On Saturday, June 8, the Pavlomir Winery’s countryside setting hosted the second Sparkling Breakfast, a truly hedonistic event that brought together numerous visitors keen on maximum enjoyment of sparkling wines, local bites, nature, and quality music. This year, it also featured a special opening ceremony with the top-rated and award-winning Pavlomir Winery’s 1288 sparkling wine from 2013, opened using the attractive sabrage technique, i.e., with a saber.

The 250 million lively bubbles and the finest aromas served in tall glasses were provided by the vintners gathered around the Kvarner Wines association, including Krk-based producers Nada, Šipun, Ivan Katunar, Anton Katunar, the PZ Vrbnik and Gospoja cooperatives, along with sparkling wines from OPG Plovanić and OPG Ružić and from the Pavlomir Wine House. Also present were representatives of the boutique winery Karleuša from Rijeka, who showcased their still wines, as well as the always welcome guest from Slovenia, the Albiana Winery from Dolenjska.

As befits a Sparkling Breakfast, the sparkling wines were perfectly complemented by a wide array of varied and delicious gourmet delicacies, predominantly from local producers. Every dish we eat “awakens” our senses, creating pleasant, tasty experiences. Ensuring all senses were awakened was the culinary spread offering bites from the Runolist cheese factory in Krasno, cured meats from Buretić Brega, Bakarski baškot (traditional dried bread), prisnac (local specialty), fresh and dried cheeses from local producers, as well as Dalmatian prosciutto and various fish delicacies, such as salted anchovies, octopus salad, and various fish pâtés. This year the focus was on pairing sparkling wines with the sea. There were also sweet treats on the dessert table, with Kolači i slastice Vilma featuring their traditional Rab cake, Kavana Toš offering pralines filled with pistachios, hazelnuts, and fruit fillings as well as their specialty chocolates, OPG Trešnja from Ledenice with their homemade cherries, and numerous other desserts, all of which paired excellently with sparkling wines or with Aperol Spritz or Gin.

The Kvarner shrimp is said to be among the best and highest-quality shrimp in the world, something proven during the highly interesting educational segment of the Sparkling Breakfast—a workshop on pairing Kvarner sparkling wine with Kvarner shrimp that was in high demand. The workshop was led by Prof. Marija Vukelić, the creative mind behind the sparkling breakfast concept. Meanwhile, Mladen Komadina, a shrimp fisherman and owner of the widely renowned tavern Konoba Pod Orajem in Klenovica, provided freshly caught shrimp. During the workshop, this Adriatic gem was sampled in two ways: raw and grilled. It was fascinating to experience the distinctly different flavors when tasting the raw shrimp, shrimp paired with olive oil, or Croatian fish spices. Oi Vivo supplied two indigenous Istrian olive oil varieties, while spices were provided by Fjori Fora. Four sparkling wines made from the Žlahtina grape by various Kvarner producers were tasted alongside the shrimp, to explore how each region’s terroir influences the character of the Žlahtina grape.

To complete the experience, Mateo Žmak and Suzana Matušan Avgustini provided a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere with the beautiful sounds of piano and violin echoing throughout the vineyard. As we indulged ourselves, time passed quickly, and the event concluded with En Primeur Kvarner, during which the attending wineries presented their still wines to numerous visitors.

Once again, the Sparkling Breakfast in the Vineyard proved to be an exceptionally successful and engaging event, certain to delight many audiences in the future. The romantic setting of the Pavlomir vineyard, a glass of sparkling wine on picnic blankets, and a relaxed, pleasant ambiance served as a superb start to a sunny June morning. The beautiful backdrop was further enhanced by the team from Čarolija detalji čine razliku (“The Magic is in the Details”).

The Sparkling Breakfast is a subproject of the Zagreb Salon of Sparkling Wines, organized in cooperation with the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board, Kvarner Tourist Board, Pavlomir Wine House, and the Vina Kvarnera association.

“A large number of exhibitors, vintners, and family farms (OPGs) from across Kvarner are here at our second sparkling breakfast this year. Gastronomy is one of the reasons visitors come to this destination, so I think this event is a great concept since it aims to bring the best of Kvarner together in one place and offer guests a unique eno-gastronomic experience. One thing that makes it exclusive is the limited number of visitors, which also allows us to maintain a high standard for the event. I have to say this is one of my favorite events, mainly because it’s organized by a team of people who truly enjoy what they do, and visitors can feel that,” said Tena Peričić, director of the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board.

“Our winery was founded during wartime events, when we arrived in the Vinodol valley and planted a vineyard here in 1994. Today, we have 30 hectares of vineyards and produce four types of sparkling wine. We are especially proud of the Žlahtina grape, which we restored to this valley. I’m very pleased that we achieve great successes at all competitions, and today we kicked off the event with our award-winning 1288 sparkling wine, which in 2013 was named the best sparkling wine in Slovenia,” noted Miroslav Palinkaš, owner of the Pavlomir winery.

“This event is important because it promotes the entire Kvarner sparkling wine scene, celebrating a hedonistic way of life and enjoyment of sparkling wines. In addition to showcasing vintners, we always have a workshop or educational segment as well as music. At the workshop we will taste shrimp from Klenovica in two ways, two native olive oil varieties from Istria, spices for fish from Hvar, and pair that with four Žlahtina wines,” said Marija Vukelić, director of the Zagreb Salon of Sparkling Wines.