Prepping for the Croatian Wine Route

Before I hop on a plane, I like to do a little research on the destination, maybe whack out my old Lonely Planet... and with my Danish blood in me, I probably book hotel rooms, study restaurant menus and reserve seats, cultural programs are set, I memorize the city maps.... and the rest (if their is anything I left out) will come as it comes.


So before I strap on my seatbelt for this Croatian wine route, let us get the picture straight.


The country might be small with a population of about 4.5 million but Croatia consists of a vastly 300 geographically defined wine regions. WHAT!?! 300!! Ok, so to make it easier, these are spread across only three main areas named Slavonia (NO! Not Slovenia) in the North-East, Istria to the North-West, and Dalmatia to the South. So where to begin? Eenie meenie miny mo..... Dalmatia! So we will begin from South to North, coastal to hinterland.


In Northern Dalmatia you will find the regions of Benkovac-Stankovci, Drniš, Knin, Pirovac-Skradin, Primošten, Promina, Šibenik, and Zadar-Biograd. In the Dalmatian interior you will find the regions of Imotski, Sinj-Vrlika, and Vrgorac. To the South we have Kaštela-Trogir, Split-Omiš-Makarska, Neretva, Konavle, Pelješac peninsula, islands Brač, Hvar, Korčula,Lastovo, Mljet, Šolta, Vis.

You can get to all these stunning locations by flying into Split, Zadar, or Dubrovnik airport, hop on a bus or other mode of transport and whooop... start swirling your glass, and at the same time, find yourself in breathtaking surroundings, with great hotel facilities, natural and cultural attractions.


To honor my heritage and roots, I would like to start my route on the Pelješac peninsula. Additionally, I owe the many amazing people who have guided me through their cellars, vineyards, and homes and confronting me with my new found love of Plavac Mali wines.


Let me get back to the road and get back to you with more on the wines of Pelješac.