Krauthaker Grasevina Mitrovac 2017

Ideally drink now through 2020. Serve chilled

Grasevina, the Croatian name for the grape Welschriesling, is a specialty of the Krauthaker winery, located on the southern slopes of Krndija in the Kutjevo wine growing region. Almost 65% of their vineyards are planted to the varietal, and their mastery of this grape shows in the Grasevina Mitrovac. Straw yellow in color, the aromas leap out of the glass, with ripe apple, apricot, honey, and chamomile leading the way. The palate is fresh and fruity, with more stone fruit, a creamy and round texture, and a tart finish with just a hint of refreshing bitter melon and salinity. A hint of noble rot throughout the sip lends sweet, dessert-wine like flavors to this wine, although it is dry.

This wine is a fantastic pairing for richer seafood dishes like crab or lobster risotto, cured meats, or light summer appetizers like prosciutto and melon. It would also work well as a digestif during a cheese course.

Krauthaker Winery, in the renowned winegrowing region of Kutjevo, is a Grasevina specialist, making multiple types of the grape with both dry wines and sweeter, late harvested versions. The Grasevina Mitrovac is picked two weeks after the regular Grasevina, which lends some Botrytis Cinerea, or “Noble Rot” notes to the wine, however it is still fermented dry. The Mitrovac vineyard is fertilized only with manure, and is worked in part by horses so as to not compact the soil, and in keeping with Krauthaker’s environmentally friendly mantra.