Wine & gastro trip
Spoil your senses as well as palates and get a taste of Međimurje via its culinary specialities and tastings of premium wine, honey and pumpkin seed oil. Get the full culinary and gustatory experience of Međimurje by participating in a culinary workshop where you will learn how to make a healthy traditional Međimurje lunch.
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Are you a passionate hedonist who wants to get to know the destination he or she is visiting better by sampling the local delicacies? Located in the immediate vicinity of the borders with Slovenia and Hungary, in the north of Croatia is Međimurje, a wine & gastro realm whose distinctive traditional cuisine has a strong Austro-Hungarian influence characterised by wild game stews, fresh peppers, and rich sauces. Wine growing, production, and nurturing has been practiced in Međimurje since antiquity. The Međimurje wine route consists of 30 or so tastefully decorated wine cellars and tasting rooms where you can savour the finest wines from Međimurje. The wine quality and tasting rooms design place this wine road to the very top of Croatian enological offer. As a result, in 2007 it was proclaimed the best product of continental Croatia.
Wine growing, production, and nurturing has been practiced in Međimurje since antiquity
The mill on the Mura River is the only operational watermill in Croatia and has a mechanism that dates back to 1902
During the fun culinary workshop, you'll learn how to make authentic dishes from Međimurje
When was the last time you visited a 300-year-old wine cellar?
Before you visit Međimurje, here are a few things to learn.
Međimurje wine route
Međimurje wine route is the cream of the crop of the oenological offer in Croatia due to the superior quality of the wine and service provided, which is why it should come as no surprise that it was named the best tourism product of Continental Croatia in 2007.
Wine grapes were planted on the hills of Međimurje as early as the Roman era. Here you can try and buy exquisite white wines (the autochthonous “Pušipel”, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, “Traminac”, “Moscato Giallo”, “Graševina”, “Rheinriesling”, “White and Grey Pinot”, “Green Sylvaner”) as well as a few red and rose wines. The assortment of wine ranges from excellent homemade coupage and varietal wines to premium predicates – selected harvests or ice wines. Restaurants offering traditional specialities, viewpoints, bike trails and walkways all make up an integral part of the wine route. There are numerous wine festivals held on the wine route throughout the year: January – “Vincekovo” (Feast of St. Vincent), May – “Urbanovo” (Feast of St. Urban), September – “Rokovo” (Feast of St. Rocco), November – “Martinje” (Feast of St. Martin)
Alternative agriculture
Biodynamic agriculture is a form of alternative agriculture based on the ideas of the Austrian philosopher, scientist, and writer Rudolf Steiner, who was born in Međimurje, Croatia. Biodynamics is more advanced than ecoagriculture because biodynamicists sow, replant, and pick the grapes by strictly adhering to a calendar that follows the sidereal year and the orbit of the Moon. This form of agriculture requires the use of natural preparations made for the specific purpose of increasing soil fertility as well as microbiological activity.
Sveti Martin na Muri
The village of Sveti Martin na Muri has gained renown for its large quantities of mineral-rich thermal water, which was discovered in 1911 when the English-Hungarian company London Budapest was looking for oil, but found thermal water instead.
Arrival in Sveti Martin na Muri. Check-in and settle in at Hotel Terme Sveti Martin, which is surrounded by lush vegetation and unspoiled nature. After taking a short break at the hotel, we recommend that you go out for a walk and enjoy the nature in Međimurje. You’ll be delighted with the picturesque hills, fresh air, and an overwhelming sense of tranquillity. You can also unwind at the hotel’s wellness centre in the beautiful “The Temple of Life” swimming pool complex where you can enjoy the benefits of the mineral-rich thermal water. Dinner at the hotel with a wide variety of traditional and international specialities. Overnight stay.
You can choose from an array of healthy local dishes and foods for breakfast, which will be followed by a visit to the Međimurje wine route, one of the most recognisable symbols of the region.
The guide will greet you at the entrance to the hotel and take you to the village of St. Urban where you will be visiting one of the oldest wine houses and cellars on the Međimurje wine route. You’ll get to tour the 300-year-old wine cellar, where the Zrinski noble family used to store their wine, see the ethnographic collection and learn more about the history of winegrowing and winemaking and enjoy the tour of the estate. After tasting 8 different wine varieties, everyone will receive a bottle of wine chosen by the host as a gift.
After saying goodbye to your host, you will visit another beautiful winery where the friendly hosts will give you a tour of the wine house and cellar. You’ll get to enjoy the tastes of four different varieties of their premium wine. The wine tasting will be followed by an abundant traditional 4-course Međimurje lunch at a restaurant that is quite renowned in Međimurje - now that’s true hedonism.
Return to the hotel at approximately 04:30 p.m. We suggest that you take a stroll amidst the stunning nature of Međimurje. Dinner and overnight stay.
After breakfast, the driver will meet you outside the hotel and then you can embark on another fairytale adventure in Međimurje, which will satisfy your inner hedonist and sharpen all your senses.
In the village of Črečan a creative and fascinating hostess will greet you at her family farm, which is named “Medeni Vrt” (Honey Garden). You’ll get to taste various types of honey and enjoy “Medeni Vrt” and its surroundings.
Next, you will visit the top notch state-of-the-art pumpkin oil mill where you can taste several kinds of “Črno” (Black) pumpkin seed oil as well as chocolate treats made from pumpkin seeds.
You will also be visiting Dragutin Senčar’s amazing biodynamic garden in the village of Lopatinec. In this special place you can supply yourself with vegetables, which were grown by following the principles of biodynamics and the ideas of Rudolf Steiner, which will also be integrated in our culinary workshop.
Our fun and educational culinary workshop, during which you will make a healthy and traditional Međimurje lunch (“obed”), will take place at a well-known local restaurant and will be led by a moderator. You will learn how the make “pretepena juha” (cream soup), “tenfana piletina s trgancima” (chicken with noodles) as well as the desserts “međimurska trepa” or “zlevanjka” just like the locals, accompanied with salad grown in the biodynamic garden.
Your final stop is a famous wine house where you will be tasting 4 different wine varieties, homemade apple juice, as well as delicious and healthy apple chips.
After returning to the hotel around 04:30 p.m., you will have enough time to immerse yourself in luxury, hedonism, relaxation and health in the World of Sauna, water, heat, scents and colours. Dinner at the hotel and overnight stay.
After breakfast, it is time to check out from the hotel. If you still have some spare time left, we recommend that you visit an interesting and educational excursion site – the watermill on the bank of the Mura River near the village of Žabnik, which is the northernmost point of the Republic of Croatia. People have been milling grain on the banks of the rivers Mura and Drava ever since the 18th century. The mill on the Mura River is an object of traditional architectural heritage in Croatia and has a mechanism that dates back to 1902.
We trust that this trip has allowed you to discover the secrets of the famous Međimurje cuisine and provided you with oenological experiences, which are an integral part of tourism in Međimurje. We hope that the hitherto untasted flavours of local cuisine gave you immense hedonistic and gastronomic pleasure and that you were seduced by the premium local wines beckoning you to come back to them as soon as possible...
We will double-check availability and make reservations for your rooms, restaurants, guides etc.
With reservations confirmed, we will prepare the best offer possible in regard to your arrival date & party size
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