A Winemaking Family Affair
A Winemaking Family Affair
Black + red = plavac
If you come across the city of Split on your way, do not miss the opportunity to dive into the wine aromas of the area, which is known for the specific flavours of its indigenous wine grape varieties. In any case, be prepared for it to exceed your expectations, as you will be diving into a true oenological family affair.
Since winemaking in the area is more or less a family-based business, not only will you become familiar with several generations of winemakers and experience the full extent of their hospitality, you may even hear the most interesting wine story of Croatia.
Its world-renowned counterparts in other countries are the zinfandel, the Italian primitivo and the Montenegrin krtošija, but the crljenak is the oldest one among them. It all began with this original Dalmatian variety.
Equally good sources of information on the flavours of crljenak are the town of Trogir, placed under UNESCO protection, which has been a favourite port among the global jet set for decades thanks to its three marinas; the wonderful marina at Kaštela; or Split itself, as the nautical and administrative centre of Dalmatia.
If you’ve already tried crljenak in its original form, it would be a shame to miss out on some dobričić. As a beautiful little jewel of central Dalmatia, this indigenous red wine variety from Šolta has seen a real boom in recent years. It is renowned for its intense colour and tartness, which makes it suitable for all the more popular Dalmatian coupages. In the old days, it was used to give colour to other wines and to “build their character.”
If you’ve already had a taste of the crljenak and dobričić, you can move on to enjoy the aromas of their wine-like offspring nearby. The island of Brač connects with Šolta at the Split Gates strait, and offers an optimal position for growing some of the finest Dalmatian grape vine varieties. To explore the inland wineries, we recommend berthing on the west side of the island, at Bobovišće or Milna. True wine connoisseurs will notice a slight difference in the wine aroma on the west side compared to the south side, which is typically sunnier.
To really explore the Brač wine story, we highly recommend setting sail for the town of Bol – not only because of the beautiful pebble beach Golden Horn, but also because of the southern slopes and vineyards of mostly white grape varieties situated only a few hundred metres from the sea surface.