Croatia beyond Istria

Since Tamlyn so comprehensively covered the Istria region of Croatia in her recent series, my mission at the annual London tasting of Croatian wines in September was to taste everything but that region on the north west coast.

Like a British summer, it was a changeable experience. Whereas Istria enjoys a reputation as a premium region, the appellations I encountered were much more variable. Likewise, each variety could be variously excellent, middling and terrible. Producers were perhaps more consistent, with some clearly aiming at the low end, and others crafting higher quality and doubtless more expensive styles.

There were...