Kladje: Wine, Brandy and Samobor’s History

Kladje is on the Samobor Wine Route and has direct ties to wine, brandy and regional stories. Kušaonica Vrh combines tastings with views of the surrounding area and stories about Samobor’s past. Two details are especially useful when planning your trip: Kladje is on the Wine Route, and visits to Kušaonica Vrh are by prior arrangement.

Wine and Tastings in Kladje

The Samobor Wine Route connects local villages with winemakers and taverns. Visitors can taste wine, Bermet, brandy and liqueurs there. Kladje is on this route. If you plan to organize your stay around it, confirm the route details locally before you travel.

Kušaonica Vrh, a family-run establishment high above Samobor, is located in Kladje and offers views across the surrounding area. Tastings include house-made brandies, gin and cocktails, served with seasonal delicacies from the Samobor area. Visits are arranged in advance; check availability before planning a visit. This makes it easy to incorporate a visit into your stay without assuming that tastings are available without an appointment.

Brandy Stories and Samobor Tradition

At Kušaonica Vrh, visitors can also learn about traditional methods of brandy-making. The stories connect these methods with Samobor’s history and draw on legends about Maria Theresa and the Cantilly family. A visit thus focuses both on the drinks on offer and on the storytelling tradition passed down through generations. The connection to Samobor is explicitly regional: the stories are about the town’s history and its legends.

Grad Samobor as the Wider Context

The culinary traditions of the wider destination of Grad Samobor also offer insight into regional history. Rudarska greblica is a thin, savoury pie made from baked, hand-rolled dough and filled with fresh cow’s cheese. Historically, it is associated with the miners of Rude. The product has an EU protected geographical indication; its production area includes Rude and the surrounding villages in Zagreb County. Samoborski bermet has also been associated with Samobor for centuries. It is made from red wine, selected fruits and herbs.

In the wider destination of Grad Samobor, there are various ways to explore the landscape and history. The Poučna staza Otruševec is two kilometres long and has nine stations. Walking at an easy pace takes about an hour and a half. The educational trail was the first of its kind in Croatia; it opened in 1990 and was renovated in 2018. Another way to explore the region’s past is the Rudnik svete Barbare, where visitors can take a guided tour with an expert through 350 metres of underground tunnels that are several centuries old. The trail and the mine differ chiefly in format: stations along a path or a guided tour through tunnels.

Another landscape attraction in the wider destination of Grad Samobor is Grgosova špilja, located at the entrance to Otruševec. The cave is about 30 metres long and 19 metres deep, rich in stalactites and stalagmites, and divided into two chambers. It is designated a protected geomorphological natural monument. In the wider destination of Grad Samobor, the landscape and natural history complement the themes of regional food, the Wine Route and stories about brandy-making.

Discover more destinations: Velika Rakovica, Molvice, Rakov Potok, Domaslovec, Samobor

Go to the main travel overview: Grad Samobor.