This is what good wine from the Plavac Mali grape tastes like

Plavac Mali is the most important indigenous red grape of Croatia. Plavac Mali produces powerful, dark red wines with flavors reminiscent of plums and cherries. They can have considerable tannins and are quite alcoholic, sometimes up to 17%. Some winemakers, however, produce it in a lighter style, as a fresh red wine with fine acidity.

Check out our wines made from Plavac Mali grapes

The Plavac Mali grows on the Adriatic coast of Croatia. On the arid, sandy hills and in the hot sun. Often, the vines are planted in 'clumps,' fighting for drops of water deep in the soil. That makes the juice so concentrated. Some bottles feature an image of a donkey. A reference to the harvest, which in the steep, inhospitable vineyards often takes place with the help of donkeys.

The Plavac Mali has several appellations in Croatia that prescribe the use of this quality grape. The most important are Postup and Dingač, just above Dubrovnik. On the island of Hvar, near Split, Ivan Dolac and Sveta Nedilja are important, but excellent wine is also made from Plavac Mali on other small Croatian islands such as Vis and Brač, and not least on the Pelješac peninsula.

Plavac Mali means 'little blue' in Croatian. For a long time, it was thought that Plavac Mali was the same grape as American Zinfandel and Italian Primitivo. That is not the case. While Plavac Mali is indeed related, another Croatian grape, Tribidrag (in Macedonia: Kratošija), is virtually identical to and the predecessor of Zinfandel and Primitivo.

We currently have two wines made from the Plavac Mali grape in our range. You can view our Plavac Mali wines here.