The Wine Rose of Vinodol programme, a festival inspired by a historic custom dating back to the time of the Frankopans, when the most outstanding grape picker – the Rose – was chosen at the end of the grape harvest, will take place in an adapted format this year due to the forecast of bad weather. The programme scheduled for Thursday, 20 August, and Friday, 21 August, has been cancelled, while  The Wine Rose of Vinodol competition will be held on Saturday, 22 August, and Sunday, 23 August.

The competition programme will begin on Saturday, 22 August, at 9:00 p.m. in the Old Town of Novi Vinodolski. Nine candidates will put their skills to the test in a series of disciplines related to wine and traditional household tasks, accompanied by Trio Arka.

Saturday evening on Frankopan Square will be further enhanced by performances by Petar Dragojević and Trio Mirakul. Wine will also take centre stage – at the Wine Festival, visitors will have the opportunity to taste wines from different Croatian wine-growing regions and discover new wine stories. Alongside wine and live music, a special dish created for the festival will also be presented – Novljanski pijat, which combines local ingredients to bring an authentic taste of the Novi Vinodolski area.

At Vinodol Statute Square, the focus will be on preserving tradition through presentations of traditional crafts and a market showcasing local products. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover basket weaving, blacksmithing, herbalism, pottery making, wood carving, mosaic making, wool felting, traditional needlework, old-fashioned games and many other traditional skills that bear witness to the rich heritage of Vinodol.

On Sunday, 23 August, The Wine Rose of Vinodol will move to the vineyards of Pavlomir Wine House. In the authentic vineyard setting, from 8:00 p.m., the candidates will demonstrate their winemaking and vineyard skills, while the atmosphere will be enhanced by the band Insula and the Nebuloza Trio, together with a rich gastronomic offering and excellent wines. Around 11:00 p.m., The Wine Rose of Vinodol 2026, her runners-up and the most charming Rose will be announced. The winners can look forward to valuable prizes, including a cruise along the Adriatic for two and an autumn weekend in Rovinj.

On both competition days, the programme will be hosted by Borna Šmer. We are also particularly pleased that this year’s The Wine Rose of Vinodol will be filmed as part of the new season of the series “Naše male fešte” (“Our Little Celebrations”), produced for HRT by the production company Izvan fokusa.

Year after year, The Wine Rose of Vinodol confirms that tradition can be attractive, vibrant and contemporary. The combination of wine, gastronomy, music, customs and a competitive spirit creates a unique experience and an opportunity to discover Novi Vinodolski in a truly special way.

See you at The Wine Rose of Vinodol on 22 and 23 August! Novi Vinodolski will once again come alive with its most beautiful wine story – one in which tradition is not merely preserved from being forgotten, but lived anew.

The organisers of The Wine Rose of Vinodol are the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board and the Vinodol Municipality Tourist Board, with the co-organisation of the City of Novi Vinodolski, Vinodol Municipality, Cultural Centre of the City of Novi Vinodolski, Pavlomir Wine House, Association of Friends of Grapes and Wine “Ružica Vinodola”, Vina Kvarnera Association, KUD Ilija Dorčić and the Čakavian Assembly Department Novljansko kolo. The event is supported by the Kvarner Tourist Board and the Croatian National Tourist Board, while sponsors include the Katarina Line travel agency, Adria Mare Travel Agency, Bartelo Mali, Skipper, API Kvarner, Leut Souvenir Gallery, “Zola” Flower Atelier and Pavlomir Wine House.