“Plavac Mali loves to suffer,” says Mirjana Popovi? from our local specialist Epic Croatia. She’s describing one of the Dalmatian Coast’s most common grape varietals, which thrives in bad, salty soil. “The mineral notes and rounded taste are result from the soil composition and the vicinity of the sea.”
The sea is the key, not just for the Pelješac peninsula’s wine, but also for producing its oysters, which are famously harvested at Ston. Mirjana explains how the sea mingles with fresh karst spring water from Neretva River in Mali Ston Bay, so that “you end up with a natural recipe for the world’s best raw oysters.”
Croatian vineyards lack the prestige and polish of Tuscany’s but not the charm. The vines grow in white, stony soil, and seem unpromising and unkempt, yet the landscape is compelling – you’re walking right by the sea, on the famously sunny Dalmatian Coast. You’ll follow a single road, route 414, careering down the Pelješac peninsula, whilst the Konavle Valley, a gentle valley of deciduous trees and shrubs, has proved fertile enough for good farming, and great for wine.
“The main wine varieties grown in Konavle are red Merlot and white Dubrovnik Malvasia,” Mirjana explains. “Over 40 quality wines are being produced in Konavle today, such as Maraština, Grk, Pošip, Plavac and many more.”
The terrain on a
Croatian walking and wine tasting holiday is easy-going, which gives you plenty of time to drop in for tastings. Croatian red wines are well-paired with local cured meats, and you can enjoy the fruits of the fertile valley, too.