Let me start by aknowledging that I don't remember ever tasting a wine from Croatia in my life.

That was 1 more reason for me to sign up for Vina Croatia tasting taking place in New York on February 26, 2013.

Before heading for the Big Apple for this event, i tried to gather bits of information on country's native varietals and wineries.

'Vina Croatia' is an umbrella name under which Croatian wines are marketed to the world. The initiative is only a couple years old.

Here's their introduction to some of its best assets:

Rich, textured Grasevina from the rich soil and golden summers of Slavonia and the Croatian Danube.

Fresh, lively, hillside wines from the cool climate of the sunlit Croatian Uplands.

Profound, powerful Plavac Mali from the sun-drenched slopes of Dalmatia’s World Heritage coast

Bright, fragrant, Spring-like Malvasia from the cooler air of mystical, green Istria

First source of information I could find was Wines of Croatia site which oddly enough makes no mention of Vina Croatia tasting.

Another good place to look was HR Wines, a Florida based importer of Croatian wines and their evangelist.

Local wines will surely benefit from the fact that International Wine Tourism Conference is taking place in Zagreb (March 15-16, 2013)

(* illustration is photo of Erdut vineyards overlooking the Danube, via Wines of Croatia Facebook Page courtesy of their friends at Taste of Croatia!)