I Came To Rijeka For Craft Beer & Became A Wino
“Why go to Rijeka now? You should go to the islands or Split or Dubrovnik.”
“I chase beer. Not really chasing tourists. Rijeka looks like a better beer city.”
“Good luck down south. You’ll be back for beer in Zagreb soon enough.”
Rijeka is known as an industrial port city and tourists often skip it when traveling down the Croatian coast. However, in Croatia it’s known as a progressive, laid-back city with an active rock music scene where most anyone is welcome. Their craft beer scene is small, yet still better than in any city further south down the Dalmatian coast. And yes, there are also very beautiful beaches.
My apartment was 20 minutes outside the city center, but only 5 minutes from one of these beautiful beaches, Sablicevo Beach.
I had a week to stay in Rijeka, so there was no need to rush to the craft beer bars. Some of them would be a long hike up the steep rocky coast to Trsat Castle. So on my first night, a Thursday, I went to the center, and – thanks to a wine festival – became a Croatian wino.
Rijeka Wine Festival: Malvazija And Zlatina
The regional wine festival happened at Rezoluje Square directly in the center. I found it by accident while walking down the main Korzo Street. The sound of live jazz music called me into a long stone passageway. When I exited the passageway, I saw a jazz trio in the center of a square of about two dozen wooden stands, each one offering wine samples from vineyards on Krk Island and the Istrian Peninsula. Around the stands people gathering with wine glasses, sipping and clinking them joyfully.
I wandered the among the crowds, sampling wine after wine. Normally, I favor dry red wines, but, even after nightfall, the 90+ summer heat was still unbearable. More and more, I found myself choosing chilled white wines in ice buckets. This was how I discovered the fuel for my trip on Krk Island: Malvazija and Zlatina. They were easier to sip than most of the bad beer I encountered.
Malvazija & Zlatina = Istrian Region Wines
While sipping on my new favorite wine, I saw a strange group of monsters dancing with women around a table. They were dressed in white pants, blue-striped shirts and red scarfs. But what drew attention were their fur-covered backs and their bells which clanked as they danced around. These were Croatia’s Hajlubaski Zvoncari. They produced some local rakija from their fur coats and offered it to me. I learned of the Zvoncari’s traditions, danced with the ladies and drank more. I turned into a wine-drinking monster that night.
The next morning, wine was on my mind as I walked the five minutes from my Airbnb to Sablicevo Beach. From the street, there was a steep set of stairs that went straight down to the rocky beach. The view was dizzying, as much from the high perspective as from the beautiful contrast of azure water with the white pebble beach.
I gingerly walked down the stairs, went to the beach bar, and ordered a cold morning Malvazija.
