The town of Zadar, with its many culinary traditions, owns much of its fresh fare to the green region in its backdrop, known as Ravni Kotari. This fertile bit of the Dalmatian coast is a heaven for gardening and fruit growing, and remains largely oriented to agriculture in the present day, feeding not only the region, but also much of Croatia. From livestock fairs to international gallop races, the traditional lifestyles thrive here. But Ravni Kotari also abounds in diverse historical sites, vividly illustrating the region’s exciting history. Among others, you will find the pre-Roman Asseria, the Venetian tower Osridak and the Turkish Maškovića Han sites around here.

Meet the pioneer of contemporary Croatian winemakers, Alen Bibić. His name often comes attached to the famous regional white wine, Debit, that he himself brought back from the realm of table wines, adorning it with newfound respect. Alen obviously did something right when he revived his grandfather’s vineyards which were decimated during the 1990’s war, as his revolutionary blends soon made him the first Croatian winemaker to export to the US. His passion and knowledge on wine production, as well as the gourmet magic he creates in tandem with his wife Vesna, were recognized by Anthony Bourdain, resulting in Bibich and Skradin being featured as one of the Croatian highlights on the famous ‘No Reservations’.