Croatia Flashcards
How is Croatia divided?
—Coastal Croatia:
- Istria (Hrvatska Istra PDO)
- Croatian Coast (Hvratsko Primorje)
- Northern Dalmatia (Sjeverna Dalmacija)
- Central and Southern Dalmatia and associated islands (Srednja i Južna Dalmacija)
- Dalmatian Highlands “Dalmatinska Zagora)
—Continental Croatia (lies north and east to the Hungarian border)
- Eastern Continental Croatia (Istočna -Kontinentalna Hrvatska PDO)
- Western Continental Croatia (Zapadna -Kontinentalna Hrvatska PDO)
- Danube Region (Hrvatsko Podunavlje PDO )
- Slavonia (Slavonija PDO)
- Moslavina Hills (Moslavina PDO)
- Kupa River Region (Pokuplje PDO)
- Plešivica Hills (Plešivica PDO)
- Zagorje-Međimurje PDO
- Prigorje-Bilogora PDO
What are the two dominant zones of coastal Croatia? What is produced there?
Istria and Dalmatia (noncontiguous).
—Begins in the north, nearly touching Trieste, Italy (only 40 km of Slovenian coastline separate the two countries) and reaches as far south as Montenegro.
White wine is dominant here, yet interest in red Bordeaux varietals and the native Crljenak Kastelanski (Zinfandel) and its offshoot Plavac Mali is high.
What Napa Valley winemaker produces Plavac Mali?
What important white grape does he produce as well?
Mike Grgich (native Croation) at his estate in Dalmatia.
Plavac Mali
workhorse grape of the coast and relative of Crljenak Kaštelanski (Zinfandel, Tribidrag, Primitivo)
Pošip
—Full-bodied white wines with subtle almond notes and flavors of crisp apples, vanilla spice, citrus fruit, and a subtle almond note.
Croatian Pronunciation Cheat Sheet
č – ž – dž – š – Đ -
č – sounds like the “ch” in “cheese” or “match.” ž – pronounced like the “s” in “measure.” dž – pronounced like “j” in “jug” š – sounds like “sh” in “show” Đ - dj (as in judge) Ž - zh A - ah E - soft eh I - hard ee O - long oh (never the softer uh) U - oo
What is the primary red wine of Croatia? Where is it primarily grown? Translation? Appellations? Describe wine.
Plavac Mali
- grows mostly along the Dalmatian coast.
- translates to “small blue,”
- first to have its own appellations – Dingač and Postup, which are both located on the Pelješac peninsula in South-Central Dalmatia.
- higher in both alcohol and tannin, with lower acidity, and has rich, full flavors of blackberry, dark cherry, pepper, carob, dry figs, and spice.
Name a varietal used in Croatia with no vowels.
Grk
- indigenous variety produces dry white wines with notes of white pepper, melon, herbs, and sliced pear
- found in sandy soils close to Korčula, on an island within the Srednja-Juzna Dalmacija.
- often “the most feminine of all grapes” because it only has female flowers and must to be planted next to other varieties in order to pollinate (most wine grapes are self-pollinators).
What is the grape Graševina more commonly known as?
Welschriesling
What factors is Croatian wine accessed?
Assessment is based on an analysis that identifies density, alcohol, total dry extract, total reductive sugar, sucrose, ash, total acids, volatile acids, pH, free SO2, and total SO2 as well as taste, sight, smell, and typicity to the wine’s region and grape variety.
** The resulting rating is placed on the label.
What are the ratings for Croatian wine?
Other important labeling terms?
** Barrique also appears on labels. More important terms are Suho (dry), Slatko (sweet), and Pola Slatko (half sweet).
What are the two dominant varieties of Istria?
—Teran: identity is disputed, as some say it is the same as Refošk (Refosco in Italian, but distinctive from Refosco dal Penduncoo Rosso in Friuli); produces wines with good tannins that responds well to barrel aging; 2nd most planted grape of the region.
—Malvazija Istarska: hard to pin an exact style as they range from powerful, oaky to more basic, fruity, refreshing, and young. Easily reaches high alcohol levels.
What are the two main soils of Istria?
White soils of limestone
Iron-rich red clay soils
**each produce notably different wines.
What mountain range divides the two regions of Croatia?
Dinaric Alps mountain range that follows the coast.
What is often the barrel wood of choice in Istria?
Why is this choice and odd one for the region?
Acacia
**It is used despite the fact that Slavonia, not far to the east, is famous for the quality of its oak.
What is the name for Zinfandel in Croatia?
What does it translate to?
Crljenak Kaštelanski
“Red grape from Kaštela”; a small island near Split.
Notable white grapes of Croatia.
—Rukatac and Maraština: found on the islands and the central and southern coast of Croatia. Similar to the common Malvasia Bianca Lunga from Tuscany.
—Debit: Unsung hero, most often encountered in the middle and northern Dalmatia; often bold and full bodied, it can take well to oak aging.
—Pošip is a star on the island of Korčula; can be found on the mainland as well. Can be elegant despite hot region. Still confused for Furmint, but DNA evidence has proven it is native to Croatia.
—Malvasija Dubrovačka, another Malvasia, better known as Malvasia di Lipari; grows well in the more fertile area south of Dubrovnik.
