As a small country located in Central-Southern Europe, Croatia benefits from incomparable geographical and climatic diversity. This brings a great aromatic diversity to Croatian wines.
One of the Cradle of wine
A brief history of the vineyard
Croatia is one of the cradles of viticulture.
During the Bronze Age (3300 to 800 BC), the Illyrians were already cultivating vines.
Through different periods of time, the Greeks and the Romans developed wine culture on the islands of Vis, Hvar, Korčula, south of Dalmatia.
Since the 1990s and the independence of the country, many people have been able to get land plots back, previously requisitioned by the state. As they did, the production of wine took off. And even today, most of the production in Croatia is composed of family farms.
In the last twenty years, Croatia has regained its reputation, producing extraordinary wines. Modern winemaking methods are multiplying, and European Union regulations have been adopted, guaranteeing the quality and style of terroir wines.
3 main varieties
If the 3 main varieties (Grasevina, Malvazija in white, Plavac Mali in red) cover 47% of the wine-growing areas, Croatia counts more than 130 endemic varieties and autochthonous grape varieties.
two major regions
The Croatian wine-growing area is divided into two major regions: Continental Croatia (Kontinentalna Hrvatska) and Coastal Croatia (Primorska Hrvatska).
From Continental Croatia (in the north), to Dalmatia (in the south), through Slavonia (along the Hungarian, Serbian and Bosnian borders) and Istria (in the west), each of the four Croatian wine regions is worth a visit.
