Croatia “the new old world” of winemaking
When I first arrived in Croatia in 2008, I had no idea that the country has a long heritage of wine production and making. It wasn’t until I began to visit Croatia a bit more regularly that I learned that it has a history of wine production dating back 2500 years. According to earlier findings, wine production started with the Greek settlers on the islands of Korčula, Hvar, and Vis. However, recent findings show that Illyrians living in Dalmatia cultivated grapes in the Bronze age. Moreover, according to Jancis Robinson in the Oxford Companion to Wine (4th edition) Croatia is 34th on the list of countries by total vineyard area with 29,000 hectares, the 21st country by wine production with 1,293,000 hl per year in 2012, as well as 7th on the list in terms of per capita consumption by country with 38,9 liters. The main wine regions in Croatia span from Slavonia, Croatian Uplands, Istria, and finally, Dalmatia.
Croatia is not only a region that has produced wine for centuries, but it’s also home to over 130 indigenous (native) grape varieties. Thirty-nine of these have been covered in international literature, which places Croatia near the top of the list of countries by the number of indigenous grape varieties. The most famous of them all is Tribidrag, one of the great red noble grape varieties of the world, known as Zinfandel in California as well as Primitivo in the south of Italy.
With its long heritage in wine production and an impressive number of highly esteemed winemakers, it’s no wonder some people refer to Croatia as the "new old world" in winemaking.
Despite Croatia’s long heritage, large number of indigenous grape varieties, and diverse winemaking styles, the region is still largely undiscovered by the world’s wine-drinking population. Ever since I first visited Hvar and some of its gifted winemakers in summer 2019, I’ve wanted to make wine from the island of Hvar accessible to people outside of Croatia. With Hvarwine, we are hoping to showcase Croatian - and specifically Hvar-based - wine to the world. Our vision is to bring Croatian wine to the heart of wine lovers globally.
