The Wine Pair Podcast

They Make Wine in Croatia?!?

• The Wine Pair • Season 1 • Episode 162

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When one of our listeners asked if we would be willing to explore wines from Croatia, we were a little hesitant - not because we didn’t want to try them, but because we were worried that we would have a hard time finding them. Well, we were able to find some, and we are so glad that we did! Croatia is an area where they have been making wine for more than 5,000 years, yet despite their history, Croatian wines and wine varietals are not very well known outside of Croatia, nor are they super easy to find. That’s in part because they don’t produce a ton of wine, and because they don’t export a lot of their wine, either. But, we bet if you have been to Croatia you have tasted the wine and thought - why isn’t this more available in other countries? We loved learning more about winemaking in Croatia, and we had a wonderful time trying two of their highest regarded wines in Plavac Mali and Pošip, the latter of which has been called by some the greatest unknown grape varietal in the world! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Bura-Mrgudić Plavac Fresh, 2023 Zlatan Otok Pošip.

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Show Notes

Episode 162: They Make Wine in Croatia?!? (Plavac Mali & Pošip)  00:00

Hello! And welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and my wine pairing partner in crime, Carmela. And we are The Wine Pair! 

If you are new to our podcast, here is what you can expect. If you love wine and want to find great wines at affordable prices, and you want to expand your wine horizons, and you want to have some laughs and fun while doing it - then you are in the right place! Each week we explore a different wine varietal, style, brand, or region of the winemaking world, and learn about what makes them worth knowing about. And then we taste 2-3 of those wines that are reasonably priced to let you know if they are worth your hard earned money. If that feels like your vibe, then we are super happy you are here.And, we are proud to say that Decanter Magazine calls us fun, irreverent, chatty, and entertaining.

Well, Carmela, this week we are back with one of my favorite episode types, and those are the episodes where we focus on wine making regions of the world that are less well known, ignored, or just not appreciated enough. And this episode was inspired by an Instagram pair called East Idaho Foodies who reached out to us via Instagram and asked the following: 
Have you ever delved into Croatian wines? My husband has ancestral roots in Croatia, so we try to keep that part of his background alive. We haven't tried any yet, and they are proving to be somewhat difficult to find locally, so I will probably have to turn to the Internet. I would love to hear an episode about Croatian wines. Particularly Plavac Mali and posip (pronounced Po-Sheep).

So, we are here today to do just that. I will admit, and I think I told you this, Carmela, that I was very concerned that we would not be able to find wines from Croatia, or wines from that country that fell into our price range - because we have had some trouble following-up on some requests, like finding wines from the state of Virginia, because they are just really hard to find outside of their region, or really expensive. But, we found both of the wines that our friends the East Idaho Foodies wanted us to check out. We have one of each wine that we are going to taste and review today, and so we also have to say that any analysis we give of Croatian wine in general has to be taken with a grain of salt since we are just trying two different wines, and not doing a whole retrospective, but for now, we’ll at least get an initial impression.

Before we talk about those wines, let’s spend a couple of minutes talking about Croatian wines. The first thing to know is that Croatia and Italy are kissing cousins, and they share more than you would think in many ways, including their affinity for food and wine as part of their culture. In fact, the Croatian language is a common language spoken in the Italian region of Molise because there are a lot of people of Croatian descent there. 

From a wine making perspective, Croatia has a long history. There is evidence of viticulture in Croatia dating back to the Bronze Age, which, for those of you who may not be scholars, goes back to 3,300 BC, and wine making really flourished during Greek colonization of Croatia in the 5th century BC. So, they have been making wine in Croatia for well over 5,000 years!

Like in Italy, there are a variety of different wine growing regions in Croatia, from the cooler northern area near the Alps, to more mediterranean climates near the coasts and in the interior of the country, so there are a wide variety of wines and terroirs there. (Remember terroir is just a fancy way of saying “the place”). 

I won’t go into a ton of detail because we could spend a lot of time on it, but here are a few fun facts, and you can find a whole bunch of articles and links to videos where you can learn more in our show notes if you go to this episode on website and just click into the show notes. And, by the way, if you have never visited, you should. In each episode I generally list 20 or more sources for information. 

