ON THE MAINLAND

Beyond Istria, Croatia’s regions are a treasure trove of terroirs, grapes and styles. Veer off the tourist track and you’ll find many delightful surprises

- SIMON J WOOLF

Think of Croatia, and you might conjure up images of a coastal nation with deep blue seas, grilled seafood and uncountable paradise islands. But attractive though this Mediterranean idyll sounds, it’s not the whole picture. More than half of the country’s landmass heads inland across the top of neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina before it eventually meets western Serbia.

This is especially relevant for wine, as about 60% of Croatia’s production comes from the two overarching inland regions: The Uplands and Slavonia. This contrasts with the country’s tourism, which favours the two coastal regions, northerly Istria and Kvarner, and Dalmatia in the south.

Croatian Uplands 

With vineyards scattered around the capital Zagreb, the Uplands is Croatia’s greenest and coolest wine-growing region. Reflecting a strong influence from the old Austro-Hungarian empire, international white varieties dominate, along with Graševina (one of the synonyms of Welschriesling) and Pinot Noir. Furmint crops up under the names Moslavac or Pušipel. The cool climate, plentiful rainfall and hillside expositions also allow aromatic varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling to shine. One indigenous grape variety has recently enjoyed a small renaissance, too: Škrlet is a delicate, fresh-tasting white variety chiefly found in Moslavina. The variety surprised and delighted judges at the 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards, carrying home a clutch of medals including a Gold.