When you moor in harbours on the islands of Brač, Hvar and Vis, take some time to get to know their winemakers and taste some top quality wines. Here, we would like to mention some of the most famous ones. If you are sailing around the islands of middle Dalmatia, you are also sailing in an area which was the cradle of winegrowing and winemaking on the Adriatic. This is immediately clear as you sail along the south shores of Hvar and Brač, and notice the vineyards which are spread from the sea to the rocky summits, taking up almost all workable soil. Since ancient times grapes ripened here on sandy soil, bathed in sunshine. These grapes are used to produce some of the best Mediterranean wines. Even the old Illyrians knew how to grow grapevines, ferment fruit and produce wine, long before the Greek colonization. The arrival of Phoenicians, and especially Ancient Greeks to the Adriatic Sea raised the winegrowing and winemaking technology to a new level. This winemaking tradition has been preserved until today, and winemakers of Hvar, Brač and Vis are considered to be true masters of this ancient art. This area is the origin of many autochthone grape varieties: plavac mali crni, maraština, vugava, bogdanuša, prč, and many others. Keep that in mind when you sail these waters, and when you moor in some picturesque bay or on an island waterfront, be sure to visit some of the islands’ famous winemakers, take a peek in their wine cellars and try their wines. If you like them, replenish your ship’s supplies with a bottle of top quality wine, which will keep your heart warm long after you have left these parts.
Wine routes of middle Dalmatia
