Croatia travel info
Guide to Croatia
Other Croatia news
Croatia Events
More info on...
Croatia travel facts
| Area (sq km): | 56,538 | |
| Population: | 4,495,904 | |
| Nationality: | Croat, Croatian |
|
| Local Name: | Hrvatska | |
| Language: | Croatian, Serbian |
|
| Time Zone: | +1 GMT | |
| Currency: | 1 kuna = 100 lipas | |
| Rate: | www.xe.com | |
| Capital: | Zagreb | |
| Dialling Code: | +385 | |
| Electricity: | 220V/50Hz | |
| Internet Code: | .hr | |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic, Orthodox |
|
| Climate: | Mediterranean, Continental |
|
| Government: | Presidential, Parliamentary Democracy |
|
| Inoculations: | None | |
| Driving: | Right | |
| Int'l License: | Not Required | |
| Banking: | M-F 7.00-19.00 | |
| Major Airports: | Brac(BWK), Dubrovnik(DBV), Rijeka(RJK), Zagreb(ZAG) |
Apartments in Croatia for Saint Martin
The perfect time to visit the winemakers in Zagreb from apartments in Croatia is during St Martin’s Day on 11 November. Enjoy the baptism of wine and other interesting St Martin’s Day customs at the top wine houses in Croatia. Cheers!
Wine is an important part of life in Croatia though it may not be as well known as its Italian neighbours. On 11 November, St Martin’s Day is celebrated mostly in Zagreb County.
The most popular towns to rent apartments in Croatia for St Martin’s Day are Martin Breg and Dugo Selo. St Martin’s Day (Martinje) falls at the end of the wine growing season. Traditionally on St Martin’s Day the new wines of the season are purified and blessed. The wine’s blessing is then followed by a sumptuous dinner of roasted goose. Partake in all of the day’s customs when you stay in Croatia villas.
St Martin’s Day
Though it may be the day of Saint Martin (Martinje), the religious ties to the day are very unique and different. Catholicism and wine have always been linked, but the St Martin’s Day customs are entirely different. St Martin’s Day is the day that ‘must’ (pressed grapes) is turned to wine. ‘Must’ is seen as being wine in an impure and dirty state since it still has pulp, skins and stems, thus the Croats feel that they need to baptise the wine to make it pure.
St Martin’s Day customs include the host or often winemaker dressed as a Catholic bishop. He selects a godfather for the new wine and then together they baptise and purify the new wine. It is now that the ceremony is followed by the traditional dinner of roast goose which is just delicious!
Wine in Croatia
Wine in Croatia is a source of national pride hundreds of years old. The traditional wine in Croatia is celebrated with St Martin’s Day, widely with the winemakers in Zagreb County. There are a wide range of winemakers in Zagreb County and the following is a small list: Josip Braje, Janko Budinseak, Franjo Gregorie, Velimir Jagunie, Stjepan Kolarie, Ivica Kokot and Petar Lukina.
White table wine is popular in Croatia as are cooler reds like Claret. Buy a bottle of wine in Croatia and enjoy the nectar of the gods on the patios of apartments in Croatia.