There are four primary wine making regions in Croatia, and here is a bit about each:

  • The first is Dalmatia, which is right along the coast of the Adriatic, and is actually the area where both of the wines we are going to drink today are from - and is also the place where a colleague of mine is from that I just found out about this past week - shout out to Elvir. Dalmatia is known for its red wines, particularly made from the grape Plavac Mali, and some notable white wines like Pošip and Grk (pronounced Gurk). Dalmatia is generally considered the most diverse of all Croatian wine regions, and it has the highest percentage and number of wines made from different indigenous varieties.
  • Istria is the next, and it is the northwestern most area of Croatia in a really interesting area that borders Slovenia and is just a little bit away from the Trieste area of Italy which actually is on the other side of the Adriatic. It has a Mediterranean climate and diverse soils, and produces both red and white wines including Malvazija Istarska (Malvasia Istriana) (pronounced mahl-vah-zee-yah ees-tar-skah), Teran, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The region has a super interesting mix of Croatian, Austrian, and Italian influences.
  • Slavonia is the eastern most part of Croatia, all inland, and it borders Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This region is primarily focused on white wine production, and Graševina (pronounced grah-sheh-vee-nah) as the most widely planted grape. Different from Dalmatia and Istria, it has  a continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers. 
  • The last region is the Croatian Uplands, which are in between Dalmatia and Slavonia. The Uplands are known for cool climate, rolling hills, and the production of aromatic white wines and sparkling wines - you can check out our episode from several months ago on aromatic white wines if you want to know what that is all about. It is predominantly known for indigenous varieties such as Škrlet (pronounced sh-kr-let), Pušipe (pronounced pro-shee-pel)l and Kraljevina (pronounce Kral-yeh-vee-nah) , as well as international grapes like Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Gris. The wineries here are generally small and family owned with tons of history and authentic, old-fashioned winemaking. Like Slavonia, the Uplands border Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary, and additionally borders Slovenia. 


Croatia has adopted the EU-style of wine regulations to guarantee quality, and there are four classifications that go from Premium Quality Wine to Table wine, and I am not going to attempt to pronounce them. And, there is a movement in the country to focus on organic winemaking as well as biodynamic viticulture, as well as preserving indigenous grape varieties. 

Croatia is not the biggest producer of wine, ranking 32nd, and a lot of it stays in Croatia, and the Croatians love wine, so that is why you may have a hard time finding it. But,we think this is a winemaking region we should not sleep on, and I am super excited to learn more about the Plavac Mali and Pošip wines we are going to taste and review today . . . 

But first . . . we have to do our shameless plug.

Thank you for listening to us and for supporting our show, and if you haven’t  had the chance to do so yet, now would be the perfect time to follow or subscribe to our podcast  - it is a free way to support us, and then you never have to miss a show!  - and a huge thank you to all of you who have subscribed already! 

And, another great way to support is to leave a nice rating and review on our website or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or other podcast app so we can continue to grow our listeners.

You can also follow us and see pictures of the wines we are tasting and trying today and weird AI pictures I like to make on Instagram at thewinepairpodcast, you can also follow us on BlueSky

You can contact us on our website thewinepairpodcast.com, and you can sign up for our email newsletter there and if you missed our latest one, just send me an email at joe@thewinepairpodcast.com and I will send it to you! And, on our website you can find our show notes with links to articles we use for research in each episode, as well as a section called “Shop Wine” where you can buy the wines that we rate as buys in each episode. 

And we want to make content you care about and you like, so send us a note and give us some feedback, if there are wines you want us to try or wine making areas of the world you are curious about - and we’ll take care of it! And a few shout outs this week:

  • A listener on Instagram with the handle Corkd in CT reached out and let us know that they also do not trust James Suckling, so we love them.
  • East India Foodies, who inspired this episode, also reached out to tell us about a Willamette Valley Kirkland Signature Pinot Noir they found at Costco and I found it, so we will do an episode on that as well, because you all should know we are Pinot Noir freaks
  • To the Mustached Wino who reached out to give us some info about Willamette Valley wineries


And, as we do every week, we’ll tell you someone we think you should recommend The Wine Pair Podcast to - because the best way for us to grow listeners is when you tell your family and friends about us - your endorsement by word of mouth is just so valuable. This week, we want you to recommend us to anyone who is of Croatian descent or who loves the country of Croatia, because we think they will really appreciate this episode!


