As an aperitif (with or without snacks) these vinos were a superb sip (The Independent)
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Formerly part of Yugoslavia but now a full EU member, Croatia has become a prime holiday destination. It is much loved for its sparkling blue seas, pristine beaches and its archipelago of dozens of gorgeous little islands while inland there are rolling hills and splendid ancient towns and cities.
Many of us will also delight in discovering the superb local wines – particularly the whites – which match wonderfully well with Mediterranean-style seafood dishes (think rich squid and prawn dishes).
These tipples largely stem from local grapes which most of us have not encountered before. From almond-flavoured posip to spicy malvasia, with fennel and quince notes or apple scented grasevina with unfamiliar nutty, saline styles that don’t quite match more well-known grapes such as chardonnay or pinot grigio.
Reds are much less common, but are mostly made from the plavac mali grape, a relative of the grape otherwise known as primitivo in Italy or zinfandel in California. They’re also made from indigenous varieties like babic and teran, which are all suitable for hefty barbecue or casserole dishes.
But, how can we find these treasures here at home? Production, compared to other European countries, is small and the sensible Croatians keep a lot to themselves. So you might have to hunt around a bit, but your efforts will be well rewarded. More and more Croatian wines are finding their way to this country, in part thanks to enterprising importers such as Croatian Fine Wines and the recently established Blue Ice Wine. Both work closely with small, local wine producers.
We tasted a range of these highly versatile wines as aperitifs, with and without snacks like nuts and olives and also alongside a range of fish dishes, from simple grilled fish to oysters, prawns and other seafood for the whites and the roses – and it goes without saying they need to be properly chilled to be enjoyed at their best.
The reds were tasted alongside more substantial offerings like grilled chicken, lamb kebabs and stuffed vegetables, which are very traditional dishes in Croatia and all are very barbecue friendly, whether it is simple sausages or a butterflied leg of lamb. Of all the tipples we tried, these were our favourites.
This is an International Wine Challenge gold medal winner for 2020 and a wine known locally as the wine of grace, which hails from the eastern Danube region of Croatia. It is produced by a winery that has been going since 1450, so tradition and understanding of what it takes to make a great wine from Grasvina can be tasted in every mouthful.
A complex and intriguing wine, with flavours of fresh apples and pears, it’s very dry with enticing bitter almond hints and a long finish. A wine of this complexity and interest might often command higher prices, so this balance of quality and value is what makes this our best overall buy. Perfect for grilled or roasted prime fish like turbot or John Dory, for salads and lighter meat dishes.
From a long-established winery in Istria, this is a fabulously versatile malvasia which would serve as well on the picnic rug as it would at the dinner table. Green-tinged, floral-scented, crisp, refreshing and enervating, it’s a great wine for all kinds of salads and finger foods like cheese pies or frittata slices.
It’s a new wine from a new company, Blue Ice, co-founded only in 2020 by Guy Denison Smith, a former British army officer who saw service with Nato in the region in the aftermath of the war. He fell in love with both the country and its wines and is now on a mission to bring them to a domestic audience.
The Dalmatia region of southern Croatia is, of course, the ancestral home of the white and black-spotted Dalmatian dog breed, and this wine is named in its honour. Posip is a rare indigenous grape, discovered 150 years ago in the village of Smokvica, on the island of Korcula where this wine was made.
Posip is a delicate grape, but the flavours it produces are anything but: this wine is rich and different, with a mouth filling blend of almond, citrus and fresh herb flavours. This would be a superb dinner party wine for oysters or robust flavoured fish dishes.
There are few rosés made in Croatia and fewer still make their way here. This one is doubly unusual in that it is made by a winery that is located in the Slavonia region between Hungary and Bosnia that dates back almost 800 years. It’s made from two varieties rarely paired together – earthy, aromatic pinot noir and the Austrian grape zweigelt, which makes spicy, medium bodied, juicy reds. It is a combination that works very well, giving real red fruit substance behind the pale Provencal style colour, with leavening notes of white pepper, tangerines and lemons, delivering a fresh, aromatic, punch. Great with charcuterie or fishy tapas-type dishes.
Lying on the coast halfway between Split and Dubrovnik in the Dalmatia wine region, the Matusko winery is the home of the plavac mali, a grape known locally as “blood of the soil”. It’s an appropriately Gothic name for this wine, which has aromas of plums, herbs and violets, and brooding, dense flavours of black fresh and dried fruits, caramel and dried herbs.
It’s a big wine which needs to be paired with big flavoured casseroles and roasted meat dishes and should be opened well in advance to let the flavours develop. If you are drinking it in warm weather, it’s a good idea to give it half an hour in the fridge to freshen up the flavours.
The Kabola winery is in the Momjan Valley of Istria, within sight of the Adriatic Sea and in 2007 it was the first vineyard in the region to achieve organic status. This rare and ancient grape variety delivers full-bodied, complex and unusual flavours of rich red fruits, a slight refreshing tartness on the palate, hints of chocolate and tobacco and a long satisfying finish; if you like wines made from the grenache grape, you might find some similarities here. This is a great wine for all types of robust meat and vegetable dishes, barbecues and baked pastas.
From the same brilliant Kutjevo winery as the Kutjevo rose (£14.49, Laithwaites.co.uk), this is a gorgeously fresh and enlivening grasevina that is made from grapes largely derived from coastal vineyards, which give both freshness and salinity to the flavour palate – which is completed with hints of almonds, apricots and lemons. All of which make it an ideal accompaniment to all manner of fish dishes, from prawn risotto to the local spicy fish stew, known as Brodet, which is served with polenta.
This is another gem from the Kutjevo winery and is the perfect everyday drinking white, just ready for grabbing from the fridge door for a refreshing glass after work during the warmer months and a great introduction to the delights of the grasvina grape. Dry, light, fresh and crisp with distinctively Croatian flavours of pears, quince and a hint of spiced apricot. Lovely as a drink on its own or with light summery dishes, such as a goat cheese salad and grilled chicken or fish.
The gorgeous northern region of Istria, a v-shaped peninsula which separates Croatia from Slovenia and Italy, is home to some of the country’s best wines. This orange wine is made by fermenting grapes still in their skins in natural yeasts while in clay amphora, buried in the ground, as was the custom in ancient times. This is then followed by oak ageing for several years to give even greater complexity, all delivering smoky, nutty, spicy, sherry-like flavours. Exceptional and unique.
This award-winning red is made by a small family winery in Istria from a combination of 50pc of the local teran grape blended with small amounts of merlot, nebbiolo and tempranillo, which creates a complex, pan-European harmonious whole.
Soft ripe fruit flavours give way on the palate to a strong, vibrant structure and there are intriguing and enticing flavours of red fruits, wild herbs like oregano and thyme and hints of spice and coffee. This is perfect with all types of grilled meats, like lamb or pork and would be an ideal wine for your summer barbecue.
The range of Croatian wines on offer, compared to say, their near neighbours in Italy or Greece, is miniscule, but they more than make up for it in quality. At around the £10 mark, Croatian whites like the Kvalitetno particularly offer far more interest and excitement than your average supermarket sauvignon blanc at the same price.
There is also a whiff of exoticism about some of their wines, such as the orange Kabola amfora or the Dalmation dog posip that you will not easily find elsewhere. But for an all-round exciting and intriguing introduction to Croatian wines and at such a good price, the Ilocki Podrumi grasevina premium 2018 is our Croatian wines best buy.
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