Boris Šuljić: There is no such loyalty to any other food product as to Croatian wine

Boškinac Winery it was built in 2000, and in the same year, a vineyard with an area of ​​5 hectares was planted in the immediate vicinity of the winery. Because for thousands of years people have been fed, strengthened and healed by wine, there is an inscription with Hippocrates' saying on the wall of the attractive winery "Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food".

In Boškinac, therefore, what people have known since time immemorial is applied - that in moderate quantities, wine, especially red, really benefits health and spirit.

The fundamental mission of the wine cellar is preservation and care autochthonous variety Gegić. By taking the vines from those old vines, a vineyard was built and the autochthonous variety was saved. Gegić wine is their passion and obsession. The desire is to present to the world the best and unique from the island of Pag, which is Gegić.

The vineyard also grows the black varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as two other white varieties, Chardonnay and Sauvignon. This is how the vineyard was created, from which some of the best Croatian wines were made, and the family tradition of wine production continued in the facility with the winery.

Croatian wines are winning numerous awards around the world and it seems that the story of winemaking is becoming more and more interesting. Although we have small quantities at the world level, this is not a disadvantage for us. On the contrary, claims this experienced winemaker whose family has a long winemaking tradition.

Šuljić: We are a small "boutique" country with top quality wines that experience a "highlight" year after year.

"The market has stabilized as far as winemaking is concerned. Corona brought problems in supply chains, but this is a tough scene. It is important that winemaking is strongly and well implemented in the culture of living in Croatia, I would dare to say like no other industry. There is no such loyalty to no other food product as to Croatian wine, and it is this strength that translates into tenacity and because of which I am sure that good days lie ahead for the Croatian wine industry.

They are small players or medium-sized companies, so everything is well arranged. They have small volumes on a global scale and that industry will survive. The year was not very great with severe weather and diseases on the vines, but the prices are good and I don't see many difficulties there. We are a small "boutique" country with top quality wines that experience a "highlight" year after year and we can offer our products to anyone in the world because we have top quality". points out Šuljić.

This was also an opportunity to ask for a summary of the tourist season with the view that, in addition to the Boškinac winery, Boris Šuljić also manages a small family hotel.

"The season was unusual. There are a lot of factors that need to be taken into account, firstly, the exit from the corona and suddenly tourism without restrictions, but a significant factor was inflation, then the new currency - the euro... In any case, a situation in which everyone took advantage of the opportunity those who like to "muddy the waters". But due to those who used the situation to cheat our guests in everything, the collateral victim was the season, I'm afraid. The season is good, as we can see in the figures presented, but we will see in the spring when everything is added up and underlines what it really was. I think it was still worse. The effect of inflation on consumption is significantly greater than can be read from statistics and figures, what about overnight stays, what about arrivals, what about income itself. I think that real inflation was much higher than was nominally expressed, it was over 20 percent. In addition, for us at sea, who make up the largest part of tourism, all input costs increased significantly on the expenditure side. The cost of labor increased on all bases, so we agree when we say that this was a very challenging season .

We hope that it was a transitional year and that we have learned, and these players who played with prices are directly harming the national economy. Fortunately, Croatia's potential is greater than what some malverters can do in a year or two. I think it is more important how we will solve the law on construction and urban planning, that is, how we will implement the new law on tourism. Fortunately, new young generations of tourism workers are coming who recognize what competitiveness is and know what value for money means. The key will be how we manage the space," says Šuljić.

The wine cellar has always been the backbone of the family's lifestyle Šuljić - Boškinac. The types of grapes changed, wars swept through the Novalja field - but the vineyards remained an indelible source of survival, and wine production was nurtured for centuries.

Staying on the rocks and thorns, continuing to walk in the paths of the grandfathers was a constant in the life of this family, from grandfather Boškinac to his grandson.

Just recently, Boškinac received another recognition in the domain of wine tourism: The Big Golden Sunflower championship title for wine tourism in the hands of the famous Pag wine family

The champion title in the wine tourism category was awarded to Boškinac Winery at the end of the project "Sunflower of rural tourism in Croatia - Sunflower Award" for the year 2023.

The large golden sunflower deservedly ended up in the hands of a famous Novalja winemaker Boris Šuljić which, in addition to the winery, also has a recognizable name Hotel Boškinac and the restaurant of the same name that bears i Michelin star.

"Each award valorizes continuous work and we are grateful for this recognition. We are among the pioneers of winemaking in Croatia, 20 years ago there were no wineries that also had a tourist component." points out Boris Šuljić, owner of the hotel, restaurant and winery Boškinac.

Photos: Hotel, restaurant and winery Boškinac