Touring Dalmatia: Korčula

Posted on 17 January 2014

The next stop on my Dalmatian tour last November was on the island of Korčula. One of the major isles of the Croatian Adriatic, it also boasts a rich history of culture, trade and wine.

Korčula was first settled by Neolithic tribes and then Illyrians before being colonised around 500 BC by the Greeks, who named it Kerkyra Melaina, or “black Corfu” because it was thickly forested at a time when original Greek settlements had long used up their wood resources. Consequently, Korčula became a major ship-building centre for centuries to come.

Korčula town itself is a Venetian medieval town with a tranquil feel to it, enhanced by the intelligent urbanism that minimises the nuisance from bora, the gusty wind that descends from the mountains into the Adriatic. There is far less tourism than in Dubrovnik or Split; it’s a lovely place to visit in May, June or September.

As all Dalmatian islands, Korčula also has a sizeable production of wine. Although it lies just across a narrow channel from Pelješac where some of Europe’s most powerful red wines are made, Korčula mostly makes white. One fantastic white wine is Grk which I covered here, but the leading grape is Pošip.

Pošip is grown throughout the central part of Dalmatia including on the continental shore, but nowhere does it reach the heights of aroma and flavour that Korčula can deliver. The dry climate favours it, as do the limestone soil. One particularly propitious area is a central inland valley between the town of Smokvica and Čara where we travelled to meet the local producers.

It was a very good tasting, with some characterful wines that I would love to have at the dinner table whenever there is fish or seafood on the menu. (And we did exactly that in the evening so I speak from experience). Why? Pošip is a peculiar white wine, fresh, vibrant and maritime but unlike many Mediterranean whites, it also has plenty of body and extract. The concentration of salty taste can sometimes be striking, and combined with intense sweet peach-like fleshiness, makes Pošip a fairly original offer.

We tasted wines from Blato, Bleuš, Kunjas, Antun Milina, Milan Pecotić Petrušac, Toreta as well as PZ Nerica – the latter was a lovely surprise, coming from a local family who overtook the former cooperative, delivering a 2012 Pošip Čara with 14.7% alc. that just exploded with succulent peachy and apricotty fruit.

But the very best came from Luka Krajančić (no website but there is some info here), one of Dalmatia’s leading names at the moment. His basic 2012 Pošip is already a wine to die for, rich but tense and saline. The 2011 Pošip Sur Lie flirts with oak fermentation and malolactic for a broader, more international interpretation of the grape: engaging it is. But I prefer the unoaked 2012 Pošip Intrada, a brilliant Mediterranean white with all the elements falling into place effortlessly: fruit, acidity, concentration and minerality. At 12€ retail, it is also an absolute steal.

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