Croatia is a full-blown wine destination because simply put, they’re wines are world class. Vintners here are excelling with whites and reds alike, and this red from Miloš has the added benefit of some international star power. It was recently discovered that the Plavac Mali grape, Croatia’s most-planted red variety, is a distant cousin of Zinfandel’s.

As grown on the Pelješac Peninsula in Dalmatia, Plavac Mali offers up a tantalizing combination of dark fruit, exotic spice, and classic European-style freshness. Don’t miss this opportunity to taste and learn something new!

Croatia’s wine regions can be divided between three major areas: the warmer interior of continental Croatia (bordering Hungary, Slovenia, etc), the western, mountainous interior (between Slovenia and Bosnia), and the coastal region, across the Adriatic Sea from Italy. With 3,600 miles of coastline, this region alone contains countless microclimates, including the Pelješac (“Pel-yah-shatz”) Peninsula at the southern tip of the country, home to legendary Miloš.

Frano Miloš (“Mee-loash”) is a standard-bearer for quality vine growing and winemaking in Croatia. With 500 years of family history informing him, Frano is a force on the Croatian wine scene and is widely known as one of the top producers of Plavac Mali. 

Why You'll Love It:

• Sourced from 15 hectares of steep, 45-degree vineyards planted on limestone-rich soils, fermented naturally and matured entirely in large neutral Slavonian barrels for two years, followed by two additional years of bottle aging
  
  
•  All wines are bottled unfiltered and only see minimal sulfur at bottling. 
  
  
• Buoyant and peppery with notes of red fruits like baked strawberry, rhubarb, and a kiss of dried Damson plum. A juicy palate gives way to a rush of crushed red fruit acidity with gritty, Nebbiolo-like tannins on the finish. As it opens over time, darker fruits emerge with deeper undercurrents of rugged Mediterranean herbs in the form of bay laurel, sage, and briny green olive. 

How To Serve it:

• Splash-decant for 15-20 minutes before serving in Burgundy stems at a cool 60 degrees, giving its tannins a chance to air out a bit.
  
  
• Pair it with the Dalmatian specialty known as Pašticada (pronounced: pashtitsada). A delicious Croatian riff on beef stew. Easy to prepare and VERY well worth it.