Croatia is a country that gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, however the viticulture is far older than that. It is widely believed that the area has grown grapes for over 2,500 years, dating back to the Ancient Greeks. You may also know the Croatian city of Dubrovnik as the filming location of King’s Landing in Game of Thrones.
In the 5th century BC, the Ancient Greeks arrived and settled on the coastline of what is now Croatia. However, by the time they had arrived, the indigenous people, the Thracians, and later the Illyrians, had already developed their own wine-making techniques. The wines from this time were produced on the islands of Vis, Hvar, and Korčula, part of the coastal region known as Dalmatia[1].
The Romans were the first culture known to drink wine with meals, so when they arrived in the first century BC, they grew the local wine industry in Dalmatia. The wine from the area started to be exported to other parts of the Roman Empire.
Croats arrived in the area in the early 7th century. Along with grapes, olives also continued to flourish in the region. However, the Ottoman Turks started to infringe and ultimately declared several wars against the Croatians. The Ottomans brought with them their strict policies against alcohol. Fortunately the church was saved from these rules, allowing for some small part of the wine industry to continue. The Ottoman wars of the 15th and 16th centuries also resulted in many Croatians to migrate to the newly developed colonies in America.
In the 18th century, the area of modern-day Croatia fell under the control of the Habsburg Monarchy, the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg that was split along with the senior Spanish branch. Under Habsburg rule, wine production thrived with the exception of the 1874 phylloxera epidemic. After WWI, Croatia was part of the newly formed country of Yugoslavia. This new country was born with a communist ruling system and private ownership was discouraged. Wine production focused on quantity rather than quality.
During the Croatian independence war, some vineyards and wineries were destroyed, however the industry rebuilt and is now considered one of the best wine-producing locations in the world for quality.
Aging Wine — Underwater?
Croatia is also home to the world’s first (and only at time of writing this piece) underwater winery. On the Southwestern part of Croatia lies Pelješac peninsula. The peninsula is home to the Edivo winery and their line of Navis Mysterium Plavac Mali. After production, bottling, and a short 3-month aging on land, the bottles or amphorae of Plavac Mali are submerged in the Adriatic Sea. The winery says that at 20 meters underwater, temperatures are stable and light exposure is minimal. Pressure at the 20 meter depth is 3x that of sea level. So to prevent seawater entering the vessels due to the higher pressure, corks are sealed and given an extra layer of protection. Typical aging for these wines is 12 to 24 months[2].
Other Things Croatians Do with Water
They mix it with their wine! Ok, I know what you’re thinking. It’s ok. They don’t mix water with high quality wines. However, the house wines or similar styles are often cut with still or sparkling wine. When you mix water with white wine, it is called Gemišt and when you mix water with red wine, it is called Bevenda. In Croatia, mixing water with your wine is not a punishable offense.
Wines You May Not Have Heard of and Will Have Trouble Pronouncing
This region of the world has some great grape varieties, so why are they so rarely seen in the US? Well, it may be partially due to the language. Many Croatian words are difficult and so long that they get intimidating. Here are a few tips to help sound out those words like a kindergartner:
NJ: pronounced like ni in “minion”
LJ: sounds like lli in “million”
DŽ: like j in “joy” (only pronounced slightly harder)
Č: sounds like ch in “charm” or “match”
Š: sounds like sh in “shoe”
Ž: equals to s in “measure”[3]
Now that you have that in your pocket, let’s look at some of the popular grapes in Croatia.
Graševina
Also known as Welschriesling, this grape is the most widely grown in Croatia. It is grown in every inland wine region and dominates the eastern side of the country. The origin of this grape is not yet known, but theories suggest that it could be indigenous to the area or from the Champagne region of France. Wines produced with Graševina are white, typically dry and aromatic.
Malvazija Istarska
The second most common grape grown in Croatia is the malvazija istarska. These grapes also make a dry white wine, although malvazija istarska wines are typically lower in alcohol content and bring spice and fennel notes. Just to clarify, this is not the same grape as the Italian malvasia.
Plavac Mali
The first red grape on the list and third largest produced in Croatia is plavac mali. This grape is a cross-breed of Crljenak Kaštelanski (ancestral Zinfandel) and Dobričić grapes. Grown primarily along the coast line of Dalmatia, this grape was the first to get its own appellations (Dingač and Postup). Wines made from this grape are typically high in alcohol content and tannins while low in acidity. Flavors that are often found in these wines are of dark berries and pepper.
Wine Regions
When Croatia joined the European Union (EU) in 2013, their wine regions were updated. The regions are now Eastern Continental Croatia, Western Continental Croatia, and Coastal Croatia. Each are made up of smaller sub-regions, which in turn are comprised of multiple vinogorje (winehills).
Coastal Croatia
Croatia Istria, Croatian Coast, North Dalmatia, Dalmatian Hinterland, Central and South Dalmatia
The northern coast of Croatia sees a mild Mediterranean climate. Most commonly seen grapes are malvazija istarska, žlahtina, and a grape known as teran. Teran has been a sour note because Slovenia had protected the Terrano wine as an indigenous product prior to joining the EU. This meant that they were the only country who could sell wine under that label. After joining the EU, Slovenia transferred this Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) to the European system, which then in turn granted Croatia an exemption from the PDO in May of 2017. This allowed Croatia to produce teran grapes and use that designation as long as it is also labeled “Hrvatska Istra” (“Croatia Istria”).
In Dalmatia, a large area along the southern coast, the climate is hotter and drier with mild, rainy winters. This region sees a far closer mix of red and white grapes. For reds, there are plavac mali, babić, tribidrag, and plavina. For whites, debit, maraština, kujundžuša, pošip, bogdanuša, vugava, and grk are grown.
Eastern Continental Croatia
Croatian Danube, Croatian Uplands
In general, the Eastern Continental region is known for old vines. This area has grown wine since pre-Roman times. The region shares a northern border with Hungary, an eastern border with Serbian, and a southern border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are mostly white wine grapes grown here, specifically graševina, rhein riesling, chardonnay and pinot grigio. Vineyards in this region tend to average around 200 meters above sea level.
Western Continental Croatia
Moslavina, Prigorje – Bilogora, Zagorje – Međimurje – Plešivica, Pokuplje
The Ilova River divides the Eastern and Western Continental regions. Slightly more elevated than the Eastern region, vineyards here tend to be about 300 meters above sea level. Similar grapes are grown here as the Eastern region: graševina, rhein riesling, chardonnay, kraljevina, moslavac (šipon), škrlet, sauvignon blanc. This region is also known for a few specialty styles, like dessert and late harvest wines. Both the Moslavina and Međimurje – Plešivica regions are known for sparkling wines as well.
Sources
1) Sokolić, I. (2012). A SHORT HISTORY OF CROATIAN VITICULTURE AND WINEMAKING. Acta turistica nova, 6(1), 21-26. Retrieved from http://hrcak.srce.hr/107151
2) Croatian wines online shop
https://www.thewineandmore.com/
3) LearnCroatian
http://www.learncroatian.eu/blog/the-croatian-letters
