Wine Region Guide

Croatia

Croatia has roughly 20,000 hectares of vineyards divided between a continental interior and a long Adriatic coastline. The country is commonly presented as four wine regions: Slavonia and the Croatian Danube in the east (about a third of plantings), the Croatian Uplands around Zagreb (about a fifth), and the coastal regions of Istria and Kvarner and of Dalmatia (together about half). Croatia joined the EU in July 2013 and operates under the PDO and PGI system, labeled domestically as ZOI and ZOZP.

Overview

The country's distinguishing asset is its stock of indigenous grapes: more than 120 native varieties have been identified, of which roughly 40 are in commercial use. Three varieties, Graševina, Malvazija Istarska, and Plavac Mali, account for over a third of production.

History

Viticulture on the Dalmatian coast and islands dates to Greek settlement around the fourth century BCE, and the continental interior has a documented medieval tradition: the cellars at Kutjevo in Slavonia were built by Cistercian monks in 1232 and remain in use. Phylloxera arrived in the late nineteenth century and drove mass emigration from Dalmatia, including to California. Under socialist Yugoslavia production was organized around cooperatives; Dingač, a slope of Plavac Mali vineyards on the Pelješac peninsula, became Yugoslavia's first protected wine appellation in 1961.

Two events reshaped the modern industry. After independence in 1991 and the war that followed, private family wineries re-emerged through the 1990s; Miljenko Grgich of Napa Valley's Grgich Hills returned to found Grgić Vina on Pelješac in that decade. In 2001, researchers led by Carole Meredith at UC Davis with Edi Maletić and Ivan Pejić of the University of Zagreb identified vines of Crljenak Kaštelanski near Split as genetically identical to Zinfandel; the variety's oldest local name, Tribidrag, is documented from the fifteenth century. EU accession in 2013 harmonized Croatian wine law with the PDO/PGI framework.

Terroir & Climate

The two macrozones differ fundamentally. Slavonia and the Danube in the Pannonian basin are continental, with hot summers and cold winters; Graševina is grown on loess and clay slopes such as those of Kutjevo below the Krndija hills, and on the Danube at Ilok. The Croatian Uplands are the coolest zone, hilly country suited to aromatic whites and sparkling wine. Istria combines a Mediterranean climate with red terra rossa over limestone, grey flysch and white soils. Dalmatia is hot and dry, with vineyards on karst limestone; the most extreme sites are the steep seaward slopes of the Pelješac peninsula, where the Dingač cru, and on gentler slopes Postup, face south over the Adriatic, Dingač on inclines approaching 45 degrees, and the stone-walled bush vines of islands such as Hvar, Korčula, and Brač.

Grape Varieties & Wine Styles

Graševina (the Welschriesling of Austria and Hungary) is the most planted variety, made in Slavonia as dry, full whites as well as late-harvest and sweet wines. Malvazija Istarska defines Istria, from fresh unoaked whites to skin-macerated and barrel-aged versions. Plavac Mali, the leading red of Dalmatia, was shown by DNA research to be a natural cross of Tribidrag (Zinfandel) and Dobričić; it gives full-bodied, tannic, high-alcohol reds, with Dingač and Postup as its delimited sites. Other significant natives include the whites Pošip and Grk of Korčula, Debit and Maraština in northern Dalmatia, and the reds Babić around Primošten, Teran in Istria, and replanted Tribidrag itself. Frankovka (Blaufränkisch) and international varieties are grown in the continental east.

Notable Producers

In Slavonia, Kutjevo d.d. and Krauthaker are the leading Graševina producers. In Istria, Kozlović (a family estate dating to 1904 near Momjan) and Matošević are established names for Malvazija. On Pelješac, Grgić Vina and Korta Katarina produce Plavac Mali and Pošip; Zlatan Otok farms steep vineyards on Hvar; and Bibich works native varieties at Skradin in northern Dalmatia.

What to Know

Graševina is unrelated to Riesling despite its German synonym. Plavac Mali is a descendant of Zinfandel, not Zinfandel itself; wines labeled Crljenak Kaštelanski or Tribidrag are the true equivalent of Zinfandel and Primitivo. Dingač and Postup are position designations for Plavac Mali on Pelješac and command the highest prices in Dalmatia. Istrian Malvazija and the island whites Pošip and Grk are the country's strongest white wine arguments after Graševina. Production is dominated by small family wineries and domestic and tourist demand absorbs most volume, so export availability is limited and concentrated at the premium end.

This guide is part of the WineSaint Wine Region Guide collection.