Wine-growing in Croatia is divided into two main regions: coastal Croatia and continental Croatia. The littoral belt is further divided into the sub-regions of Istria, Croatian Littoral, Northern Dalmatia, Dalmatian Zagora, Central and Southern Dalmatia. Continental Croatia is divided into a number of sub-regions: from the Danube Basin, through Slavonia, Moslavina, the areas in the vicinity of Zagreb, to Međimurje and Zagorje. Bearing in mind the actual state of the wine industry in Croatia there are three main sub-regions: first, Central and Southern Dalmatia, where Plavac mali, the indigenous Croatia variety of grape, can produce unique red wines of potentially great export significance. The second is Istria, which already sells most of its wine through tourism, and whose wine-boom in the last ten years has also been based on an indigenous variety: Istrian Malvoisie. And then there is Slavonia, which is blessed with ideal climatic conditions and superb soils for wine production from international varieties, as is so aptly confirmed by Enjingi's and Krauthaker's successes.

To summarise, the regions which are definitely the most important for the Croatian wine offer are Central and Southern Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia. Within those regions attention needs to be drawn to specific wine-growing locations such as, for instance, the Kutjevo area in Slavonia, or Pelješac and Hvar in Dalmatia, from which some of the best Croatian wines come. Furthermore, within those locations themselves the are unique localities, such as Dingač on the Pelješac peninsula, which has for over 100 years been regarded as the most exclusive vineyard for the cultivation of Mali Plavac. Unfortunately, the disorder currently prevailing in land registers makes it impossible to say with any certainty how many hectares in total are today planted with grapevine in Croatia. In the older literature a figure of over 80,000 hectares is mentioned, but many experts now believe that this figure is significantly lower, and that despite the intensive programme of raising new vineyards which has been under implementation over the last few years.

As elsewhere in the Mediterranean, wine has been produced in Croatian lands since the times of Antiquity. There is a whole range of Greek and Roman quotations connected with wines from the Dalmatian islands. But the fact that in the last 100 years Croatian wine makers have had an exceptionally significant impact on the world wine stage is not so well known. When, at the end of the 19th century, phylloxera, commonly known as wine pest, struck the Istrian and Dalmatian vineyards literally decimating local wine production, a mass exodus of Croats from those parts of the land to overseas countries resulted.  And so it was Croats who were among those who established the wine industry in New Zealand, where the houses of Nobilo and Babić are now running very successful businesses and are enjoying the benefits of a serious international reputation. Another New Zealand Croat is Jim Vuletich, author of the very expensive and almost unobtainable cult red wine, Providence, which is justifiably ranked among the very top of the world wines from the New World. The most famous of the Croatian wine producers in the world is undoubtedly Miljenko Mike Grgić who, following his brilliant career in California, built a winery in Trstenik, near Dubrovnik, in the mid-1990s. Mike Grgić, a short-statured, elderly and exceedingly self-confident gentleman who speaks slowly but energetically, began his career as a winemaker for the great Robert Mondavi, the man who created the modern-day wine industry of California, and whose empire has been expanding for over thirty years. Having left Mondavi, Grgić began producing wines for Chateau Montelena, another very prestigious producer from the Napa Valley in California. In 1976, on the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution a tasting competition of the best French and Californian wines was organized in Paris.

The winner in the category of white wines was the 1973 Chateau Montelena chardonnay, thus beating the immensely more expensive Montrachet, and on their own home ground.  Thus, Mike Grgić earned his place in history.  Subsequently, Grgić founded “Grgić Hills Winery” in the Napa Valley which he manages in tandem with his daughter. For years now this has been where, with standard reliability, elegant and restrained wines are produced, stylistically very different from until recently the trendy Californian production with high alcohol content. In addition to Grgić Hills there is Dobra zemlja, another winery in California founded by a couple from Croatia in the second half of the last decade. In South America, in Chile, many years ago the late Androniko Lukšić, a multi-billionaire originating from Croatia, bought the large, successful and highly rated San Pedro winery. World successes achieved by wine makers of Croatian origin are the best testimony of how deeply imbedded, and immanently natural are both viticulture and wine making to Croatia.

