Andro Tomic Shares His Thoughts on Bogdanusa at Svirce Wine Festival

Hvar is rich in indigenous grape varieties, several of which form the core of the Tomic range, including Bogdanusa, an early-drinking white which is only grown on Hvar. Translated literally as 'a gift from God', the local variety is celebrated each year in the village of Svirce with Bogdanusa Evening in June.

Andro Tomic visited the festival this year, and his thoughts were recorded in an interview with Hvar TV, an interview you can watch below as part of the report on the festival.

Andro Tomic Welcomes First Hydroplane Visitor to Jelsa

(photo@Romulic and Stojcic)

A moment of history in Jelsa this week, as the first scheduled hydroplane flight in modern European aviation history touched down in Jelsa after a short 13-minute flight from Split Airport.

Andro Tomic was on hand to witness the moment of history, presenting a magnum of his new elite Veliki Plavac Mali to the first passengers to disembark, a couple on holiday from Switzerland.

It was a great day for Jelsa, and it also brings the wine-tasting experience at Bastijana a little closer. Why not fly in for an afternoon of tasting at the Tomic winery? For more information about wine tasting, visit our website, and for more information about the growing hydroplane network connecting to Jelsa, click here. 

Veljko Barbieri Book Promotion Accompanied by a Little Tomic Euforija

A pleasant late morning in Stari Grad for Andro Tomic yesterday in the pretty gardens of Biankini Palace, as he went to support the promotion of Veljko Barbieri's new book at the Faropis book festival. 

And what better way to help the event along than with a couple of bottles of the latest additions to the Tomic range, Euforija?

After enjoying extracts from Veljko's books, there was time to sample the new strong drinks, made from sage and cherry. Why not come on over to Bastijana and taste for yourself? 

What Does the Expression “Corked Wine” Mean?

Corks have been used for sealing wine bottles since the late 17th century. The benefits of corks are numerous. The most important is that it allows the wine to breathe. Closed with plastic or an aluminum plug, wine does not get the oxygen and develops differently than the wine with a cork. As the demand for cork increases and  its production is limited, consequently there are a certain amount of "damaged" plugs.

The smell of a bad cork is moist, moldy and stale at the bottom. For such a wine is said to be "corked” or “corky”. This is the result of a rare compound 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (shortly TCA), which occurs in a cork stopper by microbial infection and gives the wine an unpleasant smell like damp cardboard or wet fur. It is estimated that four percent of cork is infected by this compound.  Because of TCA, when serving a wine guests get the cork to smell it. The restaurant owner will usually, without question, replace the bottle contaminated with TCA. The stench can be so strong that it covers all the wine's aromas. Because of this disease of the cork, more and more winemakers around the world are replacing simpler wines with metal, screw plugs.

Andro Tomic on Palmizana in Today's Slobodna Dalmacija

Life is hard as Andro Tomic...

A sneak preview today of a new product from Bastijana, of which more details very soon. Andro was snapped by leading regional daily Slobodna Dalmacija today on Palmizana. The caption below the photo translates as 'Winemaker Andro Tomic promotes his beverages from sage and carob.'

Stay tuned... 

Tomic and Hvar Wine Association on Skor, Stari Grad Tonight

The successful Hvar Wine Association summer tasting season continues in Stari Grad tonight, as some of the island's top winemakers present their wines on the pretty square of Skor, from 21:00.

Bastijana will be present, a keen supporter of this promotion of the island's wines. There will be live music and a great atmosphere guaranteed. Check out last year's event in the video below.

Tomic and Hvar Wine Association at Loggia in Hvar Town Tomorrow

The summer wine tastings of the Hvar Wine Association have been an unqualified success so far, and Bastijana has been delighted to have participated in every one so far. Vrboska, Svirce and last night's event in Vrbanj were a perfect blend of Dalmatian tradition, music and quality wine.

Tomic and other Hvar winemakers will be presenting once more - and for the first time - in Hvar Town in front of the City Loggia at the top of the main square. And then again on Skor in Stari Grad on August 9 and 12.

See you there! 

Tomic Featured in Latest Edition of Italy's Papageno Magazine

Italian journalist Roberto Lepori was a recent visitor to the island, writing a story for Italian magazine Papageno about the island's food and wine. Roberto spent some time in the company of Andro Tomic, and his report on his visit to Hvar is now available in the July edition of Papageno.

The article is called Hvar and St. Clement, the Islands of Paradise. And who are we to disagree...

Why are Wine Bottles Indented at the Bottom?

Most wine bottles are indented at the bottom (which is called a punt), and  there are several reasons for that. Historically, a punt is a remnant of the old technology of blowing glass. The bottles were produced in this way because a dent on the bottom creates a stable surface for the bottle. Today, the bottles are produced mechanically and are much stronger, so indentation on the bottom is only part of the wine tradition. A punt is no longer so important for the structural stability of the wine bottle, except for champagne and sparkling wines bottles, which are under pressure. In these cases, the  indentation make  the bottom of the bottle stronger and thus ensures that the bottle will endure the pressure.

In addition to stability, a punt also  allows the sediment from wine to deposite in the "ring" at the bottom of the bottle and in that way to prevent its return back to the wine when it is poured into a glass. A punt also facilitates holding the bottle in one hand, because the thumb can be placed in the middle of the recess, while the other fingers sticking to the outside of the bottle. The  size of the punt is not an indicator of quality or category of wines, but indentation makes the bottle appear larger, creating the impression that the bottle contains more wine than it really does.

Tomic Wines in Hvar Workshop at Wine Fredane Festival in Italy

It is a busy summer here in Jelsa with plenty of tour groups coming to visit the Bastijana winery to expererience the Tomic range. With one eye on next month's harvest, the international promotion continues however, and Bastijana is delighted to be taking part in a special tasting workshop of Hvar wines at the Wine Fredane Festival in Italy at 18:00 on August 12, along with other members of the Hvar Wine Association. 

For more information about the Wine Fredane Festival, click here. 

Hvar TV Reports on Tomic and Hvar Wine Assocation in Vrboska

Promoting Tomic wines takes many forms, and Bastijana has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Hvar Wine Association tastings which has been taking place over the summer in various locations around the island.

The first one of the season took place in Vrboska and was covered by Hvar TV. Check out the video below to experience what was a very special evening of wine and song. Next tasting dates are Vrbanj (August 3), Hvar Town (August 5), and Stari Grad (August 9 and 12).