Wojciech Bońkowski
Master of Wine

Touring Dalmatia: Konavle

Posted on 26 November 2013

From Slovenia, I’ve moved to Croatia for the next part of my wine tour: Dalmatia. With a group of fellow journos in the run-up to the Zagreb Vino.com Festival, we’re touring Croatia’s southern coast starting in Dubrovnik and making our way north.

Crvik Konavle Malvasija Dubrovacka Tezoro 2012

Good Malvasija from Dubrovnik: no more impossible.

The trip started with 13 hours on the bus (that’s best forgotten, if not for the vistas) and then a tasting at Konavle, Croatia’s southernmost appellation, bordering Montenegro. The speciality is Malvasija Dubrovačka, a local white grape that it is different from other Adriatic Malvasias such as the one grown in Istria and Friuli. My experience with Konavle so far has been pretty negative: there is a lot of Yugo-style wine here, oxidised and fruitless and totally careless.

Petar Crvik Konavle

Petar Crvik Presenting his excellent wines.

Well, I’m happy to say that at least two wines of yesterday’s tasting contradicted that: Crvik Malvasija 2011 has an enticing honeyed and exotic fruit profile and carries its 14.5% alc. gracefully.

Miljas Konavle Grk 2012

Grk: ultra-rare, exciting Adriatic grape.

And Miljas’s 2012, a little leaner, displayed a surprising salty flavour that would pair well with the region’s stunning seafood. Miljas also makes a lovely crisp structured Grk, the only example of this super-rare grape outside its home, eastern Korčula (where I will go tomorrow to tell you more). Incidentally, during my weekend in Istria visiting local star producer Meneghetti I also tasted a pretty decent Syrah from Kuća Glavić. After years of collapse, Konavle could be back on track.

Kuća Glavić Konavle Syrah 2012

Decent Syrah from Dalmatia, who would have thought?

Disclosure: my trip to the Croatia including flights, accommodation and wine tasting programme is sponsored by Zagreb Vino.com.