Juice

I don’t know much about Croatian wine, but that’s changing — over the last few weeks: I’ve been snagging bottles wherever I can find them and delighting in their variety and style.

I’m starting our Croatian travels together with this little number: Ikons from the producer Voštinić – Klasnić, from the area of Moslavina, featuring the grapes škrlet and graševina. If we keep drinking from here I will be much more adept with my keyboard accent shortcuts!

It’s got lime, green apple and some pineapple notes, crisp on the finish with a pleasingly sour/tart lemon drop quality to the acid. At 12% alcohol it’s a lovely way to have kicked off the summer, and refreshing not just as a wine, but as a first exploration into what Croatia has to offer. It has it’s own character but is easily recognizable as simply delicious juice.

Jazz

Something about this wine being a delightful adventure, easily enjoyable and no less great for that fact brought the music of Ahmad Jamal to mind.

There couldn't be a better example of expert, exotic and easy pleasure than his tune Ponciana — of you don’t know it, its a perfect summer song: inspired by a Cuban folksong and named after an exotic tree, it brought a new groove to jazz history and became a hit in 1958.

For those of you already in the know, I found another one of Jamal’s excursions from 2017 (when he was well into his 80s) entitled Marseille which has much of what a love about his aforementioned hit tune.

It’s both explorative and easy, unafraid to repeat a great melody (in two languages, sung by Mina Agossi) and has both interest and ease, and for all Jamal's history and technique his work feels ever fresh and alive.