PELJEŠAC PENINSULA WINE
NIRVANA
Prior to Team
VFH’s wonderful trip last summer to the incredibly beautiful country of Croatia,
we were not familiar with wines from the Dalmatian region. Oh, I knew some of
the names like Dingač and Postup, but only by name; having learned of them from
a NYC vintner decades ago before I first traveled to Sarajevo for the Olympics.
I never drank them while at the Games and I remember at the time thinking these
wines were a novelty, not worth this pseudo-oenophile’s consideration. I still won’t
profess that I know what I’m talking about when it comes to Croatian wine, but
I did drink a lot of them.
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| PLAVAC MALI GRAPES |
Yes, our
attitudes towards Croatian wine changed drastically because of our trip through the Dalmatian Islands and along the Peljesac peninsula last July. After all, Croatia is just across the Adriatic Sea
from Italy and has the perfect climate for making wine (and olive oil).
As we
cruised the islands aboard the MV Infinity with the cruise line, Unforgettable
Croatia, we sampled various and very respectable wines from all over the Dalmatian
islands. From delicate whites to hearty reds, the wines of Croatia are worth
the trip alone. Sadly, they are nearly impossible to find back here in the
United States. Since returning home I’ve searched to no avail, although I haven’t
traveled to NYC yet in my Croatian wine quest.
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| MADIRAZZA WINERY |
DNA
FOOTPRINT
The interesting
thing about Croatian wines is that they are already here, although we call them
Zinfandel. California Zinfandel is the third leading wine grape variety in the state,
but the grape was first introduced during the Gold Rush in the mid-1850s from
cuttings brought in from Croatia. DNA testing of Zinfandel revealed it is genetically
the same as Crljenak Katelanski, from the Croatian town of Kasetla, north-west of Split, although the climate, terroir, cultivation and production
in California has developed Zinfandel into the variety it is today. Also known by
the less unwieldy name of Tribidrag the wine pairs well with steaks, game and tuna
steaks.
We did
not have the opportunity to taste this wine as well as several other varieties
from Istria and inland, and most of our wines were from the Dubrovnik-Neretva
area of south Dalmatia, but what we had was quite good.
LITTLE
BLUE
Turns out
Plavac Mali, the primary red wine grape of Croatia, is a child of Tribidrag. Plavac
Mali translates to “little blue” and packs a big punch of rich flavor and high
in alcohol and tannin content. Dingač and Postup are made with the Plavac Mali
grape and make wines that get up to 17.5% alcohol! Grown on the southwestern
slopes of the Pelješac Peninsula, where we
conveniently stayed with friends on our final leg of our trip to Croatia, the
Postup and Dingač appellations are planted on steep hillsides overlooking the
Adriatic Sea with spectacular views of Mljet and Korcula. This beautiful area
is the Sonoma and Napa of Croatia. Dingač is rich in taste and high in alcohol
content while Postup is fruity and lighter. Both were a short drive from Trpanj
where we were staying and one day, we drove through the area stopping at
several wineries and made purchases at Madirazza Winery, although we had a
choice of several different places. Madirazza also had a kiosk/store in Trpanj
on the main road to the ferry.
Clustered
in Potomje where Madirazza’s main winery is found there are several more
wineries all with signs beckoning visitors to stop in and try their products.
We were in the area in late July for us and mid-week, but the roads were empty.
While in Madirazza, a large clean establishment surrounded by grape vines as
far as the hills, there was just another couple there while we visited. I’m not sure if tours come
through during the weekends, but it was very quiet.
In the Dingač
area there is a long tunnel cut through the mountain to make reaching the
vineyards easier. Before the tunnel mules had to transport the grapes to the
wineries. Near this tunnel my friend Zeljko told us there was once an honor
system winery. You fill up your container with wine from outdoor barrels and
drop a few coins in the box. We looked for it briefly to no avail.
Here is a
list of wineries on the peninsula:
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| AT SAINTS HILLS |
One night
we went to Saint Hills Winery for a tasting of their wines. Set in an old stone
house in the tiny village of Oskorusno, the whole evening was fascinating.
Their outdoor deck overlooked their vineyards amid the hills of the Peljesac peninsula.
We sampled five different wines, ending with their Dingac and we shared a plate
of Croatian cheeses and meats.
Here is a
google map of wineries on the peninsula:
ISLAND
TERROIRS
The peninsula
may be where Plavac Mali is grown, but we were lucky enough to travel through
the Dalmatian islands and were fortunate to taste wines that come from a
particular island.
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| KORCULA WINE BAR |
On Korcula, the supposed birthplace
of Marco Polo, grow two whites in the sandy soils, Grk and Pošip, although the latter
is now more readily found throughout Dalmatia. Grk is as difficult to find as it
is to pronounce and we only had it in a wine bar on Korcula. Grk produces only
feminine flowers for some reason and to pollinate they must be planted near other varieties.
Most grapes are self-pollinators. This “feminine”
wine though is well-balanced, full-bodied with a distinctive aroma.
Pošip although once only grown
on Korcula, is more common and was readily available on the MV Infinity. This
mild white pairs well with seafood and cheese.
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| a girl and her Bogdanusa |
Bogdanusa means “gift from God”
and this rich tasting white became a favorite of ours. You’ll never get to
taste it though fair reader, unless you too travel to Hvar. This party
island produces lavender and this richly colored, refreshingly flavored white and
our little dinner group popped several bottles while dining at an outdoor table
on the stairs outside the Black Pepper restaurant.
We also
enjoyed this rare wine in a wine bar nestled in an alley behind the main square.
At Pršuta 3 we sat on chairs right
in the narrow alley and were entertained by the waiter and his elaborate
aerating technique. Hvar City had a decadent lively feel to it and Bogdanusa paired
appropriately well with the night.
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| LIPANOVIC, VIS |
Yet,
despite all this devotion to “researching” Croatian wines, there are still many
corks to pop and bottles to drain and I will never pretend to know much of
anything. There are several other wines from the Istrian coast and Slavonia in
the interior that we were not lucky to try.
Here’s a list of Croatian grape varieties.
WINE TOURS
If you fair
reader find yourself traveling to Croatia, you may want to consider taking a wine
tour, especially if you can’t get in touch with my friend Zeljko. There are
several and my suggestion is to google search for one that meets your interests.
One offered by Peljesac Wine Tours will pick you up in Dubrovnik and drag you
all over the peninsula, starting with a visit in Ston where you can sample
oysters and deep into Dingac country and the town of Potomje to sample from
wineries large and small. As part of our travels with Unforgettable Croatia we visited Ston and had some oysters.
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| WINE TOURS |
Another
more expensive tour group is in Split and they offer a 6 day wine tour of the entire country of Croatia. For two people it costs 4800 Euros.
If I find Postup or Dingac here in the states, I’ll let you know.
Aerating at Pršuta 3 on Hvar
Christmas is coming and you'll probably going to want to host an "ugly Christmas Sweater party". Instead buy one of my shirts! Now they're really tacky... See the link to my store at the top or bottom of the blog.
Thanks for reading!
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