We thought we were going on a wine tasting tour, but it became so much more... Our trip planner booked us on Hvar Island during the wine and food festival, so we had no idea what to expect. Hvar is generally marketed as an exclusive, but also party, destination.... and now there's a festival, too? Grgo met us at our hotel promptly at 1600 as planned, and we traversed the beautiful cobblestone streets together to the public parking lot. Along the way, it became clear that this was going to be a special experience. Grgo Matkovic was so enthusiastic, brimming with local knowledge, filled with vision... a mission for his land, community, traditions surviving and thriving in a progressive, sustainable way. Everyone knows Grgo and his family because everyone knows everyone, locally! So don't be surprised when people stop to chat or just offer pleasantries wherever you go.
The views from the car ride over the narrow, older road were simply breathtaking (nothing you can imagine when you arrive in the congested, touristy ferry port). As Grgo explained the evolution of the island, he also shared a recent medical issue requiring treatment in Split, and the many sacrifices made to live on an island, far from emergency services, and subjected to devestating fires. Ever-increasing pressures from tourism and climate change have ravaged once thriving agricultural lands, lavender fields, and left picturesque villages almost abandoned.
Almost. Because Grgo and like-minded visionaries see the need to preserve (as UNESCO did), this truly magical, unique place on our planet. As we pivoted on the inclines we ran across several newly REinhabited homes. Grgo introduced us to a friend who renovated an ancient homestead into a thriving, sustainable farm, restaurant, and small market. We stopped at several areas along our journey to taste wild herbs, learn cultivation techniques, admire architectures, and marvel over ingenious hydrological designs that fed water to a thriving community for thousands of years.
Then, we were off to taste some of the most delicious wines you can imagine (and I love wine). We've been to the fanciest wineries in Southern France, Italy, Spain, and much less ostentatious wine tours in Oregon and Finger Lakes of New York... they were all exceptional in their own ways. For me, the difference here was the food. Wine tastings with food pairings are my favorite. Here, they pair wines with the most delectable local cheeses, fig cakes, bread, uniquely prepared prosciutto (forgetting the term here)... the wine makers are the townspeople themselves and vineyard owners help each other. Most wines from this region are young and are not meant to age. We had a light sparkling, white, rose, red blend, and then an aged single varietal (will review under the wineries themselves, but stick to the tour here!).
Grgo works the land with his father (who was in the stunning field of vegetables, fruits, and vines) when we arrived after our wine tasting. We walked through the fields and vineyards, hearing stories of his family and the many challenges of working the land; challenges displayed firsthand when his father shared that pheasants were ruining a crop of watermelons. The solution? He began covering them (in real time) with several layers of thistles.
It was already 3 hours into the tour when we finally settled into the Iovingly restored cellar of Grgo's homestead. We spent another hour (normally his family would join, but between the crops and family's medical emergency a few days before, it was just Grgo) tasting his family's wines and learning about his vision for the future. We had a robust, authentic discussion about so many aspects of society, life, nature, etc. The wines are yet to have labels or names, but the walnut brandy (reh-key-iya) and aged red blend were my favorites. My husband's preference was the rose. Shortly after getting on the road back to Hvar, the car began making a strange sound and we immediately suspected a tire problem... sure enough, an enormous screw.
What to do on a dangerous, narrow highway with no tow, triple A, or roadside assistance? We just pulled to the nearest shoulder (not many), Dad showed up in his vehicle, and a neighbor was on his way with a plug. Leaving the crippled car, the four of us departed (Grgo wouldn't hear of our help, nor let his father return us without him.)
Probably one of the more memorable experiences we've ever had on a vacation (certainly without family involved), because it felt like family. Unpretentious, unpredictable, uncommon. A true community. Makes us want to buy some sheep, goats, a couple cows, some chickens...and get to work!