Available individually
CROATIA
Croatia, a 3-thousand-year-old viticulture
Croatia is part of the ancient world of wine with a viticulture that developed more than 2500 years ago. The Croatian vineyard now covers about 35,000 hectares and produces mainly white and red wines made from many autochthonous grape varieties, in particular Graševina, Malvasia and Plavac Mali, which account for 50% of the grape varieties.
The main Croatian wine regions
Dalmatia
It is the cradle of Croatian viticulture, a region that enjoys a Mediterranean climate, very hot and dry, with vineyards located mainly on sloping hillsides, on the Adriatic Sea. There are the oldest Croatian autochthonous grape varieties such as Pošip, Vugava, Grk, Rukatac, Malvasia de Dubronvik in white, and Plavac mali, Babić, Crljenak, Dobričić in red.
Istria
A peninsula in the shape of an inverted triangle, it was colonised by the Greeks and then the Romans who cultivated vines there. The bay of Kalavojna near Pula was called "the bay of good wine" by the Greeks. The climate here is more temperate than in Dalmatia, due to the high altitude of the vineyards in Central Istria and the maritime influence on the coast. The most important white grape varieties are Malvasia and Muškat on limestone soils, and Teran for the reds. There are also international grape varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon that thrive ideally on red clay soils rich in iron.
Slavonia
Although wine was already produced there by the Romans, it was really the Cistercian monks of Kutjevo who made quality wines from the 13th century onwards. In this central region of Croatia, with no access to the Adriatic Sea, the climate is more continental, with cold winters and hot summers, and the soils are rich. The most famous wines from Slavonia are the white wines of the Graševina grape variety in late harvest and selections of noble grains, and the red wines made from the Pinot Noir variety, modelled on the wines of Burgundy.
North-West Croatia
On the border with Hungary and Slovenia, this wine region is colder and white wines are in the spotlight with native grape varieties such as Pušipel and also Sauvignon, Riesling, Silvanac zeleni and Muškat. In particular, ice wines are produced here. Some red wines are made from the Pinot Noir and Portugizac grape varieties.
Price, low to high
Available individually