RESEARCH ARTICLES AND LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE



Topic: WTF are Plavac Mali & Pošip Wines? 13:58

So, now that we have learned a little about Croatian wine in general, let’s find out more about just what the fuck Plavac Mail and Pošip are. Because, quite frankly, until the East Idaho Foodies reached out, I couldn’t have told you the name of a Croatian wine if you had hit me over the head with it. And that would hurt, by the way.

So, let’s start with Plavac Mali, which is a cross between Zinfandel - called Crljenak Kaštelanski in the native language - and another grape called Dobričić - and this biology and history has all been confirmed by scientists. As a wine, it is a deep red color, and is considered rich, full-bodied, and intense - with high alcohol and tannins. It is sometimes compared to Zinfandel for obvious reasons as well as the Portuguese grape Touriga Nacional often found in the Douro and Dao regions of Portugal, and Agiorgitiko which is a Greek wine we really like.

These grapes thrive in hot climates with a lot of sunshine, so, unsurprisingly, these grapes are generally found on the very south end of the Dalmation coast of Croatia. The appellations of Dingač and Postup are well-known to produce good wines, and these were the two appellations that were the first Croatian wines to be recognized with the protected and official “designation of origin” in Croatia.

The vineyards where these grapes are grown are often on steep hillsides facing the south to maximize sun exposure, which helps ripen the grapes fully and maintains balanced acidity levels.

Plavac Mali is considered the King of Croatian reds, and so if there is a red wine from Croatia you want to be your introduction to Croatian wines, it should be Plavac Mali.

Let’s now turn to Pošip which is a white wine from the Dalmatia area as well, specifically on the island of Korčula which is located in the Adriatic Sea on the southern end of Croatia, just to the north of Dubrovnik. For a long time it was grown almost exclusively on this island, but today it is grown all over Dalmatia and is made in many different styles.

Some say it is one of the greatest unknown grape varieties in the world, and is considered the King of Dalmatian white wines. So, we have two kings, here, Carmela. One of the red wines, and one of the white wines. And I wonder if they are friends, these two kings? I do like that it could be a fun hidden gem of a wine, so that is exciting.  It is often compared to Sauvignon Blanc and Chablis (which is unoaked Chardonnay from the Burgundy region of France), with good acidity and citrus notes, both of which are wines we love.

As we mentioned before, Pošip's taste varies based on its growing location and production method. Modern versions of the wine are often light, refreshing, and fruity, while traditional styles are richer with higher alcohol content and herbal aromas. There are also oak-aged varieties which are going to offer richer notes like dried fruits and buttery, vanilla flavors - like an oaked Chardonnay. And, there are also versions that are aged on the lees as well - which we will remind you are the dead yeast and other stuff left behind from the fermentation process - and gives some creaminess and sometimes a yeasty or nutty taste.

Most of the time, the wine is fermented in stainless steel. These wines also tend to be moderate in alcohol at 12%-13% and light-bodied. Maybe good summer sippers, so we’ll see! They also make sparkling styles and dessert wines from Pošip, so, as we said, this is a very versatile wine and grape.

Well, I think it’s time to learn a little more about the specific wines we are drinking today. Whaddya say?


Plavac Mali & Pošip Wines Wines We Chose for This Episode 20:13

Both of the wines we have chosen for this episode average under $25, although one of them is just above that mark and the other is a bit below it, and both of them should be relatively easy to find because I bought them at wine.com. Now, I have to say again that I don’t think Croatian wines are going to be super easy to find in your local wine shop unless you happen to come from an area that has a lot of people from Croatia in it, or the shop owner is Croatian or loves Croatian wines. I don’t think they are impossible to find by any means, but you are going to have to hunt around, and you may just have to ask your local wine shop if they will find some for you.

The first wine we are going to drink is the 2022 Bura-Mrgudić Plavac Fresh. Now, I would usually start with a white wine before we try a red wine, but this time around I am flipping the order because I actually think the red wine is going to be a bit on the lighter side, and maybe lighter in body than the white wine. But we’ll see.

There was a good website for this wine that I have a link to in our show notes, and so we have some pretty good information about this wine. This wine is made from 100% Plavac Mali and comes from the Pelješac Peninsula in Dalmatia, Croatia.

