Croatian Wines
Photo of Hvar Town, by Elia Varela

The wines on Hvar Island, Croatia 2021

by  |  10-03-2021

Please see the accompanying Tasting Report for these wines of Hvar that’s been released together with this region report. If you’ve not been, Hvar is an achingly beautiful island in Croatia that’s not an exaggeration... more »

A bunch of cool Croatian grapes for the summer

by  |  03-08-2020

Yet another hot summer arrived in Croatia, but it certainly feels a bit different this year. There are far less tourists, which is actually not that bad as you don’t have to elbow your way... more »

Croatia’s other side: Josić Graševina Superior 2017

by  |  26-09-2018

Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel the coastal wines of Croatia need far less introduction at this point than they did 15 years ago. A warm, Mediterranean/Adriatic climate makes for easily-approachable, open wines with a... more »

Pure Plavac Mali

by  |  01-01-2018

When I wrote about the passing of Zlatan Plenković last year, I made mention that his wines and in reality, a wine of Plavac Mali were largely responsible for moving me into a broader appreciation... more »

In The Glass: Bibich – Bas de Bas 2013

by  |  25-11-2017

When in Split, Croatia in 2015 to do a presentation at Dalmacija Expo, I spent a few rewarding nights bopping around the city–something I’ve rarely done in lieu of mainly hanging out in the now... more »

In The Glass: Krajančić – Intrada 2016

by  |  07-10-2017

The Dalmatian grape, Pošip can most certainly be boring, banal, and limp. If overproduced and fermented in large, not perfectly-controlled volumes it dies a mournful death aromatically. But, like so many grapes, when a simple... more »

In The Glass: Kiridžija – Dingač 2013

by  |  01-08-2017

I have more than a soft spot when it comes to the wines of Vedran Kiridžija. It was exactly a decade ago that I visited him for the first time when researching the Dalmatia book... more »

The continuing potential of Croatian wine

by  |  07-05-2017

In regards to tourism, Croatia is now a destination in its own right and has long shed the infamous, “The Next” descriptor which has seemingly been passed on to Albania, now “The Next Croatia”. In... more »

In The Glass: Violić – Dingač 2015

by  |  21-04-2017

I had the chance to sample this Pelješac wine from Violić recently which was quite interesting as it tastes more of the recent movement by some makers in the generally hearty Dingač region to literally... more »

A Poletti taste of Istria

by  |  04-04-2017

While at the Grand Tasting in February, in one of the masterclasses, I had the chance to taste the wines of Poletti, a Croatian winery located in Central Istria. Making wine for some six generations,... more »