Kutjevo Wine Cellars

Cistercian monks founded an abbey at Kutjevo in 1232 and dug the cellars that year, and wine has been made and stored in them ever since - a continuous run of nearly eight hundred years that few European cellars can match. The Jesuits took over after the Ottoman period and built the manor above. Grasevina, the white grape known as Welschriesling elsewhere, is the mainstay here and Kutjevo is the centre of it in Croatia, along with late-harvest and ice wines that the continental climate makes possible. A story attaches Maria Theresa to the cellars via a supposed affair, which is repeated locally and rests on nothing documented.

What you'll find

• Cellars dug in 1232 - by Cistercians, in use ever since.
• A Jesuit manor above - built after the Ottoman period.
• Grasevina country - the centre of the variety in Croatia.
• A Maria Theresa story - told locally, without evidence.

When to go

May to October, with the harvest in September. Half a day.

Before you go

Cellar visits and tastings need booking rather than dropping in. The town is small and off every tourist route. Late-harvest and ice wines are priced accordingly. Driving after tasting is the usual practical problem.

Nearby

Papuk geopark is north; Pozega is west along the valley.