Croatian Wine Dream Comes True Without Leaving One’s Homeland
Published on Forbes // March 28, 2021
Like Italy, Croatia has always had a long winemaking tradition, where many past generations of family members would make their own house wine from their own grapes, but there has been a lot of turmoil and lack of opportunity in Croatia and so those with the means and ambition would have to leave everything behind to have a better life in another country - but that may not always be the case in the future.
Croatian Wines
Today the coastal area of Dalmatia with its multitude of Croatian islands off its coast is considered paradise with its enticing Mediterranean climate, natural beauty that includes stunning waterfalls and a great view of the turquoise blue tinted Adriatic Sea. One of the most popular islands is Hvar which has a winery on it called Zlatan Otok that translates to 'Sunny Island' and is the sunniest of all the islands. Not only is Hvar a fantasy island for the fashionable and wealthy but it also has one of the oldest continually cultivated vineyards where vines have grown since 400 BCE.
It was a full circle moment to hear Davor Šestanović, winemaker at Zlatan Otok, talk about bringing back knowledge and experience he gained while interning at California wineries Ridge Vineyard and Lytton Springs to help make premium wines made from their Plavac Mali and Crljenak Kaštelanski (Zinfandel) red varieties, when it comes to thinking of Mike Grgich’s journey. When Grgich first came to California to pursue a winemaking career in the late 1950s, he thought the Zinfandel grape resembled his beloved Plavac Mali back home. Later on he found out that the two grapes have a connection as Plavac Mali is a cross between the Croatian native varieties Crljenak Kaštelanski and Dobričić and that Crljenak Kaštelanski was an ancient clone of Zinfandel. Research showed that Zinfandel traveled from Croatia to Puglia, Italy and from there made its way to California. Seeing that grape made Grgich feel more at home in California as there were many things he missed about his homeland but due to the repressive regime that ruled during that time he had no choice but to leave. But now Davor was going to California so he could come back to the beautiful Adriatic Sea he loved so much to make premium wine so he could be part of showing the world the high potential of Croatian wines.
Davor has improved techniques in the winery at Zlatan Otok to help preserve the glory of the Mediterranean sun kissed grapes that are grown in his limestone dominated soils on steep slopes at elevations around 1,000 feet where everything in the vineyards has to be done by hand.
Zlatan Otok Wines
2019 Zlatan Otok Winery, Pošip, Island of Hvar, Croatia: 100% Pošip. Pošip is a native white grape that originates from the island of Korćula. This grape variety can produce a light and refreshing wine or a richer, more textured version; Zlatan Otok makes a richer version as not only does it get deliciously ripe with intense apricot flavors but it is multi-textural with aging on the fine lees and balances that richness with lemon confit and saline notes on the finish.
2015 Zlatan Otok Winery, Plavac, Island of Hvar, Croatia: 100% Plavac Mali. Plavac Mali is a cross between Crljenak Kaštelanski (ancient Zinfandel) and Dobričić, grown in Southern and Central Dalmatia in Croatia. According to Davor, it can be more like a fruit-forward Pinot Noir from cooler areas or from the warmer area of the island of Hvar it can be more savory such as this Zlatan Otok Plavac Mali; Mediterranean herbs with broken earth with brooding black fruit underneath and a spicy finish.
2013 Zlatan Otok Winery, Crljenak Kaštelanski, Island of Hvar, Croatia: 100% Crljenak Kaštelanski. Crljenak Kaštelanski is an ancient clone of Zinfandel that is found in Croatia and this 2013 has an incredibly velvety texture with supple multi-dimensional fruit such as ripe blueberries, raspberry coulis and blackcurrant compote with plenty of exuberance still existing from its youth in the form of pretty lilac aromas and overall freshness; all this balanced by a complex scorched earth note that wafted in and out.
