Sometimes it’s those little places you stumble upon that make all the difference on a journey.  And for me, one of those places was definitely the Ancora Wine Bar in Cavtat, Croatia.

It’s funny – I’ve noticed that the smaller and more remote a place is, the more likely businesses have some type of duality.  Hotels offer gyms or spas on a separate basis.  Restaurants have some type of attached bar or show.  I’ve even seen a small pension/laundrymat combination.  And in Cavtat, at least, the wine bar is the place to find reliable Internet.  And thank goodness it did or I might have just walked on by.

It may surprise some to learn that Croatia has a thriving wine industry. It certainly surprised me. But perhaps that is because my first introduction to an Eastern European vintage came served with a Coca-Cola chaser.  And good thing, too.  I drank the offered glass but I probably did so with quite a grimace. There are some quaffs that simply do not deserve to be called wine.

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