Croatia – The Wines Americans Should be Drinking!

First, a Little Bit About Croatia and Napa Valley

Thanks in part to Game of Thrones being filmed in Croatian towns such as Dubrovnik, Split and Šibenik, the country is experiencing unprecedented growth in tourism.  Beyond the scenic beauty of these coastal towns the wine scene especially along the Dalmatian Coast offers some memorable highlights with a Californian winery having a special place in the soul of Croatian wines.

The 1976 “Judgment of Paris” put California wines on the global map. Amongst the notable winners was a Chardonnay produced by Chateau Montelena. The person crafting this award-winning wine from the Napa Valley was Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, widely recognized as one of the founding fathers of the California wine industry and a year later, opening his own winery, Grgich Hills Estate.  The Croatian connection – Mike was born in Desne, Croatia and received his college degree from the University of Zagreb and later established a winery on the Peljesac Peninsula of Croatia in 1996 named Grgic Vina. https://www.grgic-vina.com/en               . The winery itself on a hillside of the Peninsula has an incredible coastal view and could be the penultimate venue for weddings and special events.

The Grapes

Hard to spell. Even harder to pronounce!  Croatia has many indigenous grapes producing unique wines ready for the American palate. While living in Southern California we often visited a boutique wine shop in Orange County that brought in wines from lesser-known wine countries like Croatia, Slovenia and Macedonia. My first exposure to Croatian wines was via her store nearly ten years ago. Retailing at approximately $16.00 per bottle, these predominantly white wines were quite unique and a true value purchase.

The Wines

So lets introduce two of the white wines from the Dalmation Coast - Pošip and Grk.  And two of the notable red wines - Plavac Mali and Crljenak Kaštelanski or Tribidrag. 

The White Wines -

Posip - Is one of the more qualitative whites predominantly grown on the islands of Korcula and Hvar in southern Croatia with increased plantings along the Dalmatian Coast. It is usually full-bodied and rarely oaked but very fragrant with ripe fruit flavors and a hint of almonds. Given our focus of eating freshly-caught seafood, these wines pair incredibly well with grilled octopus, fried sardines and white anchovies.  It is white fish friendly. Many compare the wines to blends of Marsanne and Roussanne from Southern Rhone and even Sauvignon Blanc from warmer sections of California.

Grk - Similar to Posip, this grape is primarily grown on the island of Korcula with increased plantings along the rocky southern Dalmatian coast.  It is rather rare but one of the more popular whites on a Croatian table. It has limited production and is rarely exported to the U.S. but if you ever spot it on a restaurant wine list or retail wine shelf, buy it.  It is full-bodied with a level of salinity comparable to some Albarinos from Spain. The taste is quite distinctive and comparisons to Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling may not do it justice as it operates in its own unique universe.  Clams, mussels, most any kind of shellfish and fish stews would be an optimal pairing for this wine.

The Red Wines -

Plavac Mali - This is the most widely planted red wine grape in Croatia with some of the best-sourced grapes along the Peljesac Peninsula.  To quickly frame this wine, it is not meant for those who exclusively drink Pinot Noir.  It is bold with high tannins, low acidity, full bodied, deeply colored wine with the taste of plums, blackberries and dark cherries with alcohol levels commonly in the 15% range and even up to 17%.  The closest comparison I have found for this wine is the Sagrantino grape out of Umbria, Italy. It is not a wine that I would be sipping on a warm summer evening.  However, an outdoor barbeque with steaks, ribs, venison, basically any savory red meat or stew will be enhanced by this wine as the tannins bring out the marinades and rubs for these meats.

Crljenak Kaštelanski or Tribidrag - Another of Croatia’s indigenous grapes with a lengthy story, fascinating history of discovery and a mysterious journey to America.  Reading the conclusion to this story first…we are talking about Italian Primitivo or American Zinfandel.

After decades of debate and research it was genetically determined that Zinfandel was not indigenous to the US but rather has its roots in Croatia, specifically in the area south of Split.  Under the prodding of the aforementioned Mike Grgich of Grgich Hills Estates winery, the University of Zagreb and the University of California - Davis it was determined via DNA testing in 2001 that Crljenak Kastelanski and Zinfandel were perfectly matched.  The cute part of this genetic research identifying the source of the American Zinfandel grape that spanned several years was that this effort was called “Zinquest”. 

So, if you like a full-bodied Zinfandel, you will like Tribidrag.  In fact, Ridge Vineyards in California introduced original clones of Crljenak Kastelanski. They planted one acre of these vines in their Lytton Springs vineyard and introduced their first vintage, Ridge 2017 Lytton Estate Tribidrag with subsequent vintages available for domestic purchase.

 

Familija Grgurevic – A Winery to Visit

A wine aficionado will not lack in wineries to visit along the Dalmation coast with famous ones like Grgic Vina, Kozlovic and Saints Hills Winery certainly on your must do list.  However, it is sometimes the small wineries off the beaten path that provide some of the more memorable tasting adventures.  One such winery is the multi-generational, family-owned winery Familija Grgurevic https://www.grgurevicvina.com (yes, you will have to run their website through a translator) but their wines and story are worth the effort.

This is a small winery that would easily be passed over unless booked through a wine tour director who wants to provide a wine tourist with a breadth of winery visits from famous, to large, to quite small. The winery has been in commercial operation since the 1800’s with nearly 10 acres under vine and also producing premium olive oil with nearly 6 acres of olive trees, most over 200 years old.

What makes this scheduled winery visit special is that you will be hosted by the fifth generation of family ownership, Anto Grgurevic who received his Masters in Winemaking and Viticulture from the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb. While his father still manages the vineyards, Anto is now introducing modern winemaking techniques and experimentation in wine production.  They grow seven varietals producing white, rose, orange and red wines such as: Posip and Grk for whites, Plavac Small Gray for orange wines, Plavac Mali for rose and both Plavac Mali, Dobričić and Crljenak Kaštelanski or Zinfandel for their red wines.

Two of their wines that I found especially noteworthy were their Grgurević Familija Grand Cru and their Grgurević Grk. The Grand Cru is only made in good years and is a blend of three red grapes macerated up to 48 days in stainless steel and is age worthy. It would pair especially well with grilled red meats and is full bodied with distinctive blackberry aromas and a surprisingly long finish. The Grk has a medium plus body and a higher level of acidity than other Grk’s we tried and would pair well with chicken, prosciutto and cold meats.

Croatian Wines in New Mexico

I have yet to find any Croatian wines on a restaurant menu and both national and specialty wineshops in the greater Santa Fe area still do not carry a selection.  I am making every effort to have distributors that have these wines in their portfolio introduce these unique, reasonably priced wines to their wholesale customers as it is long past due.