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Riesling vines in the Tomac , in Get to know Plešivica, Croatian Uplands ’s With more than 140 indigenous varieties and a wide range of climatic conditions, Croatia offers a diverse palette of flavours for lovers to explore. Amanda Barnes outlines the key grapes and wine styles in each of Croatia’s wine regions

The Croatian Uplands: Croatia: the facts cool-climate white varieties Vineyard area: 21,184ha The limestone hillsides and cool, Producers: 1,620 continental climate make the Uplands Production: 843,000hl annually ideal for white and early ripening Most-planted varieties: Graševina, reds. is the queen of the Uplands , Malvazija Istarska in terms of quantity and quality. You can expect lean, aromatic styles of dry Riesling in general, but you’ll also find sparkling, orange and even dessert . Frankovka (Blaufränkisch) is, in Istria & Kvarner: Dolac are particularly sought after and wines. Plešivica is considered a top Plavac Mali fact, the most-planted red in the region, ‘Dalmatia is the give full-bodied Plavac Mali, resplendent for Uplands Riesling. but winemakers are freely experimenting Malvazija and more with ripe notes of fig, plum and spice. There’s a growing interest in with other varieties and blends. More than half the wine produced in heartland of native These might feel like rather hearty from the Uplands (and Southern-facing slopes are dedicated Istria is Malvazija. Although similar in wines for a beach holiday, but they are Croatia in general), especially from the to production, but the rest of name to , Malvazija Istarska is a Croatian varieties and ideal in the evenings with local game. region of Međimurje. Stylistically, Croatian the are usually unique white variety found only in Istria. Pašticada, a local beef dish with plums, is Sauvignon Blancs tend to be well territory and, more specifically, Graševina Malvazija is usually made in a fresher previously unknown another ideal match. balanced rather than overtly aromatic. territory. Croatia’s most-planted variety, style (vinified in stainless steel tanks, While Plavac is the main ticket in As a renowned territory for traditional- Graševina () accounts for which conserves fruit aromas) or a indigenous varieties Dalmatia, this is the heartland of native method , the Uplands is one fifth of Croatia’s wines and is the full-bodied style (aged on the lees in Croatian grapes, and previously unknown also home to and . darling of continental Croatia. acacia or barrels, concrete eggs or are still being indigenous varieties are still being Sparkling wines are typically complex, Top sub-regions include Kutjevo (a increasingly with skin contact in discovered among old vineyards. with more than two years on the lees – cooler climate, producing fresher wines amphorae). Peach, apricot and citrus discovered among Another local red variety worth looking Croatia’s answer to . Graševina with green apple and citrus notes) as well aromas are common, often with a for is Babić, a full-bodied red with great Interesting native varieties in the as Ilok and Baranja (milder regions giving savoury note, and the favourite local old vineyards’ ageing potential, especially those wines Uplands include Škrlet, Portugizac, wines of a riper style with a fuller body). pairing is with Istrian white truffle. made from the remarkable stone-walled Moslavac () and Kraljevina. The majority of Graševina wines are Another local white you might come vineyard of Bucavac. made in stainless steel tanks and across is Žlahtina, especially on the island Dalmatia: Native white varieties also abound consumed young. However, Graševina’s of Krk. Lighter in colour and body, these Plavac Mali and there’s a lot of buzz about Pošip. & Danube: naturally high acidity allows for long ageing wines have moderate to low acidity and The third most-planted variety in Croatia, Native to the beautiful island of Korčula, Graševina and continental reds too. Late- wines are also common, floral, citrus aromas. Plavac Mali, is an ancestor of the variety has boomed in the past two While the Uplands are cool continental, and is made occasionally. While the white wines of Istria tend to and native to the coast of Dalmatia and decades and is now spread throughout Slavonia and the Croatian Danube have a Another popular variety for sweet be fuller bodied with low acidity, the red its many islands. On the warmer flats, Dalmatia. While traditionalists stick to moderate continental climate. Extremely wines is the peachy, floral Traminac wines are known for their notable acidity Plavac makes everyday hearty reds, while ripe and voluminous styles, the trend is to cold in the winter and sweltering in the (Gewürztraminer). The sub-region of Ilok – even Istrian Merlot. The native variety the most coveted vineyards on steep, harvest Pošip earlier to make zippy summer, you can ripen reds such as has a windy climate and loess soils ideal Teran is marked by wild cherry aromas south-facing slopes offer more opulent whites which have become coastal Malvazija Istarska , and for late-harvest, sweet Traminac. Dimnjaković Ivan Photograph: and feisty tannins. styles. Vineyards in Dingač and Ivan Croatia’s equivalent of Sauvignon Blanc.

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