An hour east of Zagreb, in the quiet hills of continental Croatia, sits Moslavina, a wine region most visitors to the coast never hear about. It rests on one native grape, Skrlet, and a scatter of small family wineries whose bottles rarely leave the country. VayCay Couple went for a slow weekend of tasting, and this is the honest guide to Moslavina, one of the least-known corners of Croatian wine, with the wineries worth booking, how to reach them and what to eat alongside. Skrlet, written Skrlet or Škrlet, is the name to remember.
What and where is Moslavina?
Moslavina is a continental wine region in central Croatia, spread over the low, forested slopes of Moslavacka Gora, roughly between the towns of Kutina, Popovaca and the wine village of Voloder. Unlike the Adriatic regions of Istria and Dalmatia, the climate here is continental, with hot summers, cold winters and mineral-rich soils that suit fresh white wines. This is farm country, calm and green, where the marked wine road strings together cellars, orchards and old hilltop ruins rather than beaches.
What makes Moslavina wine different?
The signature is Skrlet, a white grape grown almost nowhere else and now protected by its own designation of origin. It makes a light, crisp, low-alcohol wine with green apple and citrus notes and a faint natural spritz, best drunk young and well chilled. The reds lean on Frankovka, the local name for Blaufrankisch, and you will also meet Moslavac, the grape known in Hungary as Furmint. If you have only tried Croatian wine from the coast, Skrlet is the reason to look inland.
How does Moslavina compare with Croatia’s other wine regions?
Croatia has four broad wine zones, and Moslavina sits firmly in the continental one. On the coast, Istria is known for its Malvazija whites and Dalmatia for bold Plavac Mali reds, the local relatives of Zinfandel. Inland, Slavonia to the east turns out huge volumes of Grasevina, and Plesivica near Zagreb is the sparkling-wine hill. Among these Croatian wine regions, Moslavina is the small white-wine specialist, built around Skrlet and the least visited of the lot. That is the appeal, since you taste something genuinely local with the winemaker rather than queue at a big estate.
Which Moslavina wineries should you visit?
Build a day around three or four cellars near Voloder, which sits on the region’s signed wine road. Winery Kezele is the best-known, family-run and organic, pouring tastings alongside home-cured meats. Miksa and Trdenic are the other two names to book, both strong on Skrlet and used to visitors. Call or email ahead rather than turning up, since these are working farms rather than walk-in tasting rooms, and many open only at weekends or by appointment. A tasting of five or six wines with a plate of food usually costs around 15 to 25 euro a head.
| Winery | Village or area | Known for |
| Kezele | Voloder | Organic wines, cured-meat tastings |
| Miksa | Voloder area | Family cellar, strong Skrlet |
| Trdenic | Voloder area | Skrlet that reaches wider markets |
How do you get to Moslavina from Zagreb?
Moslavina makes an easy day trip or overnight from the capital. Drive the A3 motorway east from Zagreb toward Kutina and you reach Voloder in about an hour. Trains link Zagreb with Popovaca and Kutina, but the wineries are scattered across the hills, so a car is close to essential once you arrive. If you would rather taste than drive, hire a local guide or driver for the day, which many cellars can help arrange.
Where should you stay for a Moslavina wine weekend?
Plenty of people come just for the day from Zagreb, but staying over lets you taste properly without watching the clock or worrying about driving afterwards. The region runs to agritourism farms and small guesthouses around Voloder and Kutina rather than hotels, many with their own vineyards and kitchens. Book directly, and expect simple, good-value rooms, a large farm breakfast and, more often than not, a bottle of the house Skrlet on the table.
What is there to see beyond the vineyards?
The wine is the reason to come, but the area pays back a wander. Garic-grad is a ruined thirteenth-century hilltop castle in the forest above Podgaric, a short climb to a long view. Nearby stands the Podgaric monument, a vast concrete star raised to the wartime resistance and one of the most photographed of the former Yugoslavia’s modernist memorials. To the south, the wetlands of Lonjsko Polje Nature Park shelter nesting storks and traditional wooden villages, an easy second-day add-on.
What should you eat with the wine?
This is hearty inland cooking, not coastal seafood. Order kulen and other cured sausages, freshwater fish from the Sava river, mushroom dishes gathered from the surrounding woods, and cheese from local farms. Most cellars serve a board of cold cuts and cheese with a tasting, and a few agritourism farms lay on a full farm-to-table lunch. The bright acidity of Skrlet cuts neatly through the fat of the sausages.
What time of year suits a Moslavina wine trip?
The best months are May, then September into October. September is best of all, when the vines are heavy and Voloder holds its Voloderska jesen, the Voloder Autumn harvest and wine festival. Summer is warm and green but quiet at the cellars, and winter is cold with most doors shut. Aim for a weekend, when the wineries are most likely to be open, and the Croatia tourist board lists the current wine-road stops and festival dates.
Book two or three cellars around Voloder, go in September if you can, and leave room in the boot for a few bottles you will not find at home. For the other side of the country, the coast at Zadar makes the natural pairing, and there is far more to eat and drink across Croatia.
FAQs
If you like wine and quiet countryside, yes. It is an hour from the capital and gives you native grapes, cheap tastings and farm food with almost no crowds. If you only have a few days in Croatia and want cities or coast, it is a lower priority than Zagreb or the Adriatic.
Skrlet, a light, crisp white grown almost only here and protected by its own designation of origin. The region also makes Frankovka reds and grows Moslavac, the grape Hungary calls Furmint.
It is hard. Trains reach Popovaca and Kutina from Zagreb, but the cellars sit across the hills with little public transport between them, so most people drive or hire a guide with a car for the day.
Increasingly, yes. Croatia has a long winemaking history and native grapes you rarely see abroad, from coastal Plavac Mali reds to inland Skrlet whites, and small producers now win international awards. It is one of the more rewarding wine countries to explore off the beaten path.
A single day covers three or four cellars and a castle ruin. An overnight lets you add the wetlands of Lonjsko Polje or a long farm lunch, and means nobody has to stay sober for the drive back to Zagreb.
