Klaudio Jurčić
Official Ambassador for Kvarner, European Region of Gastronomy awarded 2026
“Throughout my career I have been committed to quality, indigenousness, gastronomy culture, and education for constant progress. I am happy that the region to which I belong, where I was born and raised, is on the path of excellence. The candidacy for the European Region of Gastronomy is certainly a great step forward for Kvarner as a destination of exquisite food and excellent wines.”
Klaudio Jurčić, manager and sommelier, Bevanda restaurant
A sommelier by nature, not just by profession, a holder of the WSET Diploma in Wines since 2013, and an alumnus of the Austrian Wine Academy in Rust. He won the national sommelier competition in Croatia four times in a row, setting new standards and confirming that for him wine is much more than just a job, it is a passion and his life’s calling. Putting his professional knowledge to test outside of Croatia, he competed in the ASI World Sommelier Championship quarter-finals in Chile, the ASI European Sommelier Championship semi-finals in Strasbourg, the Central European Championship, the Champagne Sommelier Trophée de Grand Jour de Champagne, and the ASI European Sommelier Championship in San Remo. Since 2015, he has been re-establishing his professional path as manager and sommelier at the iconic Bevanda restaurant in Opatija.