Vlado Krauthaker, BE Agronomy and oenologist, owner of Krauthaker Vineyards and Winery, contributes to rich winegrowing and winemaking tradition of Kutjevo region. At the time of its founding, the winery owned 1 hectare of vineyards, however by 2020, the winery became owner of 45 hectares of vineyards. The winery operates additional 65 hectares of third party owned vineyards.

A particular attention is paid to indigenous Welschriesling variety – Chardonnay, which is frequently awarded gold medals at fairs and wine exhibitions. We would like to emphasize environmentally friendly winegrowing and constant quality as a major principle of our production.

Quality and success of our wines is best described by numerous medals received at globally renowned wine competitions and tastings.

Magic of colours, taste and scent underpins our entire wine palette which includes spätlese and auslese wines as well. Experiments and our desire to return techniques used more than 100 years ago to the vineyards and the cellar are constant sources of pleasant surprises to us. They serve to validate our winegrowing practice following environmentally friendly principles, in harmony with nature’s feedback and spur us on. In keeping with that idea, we go about farming and winegrowing as it was once done – using horses.

Wine is a truly wondrous product. There is a multitude of details and nuances affecting the final result that is to be shaped by winegrowers and winemakers. The element that is beyond any influence of the winegrowers is nature. Course of a winegrowing season is hard to predict and in past few years we witnessed abrupt changes and extreme weather conditions as a single day was known to contain all four seasons of a year. Therefore the final result requires exceptional experience and knowledge. Often, recognizing what the nature tells us at the right time proves decisive in quest for the best wines.

The wines are regularly present at exhibitions and fairs in Croatia and elsewhere throughout the world. Their qualities are confirmed by medals and professional awards received at numerous wine competitions. Apart from awards achieved by Welschriesling (Graševina), we take pride in Chardonnay harvested in Mitrovac vineyard which was awarded golden medal at Chardonnay du Monde competition in 2002.

Golden medal awarded to Chardonnay Rosenberg 2004 and silver medals achieved by Sauvignon 2005 and Welschriesling 2006 at Chardonnay International du Vin 2007 are also especially noteworthy. Sauvignon 2005 was the only Croatian wine selected for serving in the Lufthansa’s first class. Svijet u čaši magazine selected Vlado Krauthaker as the best winemaker in Croatia twice – in 2002 and 2006. In 2009, Vlado Krauthaker has been declared Croatian wine knight.

Krauthaker vineyards are found at 45.3° North, the same geographic line that extends westwards through the most famous winegrowing regions of the world: Istria, Piedmont, Val du Rhone, Bordeaux and Oregon

Our vineyards are located in Kutjevo winegrowing region on the southern slopes of Krndija. Elevation of the vineyards relative to the sea level ranges from 200 and 300 metres. As annual precipitation ranges between 500 and 800 mm of rainfall per square metre – the climate, terroir and weather conditions provide excellent environment for winegrowing.

Veliki šumski sklopovi Krndije i Papuka štite vinorodne položaje smještene u Venju, Hrnjevcu, Vetovu, Mitrovcu, Kutjevu i drugdje od ponekada i tijekom ljeta oštrih sjevernih vjetrova.

Požega Valley as well as slopes of Krndija and Papuk hills was recognized as a winegrowing land by the Illyrians, while the Cistercians, who arrived in the area in the beginning of the 13th century, founded a wine cellar in Kutjevo in 1232, the oldest wine cellar in Croatia today. Ancient Romans also inhabited the Požega Valley and they called to valley “Golden Valley” (Vallis Aurea).

In a distant past, Požega Valley was covered by the Pannonian Sea – slopes of the Krndija and Papuk hills and present locations of our vineyards were sand beaches, while the Pannonian Sea was teaming with sea creatures whose fossilized remains may now be found at numerous archaeological sites.

Sandy soil at higher elevation, with scarce humus, formed atop sediment rocks, provides an ideal, warm base for grapes during its vegetation period in July, August and September. The soil is often rocky and loamy, and combined with below average precipitation, it requires both experience and vast knowledge. The soil is fertilized using manure only, and planting density of 7,000 to 10,000 vines per hectare provides each plant with a living area of approximately 1.4 square metres.

