🍷 Prošek

Prošek is a Croatian traditional wine term for a dessert wine made from technologically overripe, dried grapes. It is used for wines from four protected designations in Dalmatia: Northern Dalmatia, the Dalmatian hinterland, Central and Southern Dalmatia, and Dingač. Prošek may be white or red, and it is sold in bottles of up to 0.5 litres.

At harvest the grapes must reach at least 110 °Oechsle, with yields of up to 5,000 kg per hectare. They are then dried until the sugar reaches at least 150 °Oechsle, on the vine or under a shelter, in an attic or another controlled environment at no more than 40 °C. The dried grapes are crushed together with the stalks.

The wine is aged for at least two years in wooden casks of up to 500 litres. According to the EU application, its colour ranges from dark yellow with shades of old gold to reddish with brown tones, and oxidative ageing mutes the shades. The aroma shows overripe fruit, light woody notes and hints of oxidation, and the taste is full thanks to the high residual sugar.

Actual alcohol is at least 13% vol, total alcohol 20 to 22% vol, and reducing sugars at least 60 g/l. Croatia applied for EU protection of the term on 11 December 2013, and the European Commission published the application on 22 September 2021. Italy objected to the registration because the name resembles Prosecco.

Why it matters to you. The word «Prošek» on a label is allowed only for wines from these four designations that meet the specification, as confirmed by the Croatian Agency for Agriculture and Food. Do not confuse prošek with Prosecco: it is a strong sweet wine in small bottles, not a sparkling one. The WHO reminds us that no level of alcohol is safe.