Dubrovnik Festiwine

Attention all passionate grape-product lovers. Dubrovnik Festiwine will soon embrace your tastes with rich program and dozens of tasteful exhibits.

Dubrovnik is the centre of the region where archeological findings strongly indicate a very rich and intriguing history of cultivating grapes and winemaking, older than 2500 years. Cultivation of grapes and production of wine shared a destiny of those who produced the wine, and enjoyed it. Throughout centuries, grapes and wine were exposed to droughts and inundations, diseases and pests, wars and violence, wrong and mean political and commercial decisions and regulations. Tribes and nations inhabited and disappeared, gangs and armies passed through, empires and kingdoms changed, as well as lord and gentlemen – but from the time when first vines were planted, first vineyards grown and the first wine fermented, wine producers have not missed a single year trying to make a better wine.

In wine growing regions of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, from Konavle to Neretva and from Pelješac to Lastovo, in the atmosphere of the most recent social changes, winemakers are faced with new challenges. In turbulent changes of ownership and economic relations, intensive introduction and following modern technological methods, encouraged individualization of wine production, wine makers are almost alone, faced with huge global wine market which represents a lifetime opportunity and death threat and the same time. Croatian winemakers, including those of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, have never had the opportunity to offer their wines on a larger market without additional special conditions in regards to national market. At the same time, as never before, Croatian market, including that of Dubrovnik is open to the world and especially European wines, which represent enormous qualitative and price competition that will be fatal for some producers. In such circumstances wine, our wine from local vineyards becomes just a commodity, a product whose placement and sales will be more and more demanding.

And wine, especially our wine, should not be merely a commercial product of agricultural and technological origin. Wine represents a very important component of our people’s identity, which witnesses a millennial interweave of mutual life in this region despite numerous historical dangers. Wine, over the centuries and millennia, weaves through all aspects of life in this area, becoming an essential cultural identity marker. So now when we finally put the pieces of our undisturbed life together, it is time to help our winemakers put their pieces together in order to continue their work and keep the inexhaustible tradition of producing and enjoying wine.

Come and enjoy Dubrovnik Festiwine, embracing centuries of Croatian wine culture.