They do not make a ton of this wine, only 8,000 bottles, or about 650 cases, so this is not a large production wine. The soil the grapes grow in is about 300 meters or about 1,000 feet above sea level and they describe it as red soil with clay stones over a limestone base. Now, remember there is no such thing, at least as far as science is concerned, as minerality, but I do think that the soil conditions should lead to some good grape water stress.

They claim to be all organic and do not irrigate, and they will only spray in April with powdered sulfites and in “off” vintages will also spray with copper. The reason they do this is that it keeps diseases like mildew at bay which can be really bad for wine grapes. Sulfur is a natural fungicide, as is copper, and these are the kinds of sprays you may find in organic farming as they are considered natural. Some do say that overuse of sulfur can affect the smell of wine.

Now, in case you are confused, sulfur is different than sulfites. Many people talk about the impact of sulfites in wine and other foods. As we mentioned, sulfur is a natural chemical that is used to discourage the growth of fungi. Sulfites are preservatives that are sometimes added to wine to prevent spoiling and discoloration. Some people are very sensitive to sulfites, even allergic to them, and try to avoid them, but that is different than sulfur spraying.

The winery says that the grapes are “strictly hand-harvested and then de-stemmed. Fermented separately in open vats with manual punchdowns with strictly only native yeasts, with 8 days of skin maceration. Aged for 4 months in stainless steel tanks and bottled after a coarse filtration.”

I had to look it up, but coarse filtration is the use of filters that are really focused on removing larger particles. Think of it as pouring wine through a strainer, and this is a more natural form of filtration that doesn’t add anything to the wine, unlike what happens in the fining and filtering process in which particles are added to the wine to attract other particles and make them heavy so they drop to the bottom of the storage vessel.

I will also say, based on the description of the wine and the way it is produced, this is a red wine I would feel very comfortable serving slightly chilled. 

Ok, onto the next wine which is the 2023 Zlatan Otok Pošip, and this one also had a good webpage from the same website as the Plavac Mali. This dry white wine is 100% Pošip and comes from Makarska in Dalmatia, Croatia which looks to be right on the Adriatic. 

They make a decent amount of this wine, more than 50,000 bottles, well over 4,000 cases, so a lot more than than the Plavac Mali we are going to try, too. This is also a white wine with some pretty high alcohol at 13.5% vs. just 12.5% for the Plavac Mali.

The story on the website says that the vines are planted on the side of the Biokovo Mountain, and the terrain is very rugged with very little soil. The soil is also supposed to be very rocky, and it sounds similar to the soil the Plavac Mali was in, with clay and limestone and about 350 meters or over 1,000 feet above sea level.

Similar to the previous wine, the winery says it is organic, that they do not irrigate, and that they spray a minimal amount in the Spring and mid-Summer months, with small amounts sulfur and sometimes copper. 

They also say the wine is hand-harvested which is then “followed by a couple days of skin maceration and controlled cold fermentation between 16° C - 18° C in stainless steel tanks. Fermentation is done through high-grade (noncommercial) yeasts from Italy. The wine is aged for 8 months in stainless steel tanks, coarsely fined and filtered before bottling.” So, some similarities in the ways these wines are produced, and from what I can tell, neither are oaked. 

So I am expecting both of these wines to be pretty bright and lively and fresh - I mean, the first one even has fresh in its name!

But, I think that is enough information - let’s get to drinking! We’ll take a quick break and be right back. And, if you have these wines or similar wines, drink along with us to get some participation points, which you can trade-in for free stickers. You just need to send me an email with your mailing address, and I will get those “I drink with The Wine Pair Podcast” stickers over to you!


LINKS TO SOURCES FOR THESE SPECIFIC WINES


2022 Bura-Mrgudić Plavac Fresh, 2023 Zlatan Otok Pošip Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review 29:58

Wine: Bura-Mrgudić Plavac Fresh (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase.)
Region: Croatia, Dalmatia
Year: 2022
Price: $21.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 12.5%
Grapes: Plavac
Professional Rating: Vivino 3.8

What we tasted and smelled in this Bura-Mrgudić Plavac Fresh:

  • Color: Lighter red, a bit cloudy, not deep or inky, maybe a Pinot Noir color, a bit brown around the edges  
  • On the nose: Black cherry, raisin, smells a bit like a Pinot, cherry licorice, bright, fresh, raspberry, strawberry, fresh fruit, a bit of spice, pepper, black licorice
  • In the mouth: Fruity, juicy, almost sparkly on the initial taste, but very dry on the finish, grape skins, brisk tannins, summer wine, can be served chilled, nice but not complex


Food to pair with this Bura-Mrgudić Plavac Fresh: A very good food wine, great pizza wine, cheese burger, barbecue
 
As a reminder on our rating scale, we rate on a scale of 1-10, with no half points, where 7 and above means that we would buy it, and 4 and below means that we are likely to pour it down the sink, and a 5 or 6 means we are likely to drink it and finish it, but we are probably not going to buy it. 

