THE WINERY

The Gospoja winery was founded in the 90s, and today, the Toljanić and Brusić families produce about 200 tons of grapes of the autochthonous Žlahtina variety. An additional 500 tons are bought from local vineyard farmers. In addition to wine processing, the Gospoja cooperative has expertly blended love and tradition into a successful enterprise. It is committed to showcasing the fruits of their labor through hospitality and catering. The winery is next to the Vrbnik field at the town entrance. The winery was built in 1999 and has been steadily increasing its capacity. The current capacity of the winery is 750,000 liters of wine. From a technological point of view, it follows the trends of modern winemaking, integrating them with the traditional method of wine production from Vrbnik.

VINEYARDS

Vrbničko Polje covers an area of about 200 hectares at the entrance to the town of Vrbnik. In Vrbnik, there are six well-known winemakers. Besides professional producers, it is worth mentioning home-made wine production, which is a viral activity among Vrbnik families. In fact, after their daily work, many families in the city devote themselves to grape production as a side business. This practice shows the importance of wine in the local culture and economy, as well as the deep connection of the inhabitants of Vrbnik with the winemaking tradition.

THE HARVEST

The harvest occurs at the end of September when the fruits of a year of hard work are harvested. The harvest is done by hand, as the vineyard rows are too narrow for machines. The manual harvest also preserves the grapes' quality and keeps local viticulture traditions alive.

PROCESS

REGISTRATION BASKET

The tractors transport Hand-picked grapes to local wineries, where they are first processed. The grapes are unloaded into a hopper, transporting them to a destemmer-crusher. Here, the stems are separated from the berries and pressed. The juice obtained from the pressing of the grapes is called 'free release juice'; it is a high-quality product and is poured into special tanks where the winemaking process takes place.

PRESSING PROCESS

The berries are transported to pneumatic presses, where pressing begins to extract the remaining juice. The pressure program includes mixing the pomace and its subsequent reprocessing. During the pressure process, the pomace remains in the press, and the juice, or wort, is sent to stainless steel tanks in the adjacent cellar.

VINIFICATION

After the most enters the winery, the basic parameters of the juice are measured, and the most undergoes the process of flotation or filtration. The clarified most thus enter the carefully controlled alcoholic fermentation process. Fermentation is controlled by monitoring the temperature of each barrel. During this process, the winemaker carefully monitors its continuity and the organoleptic development of the wine to ensure that it develops the desired secondary aromas. Fermentation lasts 20 to 30 days. Once the latter is completed, racking separates the wine from the lees. The wine is then left to age to develop tertiary aromas. Before bottling, the wine undergoes a process of clarification and filtration.

PRODUCTS

ŽLAHTINA

Žlahtina Gospoja is a quality white wine from the native Croatian grape variety Žlahtina. It is one of the most awarded Žlahtina wines in the last 20 years, well received in domestic and international markets. Žlahtina Gospoja is a young, slightly dry, golden-green wine and contains 11 to 12% alcohol by volume. Žlahtina Gospoja 2020 won a silver medal at the "PAR Wine Award International 2021" in Frasdorf, Germany. Žlahtina Gospoja 2021 won a silver medal at the "PAR Wine Award International 2021" in Germany and bronze medals in one of the most prestigious wine competitions – the "Decanter," in two consecutive years, 2022 and 2023.

PJENUŠAC

Gospoja Sparkling Wine is produced exclusively from the Žlahtina grape variety, and in terms of the amount of residual sugar, this sparkling wine is classified as extra brut. It has been part of the Gospoja range since 2014 and is produced using the traditional method, i.e., Champenoise. The Gospoja Sparkling Wine, made in 2018, was awarded a silver medal in 2020 at the "Sabatina Competition" in Split and a bronze medal at the "London International Wine & Spirit Competition," the most rigorous wine competition in the world.

MISNO VINO

Misno Vino is a semi-dry wine produced from the Žlahtina grape variety, made by combining the traditional production of Prošek with modern Žlahtina winemaking technology. It is a semi-dry white wine containing 12% alcohol vol. with about 26 g/l of sugar. Misno vino was awarded a gold medal for the 2018 vintage at the "PAR Wine Award International 2020" in Frasdorf, Germany. The 2021 vintage of Misno vino won a bronze award at the "Decanter Competition" in 2023.

CUVÉE

Cuvée is a red wine with a strength of 12% vol. produced from varieties Sansigot, Brajdica, Merlot, and Cabernet.

SVETA NEDIJA

Dessert wine Sveta Nedija is a product of the late grape harvest in selected areas in the Vrbnik field. The most is dehydrated in a boiler and subjected to subsequent fermentation. Sveta Nedija dessert wine is a fine wine of controlled geographical origin containing 14.5% alcohol and 125 g/l of sugar. The "PAR Wine Award International 2021" awarded the dessert wine Sveta Nedija with a gold medal, and it won a bronze medal at the "Decanter 2022." At "Decanter 2023", Sveta Nedija 2018 won a silver medal.

ROSÉ

Rosé Gospoja is a new product of the Gospoja winery. It is a still, light, and refreshing wine containing 11% alcohol and produced from the indigenous varieties of Sansigot and Brajdica.

ŽLAHTNO PJENUŠAVO PIVO

Žlahtno sparkling beer is the latest addition to the Gospoja winery. It is a beer and wine mix with an alcohol content of 5.5%. It is produced by adding Žlahtina most to barley malt and hops. Fermentation takes place using wine yeasts.

RAKIJA LOZA

It is a rakija made from the pomace of Žlahtina grapes, with an alcohol content of 37%. The vine is also the basis for producing our grappas, enriched with figs, honey, and various herbs from our region.