Paola Bosch at the Lipanović Winery
The first German sommelier and an award-winning author of books on food and wine, has never hidden her enthusiasm for Croatian wines
Paula Bosch, the first German sommelier and an award-winning author of books on food and wine, has never hidden her enthusiasm for Croatian wines. Since tasting the authentic Istrian and Dalmatian wines for the first time almost 15 years ago, Paula Bosch has been constantly returning to Croatia year after year, tirelessly discovering and actively promoting Croatian varieties and winemakers.
A hedonistic cruise
In the summer of 2019, together with the legend of the Croatian culinary scene, chef Branko Ognjenović, she designed a unique food and wine cruise along the Adriatic coast. On her, as she called it, “discovery voyage” Paula Bosch and her guests visited places that were once just spots on the map, and today their recognisability and popularity is growing thanks to the rich and completely unique winegrowing areas. Of course, the island of Vis, the cradle of viticulture in Croatia, was also a part of her tour, and the Lipanović Winery had the honour of hosting them and introducing them to Vis wines.
mjesta koja su nekad bila samo mrlje na karti, a danas im prepoznatljivost i popularnost raste zahvaljujući bogatim i posve jedinstvenim vinorodnim područjima. Naravno da se na njezinoj ruti našao i otok Vis, kolijevka vinogradarstva u Hrvatskoj, a čast da ih ugosti i upozna s viškim vinima imala je upravo Vinarija Lipanović.
Wine tastings
We started our oenological journey with the queen of Vis Island called Vugava, a local white variety that grows only on Vis Island. After tasting Vugava, which is a trademark of both Vis Island and the Lipanović Winery, we proudly introduced our guests to Palaruša. Palaruša. We saved this ancient and completely unique variety from oblivion, but as its cultivation is extremely demanding, it is produced in small quantities, so each golden drop is a premium oenological experience. Mrs Bosch was delighted. Although she managed a cellar of about 35,000 bottles in the Michelin-starred Munich restaurant Tantris, she rarely found rarities such as Palaruša. The visit ended with tasting our Plavac Mali, which Mrs Bosch’s group unanimously stated was the best Plavac Mali they had ever tasted.
Small, premium and dedicated
Mrs Bosch did not overlook the special features of our winery or our commitment to wines. “There are fewer and fewer winemakers who appreciate quality more than profit, who do not work for the highest possible profit and are driven by a desire to create something special, like the Lipanović Winery,” said Paula Bosch, adding that precisely because of that our wines are invaluable to her. We would be lying if we said that we were not touched by Paula Bosch’s praise. She is one of the world’s best sommelier, awarded with the prestigious title of sommelier of the year in 1998 by the renowned French guide Gault & Millau.