HOW WE COOK 2025: A Decade of JRE Malvasia Celebrated at Kozlović Winery
In the rolling hills of Momjan, at the iconic Kozlović Winery, JRE-Croatia hosted this year’s edition of HOW WE COOK 2025 — a day dedicated to culinary exchange, local ingredients and creative collaboration. This year carried special significance: JRE-Croatia and the Kozlović family celebrated ten years of their limited-edition JRE Malvasia, a wine available exclusively in JRE restaurants and at the winery, crafted from the renowned Santa Lucia vineyard.
The culinary centerpiece of the event was a masterclass led by Chef Gregor Jelinkar (JRE-Slovenia, Georgie Bistro Ljubljana), known for his contemporary approach to regional ingredients. For this occasion, Jelinkar created a series of dishes highlighting Istria’s most emblematic meats — Boškarin (Istrian cattle) and Istrian donkey, presented in collaboration with AZRRI – the Istrian Agency for Rural Development. Guests tasted Boškarin carpaccio, donkey tartare, donkey & lardo kebab, and Boškarin steaks and cheeks — a line-up that showcased multiple techniques and textures, and celebrated the depth of Istria’s culinary heritage.
At the same time, JRE-Croatia sommeliers joined the Kozlović family for a guided vertical tasting of JRE Malvasia vintages from 2015 to 2022. This special wine, sourced from Santa Lucia — one of the winery’s most important sites — has, for a decade, represented a shared philosophy between JRE chefs and the Kozlović family: craftsmanship, trust, and dedication to terroir. During the tasting, the new limited-edition vintage of JRE Malvasia was selected and will be released exclusively to JRE restaurants and the Kozlović cellar in the coming year.
The day concluded with a warm, communal lunch prepared by JRE chefs in the atmospheric Kozlović cellar bringing the entire experience to a harmonious close and highlighting the connection between wine, people and place.
"HOW WE COOK is more than an event; it is an investment in the future of Croatian gastronomy — a platform that gives chefs and sommeliers space to grow, learn and inspire one another. Ten years of JRE Malvasia is proof of what can happen when chefs and winemakers work as true partners. HOW WE COOK 2025 is where that synergy becomes visible — in every glass and on every plate."
JRE-Croatia, San Rocco