Babić

Indigenous red grape of Central Dalmatia, which gives the homonymous, sometimes premium wine.


Bogdanuša

Indigenous white grape, probably originating from the island of Hvar, used in the blend for Prosecco.


Cabernet Sauvignon

The best, world-wide known red variety yielding relatively decent results in Istria.


Cabernet Franc

Red-wine grape variety, used almost exclusively in Istria.


Chardonnay

One of the most popular white grape varieties yielding excellent Istrian and Slavonian wines.


Crljenak

Indigenous red Dalmatian grape variety no longer grown in Croatia, but which is world famous; this is in fact the Californian Zinfandel that arrived in America from Dalmatia.


Debit

White grape variety found in Central Dalmatia, originating from Italy.


Graševina

Graševina or Welschriesling, white grape variety which is the basis of the contemporary wine industry in Slavonia.


Grk

Indigenous white grape variety from the island of Korčula which could yield truly great wines; for the time being the only producer devoting himself to this variety to any serious degree is Branimir Cebalo of Lumbarda.


Hrvatica

Hrvatica, or Croatina despite its name this red grape variety is also widely found in Italy; at one time a very popular, homonymous rosé was produced from this variety in Umag.


Istrian Malvoisie

The most important indigenous white grape variety in Istria which the great English author on wines, Janis Robinson in her classic book Vines, grapes and wines, singled out as being different from other Malvoisies, raising the question of whether this particular variety is a Malvoisie at all.


Maraština

A white grape variety which probably came from Italy is grown on the Dalmatian islands and is frequently used as a component in a blend for a Prosecco.


Merlot

A black grape variety which has been cultivated in Istria for many years with mostly average results. Time will tell what Mr. Krauthaker of Slavonia achieves with his own Merlot.


Muscat of Momjan

The muscat grown in Western Istria is, supposedly, the white muscat or Muscat à Petits Grains, the most highly regarded grape from the vast family of muscats. The Muscat of Momjan yields splendid dessert wines.


Pinot Blanc

White grape variety relatively well represented in Istria where, blending it with chardonnay, Matošević produces his excellent yet inexpensive Aura.


PinotGris

A grape variety with a greyish-to-pinkish skin colour; successfully grown in Istria and Slavonia.  Enjingi's is quite something else.


Pinot Noir

A red grape variety long cultivated in Slavonia but with no spectacular results. Vlado Krauthaker could be the one in Croatia to produce from this, the best red grape in the world, a decent wine.


Plavac mali

The most important red grape variety in Croatia and the most important variety in Dalmatia.  This is an indigenous Dalmatian variety which can yield truly great wines, but it should not be confused with a quite inferior variety of Veliki plavac.


Pošip

An indigenous white grape variety from the island of Korčula, which once produced premium wines.


Riesling

In Croatia (and Slovenia) the attribute Rhine is added to Riesling in order to differentiate it from Graševina. The only significant producers of wines from this majestic white grape variety are Ivan Ejningi and PPK Kutjevo.


Rizvanac

Croatian name for Thurgau-Müller, a high yielding but not too impressive cross between Riesling and Sylvaner.


Sauvignon Blanc

Excellent white grape variety cultivated in Slavonia and Međimurje. In a few years time we shall be able to see its potentials in Istria where, in 2003, vineyards were planted by Ivica Matošević.


Škrlet

An indigenous white grape variety from Moslavina which is lately becoming rather fashionable on a local level.


Teran

The most important black variety grape in Istria, internationally known as Refosco; although some experts and wine makers insist that there are differences between teran and refosco.


Traminac

Traminac or Traminer, a white grape variety which could yield excellent wines in Slavonia, where is widely cultivated.


Vugava

A fine, aromatic white grape variety from the island of Vis which could, with serious investments, yield excellent wines.


Zelenac

A white grape variety rescued from oblivion by Vlado Krauthaker.


Zweigelt/Zweigeltrebe

A red grape variety, a cross between the St. Laurent and the Blaufränkischer varieties. Enjingi's Zweigelt is one of the few good red wines in continental Croatia.


Žlahtina

An indigenous white grape variety in the Croatian Littoral which gave rise to the growth of the wine industry on the island of Krk.