ZAGREB, 10 Sept (Hina) – President Zoran Milanović hosted a diplomatic grape harvest on Tuesday, in a year when grapes were harvested earlier than ever before.

“This is probably one of the last vineyards in Croatia that hasn’t been harvested yet,” Milanović told foreign diplomats at the winery of the Braje family in Lokošin Dol on the slopes of Mount Plešivica.

The Mayor of Jastrebarsko, Zvonimir Novosel, said that winemaking is a centuries-old tradition in this region.

Spanish Ambassador Juan Gonzalez-Barba Pera said that the diplomatic grape harvest, held for the ninth year in a row, is an excellent opportunity for informal gathering.

He praised the Croatian wines, saying that they are as good as Spanish ones, but that Spain has a much greater production, which is why its wines are better known in the world. “The Croatian wines are not known to everyone, and they deserve to be because they are excellent,” the Spanish ambassador said.

His French counterpart Fabien Feschi said that occasions like this are very good for promoting friendship and culture. “Croatia and France share a culture of wine and good food,” he said.