Sandy soil at higher elevation, with scarce humus, formed atop sediment rocks, provides an ideal, warm base for grapes during its vegetation period in July, August and September. The soil is often rocky and loamy, and combined with below average precipitation, it requires both experience and vast knowledge. The soil is fertilized using manure only, and planting density of 7,000 to 10,000 vines per hectare provides each plant with a living area of approximately 1.4 square metres.

Peculiarities of spätlese harvests are reflected by development of additional sugars, aromas and scent in grapes left on vines. During a spätlese harvest fully ripe grapes a picked, and must weight is at least 94° Oechsle.

Auslese and trockenbeerenauslese harvest are even more special. Auslese harvest grapes are carefully picked, and must weight is at least 105° Oechsle. Beerenauslese harvest grape must is pressed from berries affected by noble rot, while the must weight is at least 127° Oechsle. The trockenbeerenauslese harvest, as indicated by the name, is a process of specially selecting dried berries, yielding must weight of at least 154° Oechsle.

Despite variable micro-climate of our Krndija, vines regularly produce excellent crop. In such conditions, indigenous variety of Welschriesling truly shines – it is picked during the regular harvest and in all other harvests – as spätlese and auslese. Each of those wines is specific in its own way, and harmony of taste, colour and fragrance is affected by exact locations of the vineyards. Therefore, for instance, Welschriesling picked in Vidim, Pomale or Mitrovac vineyards, comprise specific nuances characteristic for the location, terroir, micro-climate prevailing in those specific areas during a winegrowing season.

Krauthaker wines are appreciated throughout Croatia, and insistence on superior quality brought about increasingly significant export of our wines, which have since become a staple of wine lists of some world famous restaurants. A quarter of wine produced is currently exported to 17 countries: United States, England, Germany, Sweden, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Russia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Australia, Slovenia, Austria, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Archaeological finds indicate that Požega Valley was favoured habitation of Illyrians, Celts, Romans, Slavic and other peoples. Požega Valley inhabitants always appreciated and used natural advantages of the area. Winemaking in the area began upon arrival of Cistercians in 1232 on the slopes of Krndija, where they settled, developed winegrowing, founded a wine cellar and the settlement of Kutjevo.

Krauthaker’s vineyards are scattered on the slopes of Krndija and Papuk stretching 52 km from Vidim, over Mačevo Hill, Rosenberg Hill, Mitrovac, Pomale, Vetovo, Podgorje to Gradine including St. Vid on Požega Hill. The elevation of the vineyards relative to the sea level ranges from 200 and 400 metres facing south, with Krndija and Papuk providing protection from northern coldness. These beautiful vineyards are entwined with woods and trees of different fruit and forest species spreading throughout the valley.

Experiments and our desire to revive techniques used more than 100 years ago to the vineyards and cellar never stop to astonish us. They serve to validate our winegrowing practice which follows environmentally friendly principles and harmonious relationship with the nature. Apart from using horse-drawn buggy to work the vineyards, we use other traditional procedures in keeping up vineyards which are being fertilized with manure. A traditional technique in wine production is applied as it was at the time of our grandparents, without sulphur or other oenological means, i.e. macerated or orange wines.

Following the growth of vineyards, Vlado Krauthaker has been building the cellar. At the beginning it was the cellar in his home and later it was transferred to the premises in the economic zone “Kamenjača” in Kutjevo. Total capacity of the cellar is one million litres covering 3,800 m^{2.  The cellar is equipped with modern machinery for primary grapes processing, wine processing and finalization going through different maturing stages from processing to bottles filling in inox tanks of different capacities (65%) and wooden tanks of 225 to 5,000 litres made of Slavonian oak (35%).} 

The following story is settled and set on the wavy sea of Kutjevo vineyard hugged with emerald greenery of enchanted Krndija. Right here in the vineyards and traditionally rich winery area of Kutjevo, the pinpoint of Croatian national culture.