Tomic Participating in Month of Bogdanusa in Split

As part of the general promotion of Hvar wines, Bastijana is delighted to be involved in 'A Month of Bogdanusa' at Paradox Wine and Cheese Bar in Split, which lasts until July 15.

Bogdanusa is an indigenous grape to the island of Hvar and is not grown anywhere else in the world. Why not come along and try some?

Tomic will also be supporting various events throughout the month on Hvar, including the Bogdanusa Night in Svirce on June 22, which promises to be an event of Dalmatian culture and tradition, including a game of the rare Dalmatian zoga falo. See a video report on last year's event below. 

Bastijana to Partner Fresno State University on Student Intern Programme

Among the many international visitors in recent days, Bastijana was delighted to welcome Dr. Jim Kennedy from Fresno State University and Catherine Hanley from EVE Abroad. Both were in Jelsa on an inspection visit and to finalise the programme for what promises to be an exciting project for the winemakers of Hvar.

Starting in May 2014, up to 20 Californian wine students from Fresno will be spending 7 weeks in Croatia - predominantly in Jelsa and Svirce - on an intern programme with the winemakers of Hvar. It is a great opportunity to develop some grassroots connections for the island's wines and also Hvar tourism, and Bastijana is looking forward to hosting its first students next year. Andro is pictured here with Dr. Kennedy overlooking the new Tomic vineyards in Vira, north of Hvar Town. 

A Bottle of Tokaj as Bastijana Welcomes The Irish Times to Jelsa

More international media attention in Jelsa yesterday, as Bastijana welcomed Dan McLaughlin, Central Europe correspondent The Irish Times. Dan, who is based in Hungary, brought a gift for Andro Tomic, a bottle of the famous Hungarian dessert wine Tokaj, so that he could compare it with his beloved Prosek.

A very pleasant two hours ensued, where a range of topics where covered of a glass or two ("this white is really, really good") and lots of notes were taken, not only about Hvar wines, but also various other aspects of Hvar, from the history of El Shatt to the dormouse festival. I suspect we will be seeing Dan again on Hvar shortly... Andro gave Dan a bottle of Prosek to send him on his way, but he was clearly impressed with the wines, as he popped up to the shop to buy a few more bottles.

Thanks for your visit Dan, and we hope you had a good trip to Hvar.

Interviewing Johnny Rotten from Sex Pistols in a Tomic Shirt

What do interviewers wear when they interview punk legends such as Johnny Rotten?

Digital Journal's Paul Bradbury arrived at Hotel Dubrovnik in Zagreb two days ago wearing the colours of Bastijana in a blue Tomic polo shirt. He was just about to offer Johnny a glass of Plavac Mali, but there did not seem to be a need... Read more about the interview here.

Andro Tomic Featured in Today's Sunday Telegraph

Bastijana was in the international media again this morning, as Nick Squires' article appeared in one of Britain's leading publications, The Sunday Telegraph, with the lead photo none other than Andro Tomic holding a glass of his beloved Prosek. Read the full article here. 

The Daily Telegraph in Jelsa: This Wine is Extraordinary

Bastijana welcomed Nick Squires, Rome correspondent for Britain's Daily Telegraph this morning, the latest international journalist coming to Jelsa to meet Andro Tomic. Nick is doing a story for the Sunday Telegraph about Croatia's entry to the EU, and he was joined by Paul Bradbury of Total Hvar and Dusan Jelic of Wines of Balkans.

Once the political discussion was finished, there was time for a wine tasting, where both Andro and Dusan gave an enthusiastic introduction to the Plavac Mali grape, before moving on to the Prosek.

"This wine is extraordinary," said Nick, after his first mouthful of the Plavac Mali Barrique 2007. It was his first taste of Plavac Mali, but we suspect not his last, as Andro sent him home with a bottle for his journey.

The story will appear in the Sunday Telegraph either this weekend or the following Sunday. 

A Busy Media Day: Andro Tomic Interviewed by Radio Sweden and BBC TV

It has been a busy few weeks with the international media at Bastijana, as various news outlets have sought out the opinion of Andro Tomic on the Prosecco scandal and EU entry. Two of these interviews went live today, and you can listen to and watch them here. 

Radio Sweden interview - click here.

BBC Television interview - click here.