📍 Dalmatia
The Mediterranean coast and islands.
Dalmatia is a historic region on the Mediterranean coast of Croatia, with many islands. Summers are warm and dry, and the grapes grow on stony slopes by the sea.
The region is divided into North Dalmatia, the Dalmatian Hinterland (Zagora) and Central and South Dalmatia. Each has its own wines, but they share sun and local varieties: Plavac Mali, Pošip, Maraština, Grk, Babić, Trnjak, Sušac Crni, Cetinka. Plavac Mali is the main red variety.
Dalmatia also matters to world winemaking. This is where the native variety known in California as Zinfandel and in Italy as Primitivo was identified. Croatians call it Crljenak Kaštelanski. So a famous American variety has roots on the Dalmatian coast.
Dalmatia is part of Croatian wine as its southernmost and sunniest area. Wines are often rich and strong, but fresh whites exist too.
How it connects to Wine
📍 Dalmatia ← grows in ← 🍇 Zinfandel → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🗺️ Croatian wine
- Grapes
- 🍇 Zinfandel, 🍇 Pošip, 🍇 Maraština, 🍇 Sušac Crni, 🍇 Cetinka, 🍇 Trnjak, 🍇 Plavac Mali, 🍇 Babić, 🍇 Crljenak Kaštelanski, 🍇 Grk
- Related to
- 🥃 Zadarski maraschino
- Olive cultivars
- 🫒 Oblica
Frequently asked questions
What is Dalmatia in wine terms?
It is a wine region on the Croatian coast with islands and local varieties.
What is the main red grape of Dalmatia?
Plavac Mali.
How is Dalmatia linked to Zinfandel?
The original variety of Zinfandel, Crljenak Kaštelanski, comes from Dalmatia.
What to read next
- 🫒 Oblica — Croatia's most important cultivar, at least 60 % of orchard trees; used for oil and table olives.
- 🍇 Zinfandel — A red grape genetically identical to Primitivo and Crljenak kaštelanski; 39,500 acres in California (2019); "White Zinfandel" is a rosé wine.
- 🥃 Zadarski maraschino — Zadarski maraschino is an EU protected name (since 24.04.2012) for maraschino from Zadar, Croatia: a colourless sweet cherry liqueur based on Dalmatian marasca cherry distillate, from 24% ABV and 250 g/l of sugar.
- 🍇 Grk — A white wine grape from the island of Korčula in Croatia.
Similar
📍 Slavonia and Croatian Danube · 📍 Istria and Kvarner · 📍 Croatian Uplands