further aided the improvement in thequality of Croatian wine.

Today, there are around 40 indigenous grape varieties, on top ofmore than a hundred international varieties, that are widely used forcommercial wine production among the 4,000-something registeredwine producers. Based on a study conducted in 2015, Croatia ranksthird in the world in wine consumption per capita at 44.2 liters –nearly 59 bottles of wine per person annually.

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This BookIncludes…

An Introduction to CroatiaAn overview of Croatian wine history, wine regions, general climatic and geographical features, Croatian cuisine, and styles of wine available to complete the gastronomic experience.

Wine Grapes in CroatiaA rundown of the native and international wine grapes planted in Croatia, along with a pronunciation guide to help you order wine like a local!

Wine Label Interpretation Croatian wine labels can have a lot of information on them. In this book, we offer a guide to understanding every line on the label, what to look out for, and what to ignore.

Wine RecommendationsRecommendations on wine producers and over 120 wines to try from all four wine regions in Croatia. Wine recommendations are complete with tasting notes. This section is categorized into:1. For the discerning palate and the connoisseur2. For the adventurous palate or the wine geek3. For the casual wine drinker

Featured Wine PersonalitiesThese people will offer anecdotal insights and information about the existing wine culture and the prospect of Croatia as a wine destination.

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While traveling through the wine regions of the world, Dr Matthew Horkey andCharine Tan experienced many obstacles during the preparations and actualtrips, which compelled them to turn their love for wine into a creative force forgood.

In December 2015, they established Exotic Wine Travel, with the objectives topromote wine culture, wine tourism, lesser-known wine regions, and uniquewines. Through a range of communication outlets and events, the duo sharespertinent information about traveling in various wine destinations, introducewine lovers to the best of what each region has to offer, and provide anecdotalinsight into each region’s peculiarity.

Having traveled to more than 35 countries individually and explored over 50wine regions together, they bring an empathetic and astute “prosumer” lens totheir writing and the wine tourism industry. They are also WSET Advancedcertified.

Cracking Croatian Wine is their fourth book and the third of a series of winetravel books that they will be releasing.

About Exotic Wine Travel

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Dr Matthew Horkey is the co-founderof Exotic Wine Travel and the author of threebooks. He has also written for several trademagazines and peer-reviewed publications.An experienced public speaker, he’s been aguest speaker at the American University ofRome, Life University, and various companiesincluding Microsoft, TripAdvisor, Norton Rose,and JP Morgan. Dr Horkey is passionateabout learning and trying traditional andunique wines, sharing information withpeople, and turning them on to wine. He isWSET Advanced certified.

Matthew: I didn’t grow up drinking wine. Growing up on a produce farm in a town of2,500 people in southern Michigan, wine had zero influence in my life. My parentskept no alcohol in the house. As my curiosity took over, drinking consisted of thecheapest beer my friends and I could get our hands on.

My college days went by relatively alcohol-free until my last year at Michigan StateUniversity when a friend and I went to see the film Sideways by Alexander Paine.The way that Paul Giamatti’s character was obsessed with wine fascinated me. Thatcuriosity followed me to graduate school, where I tried to learn as much about wineas possible.

A backpacking trip through Europe in the middle of graduate school opened my eyesto what wine could and should be. In Lucca, a walled city in Tuscany, I was blownaway by the cheap and simple Vino da Tavola Rosso (red table wine). I remembersticking my nose deep into the carafe and taking in a world of wine I had neverexperienced before.

Moving abroad to Singapore, my real wine education began. After meeting Charine,her interest in the finer things in life deeply influenced me. We were soon at wine-pairing dinners every week, meeting and buying from wine importers, and joiningChampagne clubs. That interest motivated us through the years and in 2015, weboth quit our jobs to travel around the world in search of heaven in a glass.

About the Author

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Charine Tan has a decade-longexperience across different functions – frombranding to corporate performance,marketing, public relations, research, socialmedia, and sales. Today, she bringstogether those skills and experience as theco-founder of Exotic Wine Travel, workingwith wineries, importers, distributors,tourism boards, and associations in thepromotion of wine and wine tourism.Charine is WSET Advanced certified.

Charine: My interest in wine (and food) began at a very young age, kindled by a mixof curiosity and appetite. Contrary to Matthew’s experience, I grew up with alcohol. Itwas around me, inside me, sometimes even (spilled) on me. From beer to whiskey,brandy, and wine, they were common beverages on any day and celebratory figuresat festive gatherings. However, as was the case for Matthew, the wines I had at myyounger age were of quaffing standard – such as the sugary, “easy to drink” Merlotand overly oaked, vanilla-bombed-outCabernet Sauvignon.

My first serious fascination with wine developed when I was 18, after tasting a villageBurgundy that was paired harmoniously with a series of French dishes. Unlike any ofthe wines I had tasted in my earlier childhood – which often fell over the tongue likesoiled fabrics – the Pinot Noir was delicate, fruity, folded in a leathery aroma. Fromthen on, I started having preferences and opinions about wine, most of which werenever expressed as – like most people – I was still intimidated by the complexsubject of wine.

Over the past years, I’ve acquired an adventurous attitude towards wine. Tastingwine from lesser-known regions always excites me the most because every obscurewine has the potential to be “the best date of my life”. Beyond just the sensorymerits, focusing on lesser-known wines means I get to constantly learn somethingnew. Talking about wine and its intrinsic stories is a fun way to engage other peopleand bring them along for the ride. Wine has become my way of exploring andinterpreting the world. What makes wine travel so exhilarating is that it provides aport of entry into diverse topics such as geography, history, philosophy, religion,science, and sociology.

About the Author

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Let’s Connect!Website: http://exoticwinetravel.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/exowinetravelGoogle+: https://plus.google.com/+exoticwinetravelInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/exoticwinetravelTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/exowinetravelVivino: http://www.vivino.com/users/matt.horkYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/exoticwinetravel

As Seen On

Our Books

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Title: Cracking Croatian WineSubtitle: A Visitor-Friendly GuideISBN: 978-981-11-3973-4Release Date: July 2017Category: Cooking/Beverages/Wine & Spirit; Travel/Special Interest/GeneralSuggest Retail Price: USD 17.99 (print), USD 7.99 to 9.99 (electronic)Email: contact@exoticwinetravel.comWebsite: exoticwinetravel.comPublisher: The Blue Roster Private Limited. Singapore.Availability: Amazon.com, ExoticWineTravel.com, and selected partners

Book Information

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