A taste of Croatia
Its wines may be unfamiliar to many, but with a plethora of indigenous grapes, Croatia has plenty to offer wine lovers. Some of the UK’s leading sommeliers and wine buyers share their tips on styles to look out for
Joe Fattorini, host, The Wine Show ‘Povratak’, meaning ‘return’, signifies a drive among the Croatian diaspora to come back and make the most of their homeland. High-profile winemakers like Mike Grgich, are growing Plavac Mali, which is getting better when tamed and can be released younger. Babić keeps its freshness in hot summers and balancing riper vintages in blended reds. We’ll see more 100% Crljenak Kaštelanski too, but I suspect labelled as Zinfandel. The most successful wines are worldclass Istrian Malvazijas from producers such as Cossetto and Cattunar. And there are some fabulous sweet wines, like Karaman’s Malvasija Dubrovačka Prošek.
Dario Drmač, CEO, The Wine and More The Croatian wine scene is vibrant and lively, with a focus on local varieties at festivals such as Dubrovnik FestiWine in late April and Vinistra Wine and Winery Exhibition in May. Croatian winemakers have recognised the potential of their indigenous varieties and are starting to invest in the revival and production of wines such as Pošip, Grk and Tribidrag (aka Zinfandel). Decanter World Wine Awards judge Jo Ahearne is the first Master of Wine living in Croatia and making wine on Hvar, which we are proud to stock.
Joshua Castle, sommelier, Noble Rot Wine Bar, London Plant geneticist Dr Carole Meredith’s work in tracing the lineage of Zinfandel to Croatia has made wine lovers more aware about the history of winemaking here. With grape varieties difficult for many non-Croatian-speaking consumers to contend with, convincing sommeliers to taste esoteric wines is one thing, but effective marketing to persuade the man in the street that indigenous Croatian wines are worthy premium products is another. I recently enjoyed a 2016 Bolfan, Rajnski Rizling from Zagreb, with bright citrus flavours, like a dry, fullbodied Austrian Kamptal-style Riesling.
Chris Stewart, owner, Taste Croatia Deli My favourite white grapes are Pošip, an aromatic, crisp, full-bodied dry wine with aromas of apricots, almonds, apple and dried fruit; and Malvazija Istarska, which is refreshing, usually dry, with aromas of fennel, quince, honey, apricot and spice, and a wonderful match for seafood. Good reds include Istria’s Babić and Teran, but the standout is Plavac Mali from Dalmatia. Rich and full of flavour, it’s full bodied, with flavours of blackberry, dark cherry, pepper, carob, dry figs and spice, reaching its zenith in Dingač and Postup on the Pelješac peninsula.
Ben Franks, partner, Novel Wines Once back home, many people find it hard to source some of the great wines they’ve tasted on holiday in Croatia because the locals drink them all! My favourite wines come from Matuško in Dalmatia, especially its rich and spicy Plavac Mali reds from Postup and Dingač on the Pelješac peninsula. From Istria, we like the wines from Kabola, Franc Arman, Kozlović and Damjanić. Try Malvazija Istarska, which is much more savoury than the fruitier wines of its neighbours; and Teran, a red grape originally from Slovenia which has found a new home here. It is like a bigger style of Chianti with more dark fruit and chocolate hints. From the Danube region, we stock Ilocki Podrumi for its Graševina and Traminac.
Ben Drury, business development manager, Croatia Fine Wines Croatian wine continues to delight those who taste it. The whites have always been crisp and delicious and the reds are pushing strongly. Each region has its own lure, with Istria having the broadest range, but because of my love for Plavac Mali I would single out the Dingač region in Dalmatia, where the grape shows chocolate and toffee notes in a bone-dry red. This is most evident in the wines from Matuško. Honourable mention for Kabola in Istria, whose wines are excellent across all styles.
Jan Konetzki, head sommelier, La Dame de Pic, Four Seasons Hotel, London Croatian Malvasia is very food friendly thanks to its viscous texture and freshness with a hint of salinity, and I especially like pairing it with more complex seafood dishes where the spicy, salty and sweet flavours come together. Both aromatic and crisp light whites (I stock a Rebula-Chardonnay blend) are great value. I’m impressed with Istrian reds too, where finesse, ripe fruit and freshness meet ageability – we list a Merlot-Teran blend from Matošević, which tastes like a cross between a SuperTuscan and a Pomerol.