Bura-Mrgudić Plavac Fresh Wine Rating: 

  • Joe: 7/10
  • Carmela: 7/10


Wine: Zlatan Otok Pošip (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase.)
Region: Croatia, Dalmatia
Year: 2023
Price: $25.99
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 13.5%
Grapes: Pošip
Professional Rating: Vivino 3.8

What we tasted and smelled in this Zlatan Otok Pošip:

  • Color: Looks a bit filmy, light straw yellow, looks a little syrupy
  • On the nose: Gasoline, kerosene, caramel, vanilla, cantaloupe, honeydew, yeasty, peach
  • In the mouth: Medium-bodied, artificial citrus, lingering lime aftertaste, a bit of peach, big green eating grapes and their skins, saline


Food to pair with this Zlatan Otok Pošip: Needs food, would be good with food, salty foods, spicy foods, fried fish, fish and chips, fish tacos, spaghetti with clams, cheese

Zlatan Otok Pošip Wine Rating: 

  • Joe:7/10
  • Carmela: 7/10


Which one of these are you finishing tonight?

  • Carmela: Bura-Mrgudić Plavac Fresh
  • Joe: Bura-Mrgudić Plavac Fresh



Taste profiles expected from Plavac Mali and Pošip Wines  42:26

  • General Plavac Mali
    • Dark cherry, plum, blueberry, dried fig, raisin, pepper, baking spices, sage, thyme, carob, chocolate, plum jam, black olive, stone, leather
  • Bura-Mrgudić Plavac Fresh
    • Winery: Highly aromatic and full of bright dark fruity notes, with blackcurrant, black cherry, black plums, violet florals, a touch of fruit spice, and a hint of minerality. Medium bodied, dusty tannins, and a refreshing acidity that keeps it all really approachable. The bright fruity aromatics carry through to the palate, accompanied by savoury Mediterranean herbs, and a chalky-minerality that runs through it all.
    • Taste of Croatia: On the nose: intense, fine quality and long lasting. The emphasis is on fruity aromas, and slightly floral. There is also earth minerality. Fruits – blue berries, blueberries, mani currants, fresh black plums, cherries. Violet, a few spicy notes, cocoa, chocolate, caramel. In the mouth: dry, warm and soft. Freshness of medium intensity, tasty, soft and light tannin structure. The tannins are rounded, soft and fruity. Fruity in the mouth follows that on the nose. So blue fruit ripe blueberry, plum, cherry, with spicy notes.
  • General Pošip
    • Lemon, lime, citrus, zesty apple, vanilla spice, almond, minerality, pineapple, banana, herbs, dried apricots, figs, spices, buttery
  • Zlatan Otok Pošip
    • Winery: A Mediterranean robust, but elegant wine full of flavor that bursts with freshness, impressive minerality and beautiful varietal aromas. Wine of moderate acids, rich structure, full of fruity aromas and nice smell of apricots, dry figs and honey
    • 8wines: Bright and straw yellow in color, this is a ripe, refreshing wine with aromas of nectarine, pineapple, and lemon. On the palate, the Zlatan Otok Posip exhibits flavors of fresh apricot, pear, light anise tones, and a slightly herbal quality, with a mouthwateringly acidic finish. This energizing and lip-smacking wine would be a perfect summer aperitif


What is the verdict on Croatian wines? 44:56

This was a great introduction, and they deserve more exploration.

Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast 45:32

Ok, so, Carmela, it’s time for us to go, but before we do, we want to thank you very much for listening to us - and if you haven’t done so yet, now would be the perfect time to follow or subscribe to our podcast and also a fantastic time to leave us a nice rating and review on our website or Apple podcasts or other podcast app - and it is an awesome and free way to support us and help us grow listeners.

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Alright, with that, we are going to sign off, so thanks again, and we will see you next time. And, as we say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.

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