Croatia grows more than a hundred native grapes, most of them unknown outside the country, and the wine list in any konoba assumes you know them. You need about a dozen. This guide explains the ones you will actually meet, region by region, what they taste like, and where to go to try them, with the one piece of trivia that changes how you read the list: the vine the world calls Zinfandel is a Croatian grape from a village near Split.
The grapes at a glance
| Grape | Colour | Where | Tastes like | Try it in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malvazija istarska | White | Istria | Dry, saline, apple and acacia; honeyed when oak-aged | Istria |
| Teran | Red | Istria, the Karst | Dark, sharp, wild berries and iron | Istria |
| Momjan Muscat | White, sweet | Momjan, Istria | Aromatic, grapey, dessert | Istria |
| Plavac Mali | Red | Dalmatia and islands | Warm, full, dried fig and pepper, tannic | Pelješac, Hvar |
| Crljenak Kaštelanski | Red | Kaštela, near Split | Zinfandel: jammy, spicy, generous | Split |
| Babić | Red | Primošten | Dark, structured, from dry-stone terraces | Šibenik, Zadar |
| Pošip | White | Korčula, Dalmatia | Full, floral, ripe pear, for grilled fish | Korčula |
| Grk | White | Lumbarda, Korčula only | Dry, mineral, faintly bitter | Korčula |
| Bogdanuša | White | Hvar only | Light, herbal, low alcohol | Hvar |
| Debit, Maraština | White | Zadar hinterland | Fresh, simple, everyday | Zadar |
| Graševina | White | Slavonia | Crisp, green apple, Croatia’s everyday white | Kutjevo, Ilok |
| Prošek | Sweet | Dalmatia | Dried-grape dessert wine, not prosecco | Everywhere on the coast |
Istria: Malvazija and Teran
Istria makes more Malvazija than anything else, and the grape is the peninsula’s calling card: dry, a little bitter, smelling of the sea in its young form, richer and honeyed when producers age it in acacia or oak, which more of them now do. Teran is the red of the terra rossa, the iron-red soil that runs from the Istrian hills into the Slovenian Karst: high in acid, dark in colour, made for pršut and truffles, and once prescribed as a tonic. Momjan Muscat, from a single village, is the sweet exception. See Istria wine tours.
Dalmatia’s reds: Plavac Mali and the Zinfandel story
Plavac Mali is the grape of the Dalmatian coast and islands, and it is a child: a natural cross between Crljenak Kaštelanski and an old grape called Dobričić. In 2001, researchers from the University of California matched Crljenak, then reduced to a few vines in the villages of Kaštela near Split, to Zinfandel and Primitivo, and Croatia had its origin story. Plavac Mali itself is warm and full, with dried fig, pepper and firm tannin, at its best on the sea-facing slopes of Pelješac, where Dingač and Postup are protected crus, and on Hvar’s southern side. Babić, from the dry-stone terraces of Primošten, is the other serious Dalmatian red. See Dalmatia wine tours.
Dalmatia’s whites: Pošip, Grk and the island grapes
Pošip, from the inland villages of Korčula, is the coast’s best-known white: full, floral and built for grilled fish, now planted across Dalmatia. Grk grows only in the sands of Lumbarda on the same island; its flowers are female only, so Plavac Mali is planted beside it to pollinate, and the wine is dry, mineral and slightly bitter. Bogdanuša, light and herbal, grows only on Hvar; Vugava only on Vis; Debit and Maraština fill the carafes around Zadar. See Korčula wine tours.
The continental north: Graševina, sparkling and the rest
Slavonia, the flat east toward the Danube, grows Graševina, the crisp white Croatians drink most, at its best around Kutjevo and in the Traminac of Ilok, a wine served at the coronation of Elizabeth II. The hills of Plešivica west of Zagreb make the country’s best sparkling wine; Zagorje grows light whites; and Krk, in the Kvarner, has Žlahtina, a gentle white for the island’s lamb. See Zagreb.
Sweet wines: Prošek is not prosecco
Prošek is a Dalmatian dessert wine made from dried grapes, amber and rich, poured with fritule and dry biscuits. Italy has fought its name in Brussels for a decade; the two wines share nothing but three letters.
Where to taste them
Istria for Malvazija and Teran, from Rovinj, Poreč or Pula; Split for Crljenak and Plavac in Kaštela; Dubrovnik for Pelješac’s Dingač and Postup with Ston oysters; Korčula for Pošip and Grk; Zagreb for Plešivica sparkling. Our Croatia wine tours page maps the tours to the regions.
Frequently asked questions
What is Croatia’s most famous wine?
Dingač, a Plavac Mali from the Pelješac peninsula; Malvazija from Istria is the most widely drunk white.
Is Zinfandel really Croatian?
Yes; DNA testing in 2001 matched Zinfandel and Primitivo to Crljenak Kaštelanski, an old vine from Kaštela near Split, and Plavac Mali is its offspring.
What Croatian wine goes with seafood?
Malvazija in Istria, Pošip or Grk in Dalmatia; a young Plavac with grilled fish is also common on the coast.
Is Croatian wine expensive?
No; good bottles cost a third of their Italian equivalents, and tastings at family cellars are cheap or free with a purchase.
Which region should I visit for wine?
Istria for variety and value with truffles and oil in the same day; Pelješac from Dubrovnik for the most famous reds.
