"Although Croatia has a large potential for the development of viticulture and winemaking, wine production and exports have been stagnating for years. To meet the needs of the domestic market we need to import between 20 and 25 million litres a year," said Dragan Kovačević, HGK Vice President for Agriculture and Tourism.
Despite the fact that Croatia has excellent wines and its winemakers win prestigious awards at the most important international competitions, Croatia is still not recognised enough on global wine maps, he noted.
"What we need is strong national marketing and international promotion, in addition to property consolidation, increasing production capacity and upgrading production technology," Kovačević said, adding that they expect stronger government support for investment in and promotion of Croatian wines worldwide.
The Croatian wineries being presented at the fair are: Badel 1862, Kutjevo, Osilovac/Feravino, PP Orahovica, Belje Puls, Iločki Podrumi, Poljopromet, Krauthaker, Dingač Skaramuča, Destilerija Šimić, Vina Bedekovich, Lagradi, Galić Vina, Testament Winery, Peninsula and Vina Delmati.
The show is being attended by over 7,000 winemakers from around the world.