Istria is sparsely populated, colorfully green, hilly countryside. Away from the popular coastline on the Mediterranean, where houses spill down slopes towards the vast smooth bay that lies between the peninsula and the mainland, stone farmhouses and villages sit in a rural landscape dotted with oak, olive and blue splashes of lavender, with pretty, hilltop towns and houses clustered around the obligatory towering Roman Catholic church spire. Much of it reminds you of central and coastal Italy. Malvasia flourishes here as a crisp dry white, a Croatian an ...Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco

Zlatan Plekovic, Croatia's most awarded winemaker, owns 10 hectares of vines on the precipitous slopes (35-40% in some places) of the island of Hvar off the Dalmatian coast. Considered one of the sunniest places in Europe, the island is a perfect mesoclimate for viticulture, as the ancient Greeks discovered over three millennia ago. The 'Little Blue' is made of 100% Plavac Mali, Croatia's most important grape. Often compared structurally to Nebbiolo, it's a fragrant red varietal that can be somewhat tannic in youth, but with age takes on wonderful second ...Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City

According to the importer: "If you drive out to the end of the Pelješac Peninsula in Southern Dalmatia you can take short ferry ride to the island of Korcula. Lush with pine forests and Mediterranean herbs, wine has been the backbone of the island’s economy since before the Greeks. … The Toreta story begins with Frano Banicevic’s great grandfather who not only founded the winery, but dutifully wrote down everything about winemaking and working in the vineyard as well. Today, Frano is picking up where his great grandfather left off. A young winemaker who ...Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco

The monastery's history is believed to date back to the middle ages and it came under the possession of the Serbian king by the end of the 13th century. After several more centuries of monastic use, and being destroyed and rebuilt a few times, the monks of the monastery Tvrdoš began a new chapter of winemaking at the property about a decade ago. Today the estate includes a cellar dating back to the 15th century as well as modern wine production facility with new equipment incorporated into the historic site.

Inventory: Hollywood San Francisco

Not too far from the beautiful city of Dubrovnik is the winery of Frano Milos. Milos is a curly-headed artist, in early middle age, and very charismatic. His Plavac is typical of the grape. And, in the event that you do not know about Plavac, it is a native grape to Croatia that is grown almost exclusively in the region of Dalmatia. The name literally means, "little blue" in Croatian, which refers to the small, bluish grapes that the vines grow. It tends to have deep flavors of blackberries, pepper, and other spices.

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco

Maraschino is the original liqueur from Zadar, Croatia, acknowledged all over the world for its excellence. Recognizable by its distinctive sweet flavor and aromatic bouquet, it's still prepared according to the traditional recipe created by the pharmacists of the Dominican monastery from the beginning of 16th century. Distilled from the Dalmatian marasca cherry, this will provide pleasure for those to it new and to the connoisseur.

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco