Grape Spotlight: Croatian Korčula Grk

Grk is an autochthonous Croatian grape variety that grows exclusively on the south Dalmatian island of Korčula. More specifically it is planted in the sandy and very dry soils around the village of Lumbarda at the easternmost tip of the island. Here, the strip of land between two coastlines is very narrow thus the grapes receive plenty of exposure from sunlight and reflection from the sea.

Grk is also an ancient grape, perhaps older than the vines planted by the Greeks who settled in Lumbarda in the third century BC. They named the island Korkyra Melaina (Black Korkyra) for its dense Mediterranean vegetation.  Interestingly Grk translates to Greek in Croatian but DNA analysis does not match any known Greek grape. In the local dialect, Grk refers to "bitter" which resembles the naming of Negroamaro across the Adriatic in Puglia. Since inhabitants of Korčula were seafarers and travelers (Marco Polo (1254-1324) was purportedly born on Korčula) perhaps the concepts in the naming grapes traveled across the Sea. This happened with actual grapevines for Primitivo as the Croatian Tribidrag was transferred to Italy between 200-300 years ago.

The quest to determine the origins of Zinfandel to Primitivo and to eventually Tribidrag & Crljenak Kastelanski also includes Grk. Dr. Carole Meredith analyzed various DNA fingerprints of vines in search of a match for Zinfandel and this led to Plavac Mali being designated an offspring. In addition, her analysis showed that Grk (along with other local varieties Plavina and Vranac) shared genetic markers with Zinfandel. This helps prove the antiquated nature of these grapes. 

Like two other central European grapes, the Hungarian Kéknyelű and Herzegovinian Blatina, Grk has only the female functional parts of the plant. Thus it is not self-pollinating like the vast majority of grapevines and requires a male pollinator. On Lumbarda, its relative Plavac Mali is the primary pollinator, planted in alternative rows as both varieties blossom at the same time and with hopes that the wind will carry the pollen to the appropriate plants. 

Winemaking on Korčula probably started with the Greek settlers and continued with the Romans but its practices were codified in the Statute of Korčula of 1214.  This is the oldest legal code of the Croats and a subsequent version from 1265 has been preserved to the present day.  It codifies both winemaking practices as well as the trading of wine - specifically the prohibition of imports in large quantities. In contemporary times, winemaking has been modernized particularly from young oenologists such as 30-something Igor Radovanović.

After graduating from high school, Radovanović enrolled at the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb, and afterward consulted with several wineries in Smokvica and Čara. This led to working with Testament Winery near Šibenik and Black Island Winery on Korčula and specifically Posip and Grk. On Korčula he created his own small garage winery where he produces several craft wines which are noticeable by their "kružić križić" (circle cross) label. 

One of these wines is the Radovanović Grk 2020 ($39) available in the United States through Croatian Premium Wine Imports and not to be confused with the Serbian winery Radovanovic.  This wine is exceptional and showcases the heavy density and body of Grk wines. It features candied summer fruit, melons, a hint of that Black Korkyra, and surprisingly sufficient acidity. Yes, it stretches the budget but with the small-scale production - well worth the outlay.

Destination Terra Madre - a Komarna and Dalmatian Winery

One of the most eventful excursions during our three-week European vacation was a tour of Terra Madre Winery led by oenologist Marko Šuman and Executive Director Davor Martinović. The winery is located in Komarna, just north of the border with Herzegovina and adjacent to the middle of the Peljesac Peninsula. Terra Madre is also a founding member of the Komarna AVA which consists of seven members -- all certified by the EU for organic wine production. 

Organic certification among the members was accelerated because the wineries started near the same time in the early to mid-2010s. They were able to leverage the same resources when surveying plots, planting the vineyards, and building out production and tasting room facilities. Economies of scale in action. Their youthfulness also allowed them to adopt the latest in technological advances pertaining to vineyard management and winemaking chemistry where even some laboratories are utilized by Croatian state wine officials. Such is the case with Terra Madre, where the appellation-wide K7 Plavac Mali was vinified by Šuman at their state-of-the-art facility from fruit contributed by each Komarna winery.

Our visit to Terra Madre was facilitated by Croatian Premium Wine Imports, the importer of Komarna wines into the United States.  It occurred during the return ride from a pilgrimage to Medjugorje and when we arrived Mr. Martinović informed us of the cross in the vineyard which was a replica of one from the holy site and that the apparitions were an inspiration for naming the winey "Mother Earth".  

This cross sits near the base of a 45-degree limestone slope that is populated with vines from the 200-600 foot summits to the Adriatic. The grapevines are predominately two indigenous Dalmatian varieties, Plavac Mali and Pošip, with smaller plantings of Chardonnay, Syrah, and Cabernet.  They are planted facing south-southwest in order to receive the longest sun exposure from the star itself and from reflection from the sea. In total, the estate covers 16.55 hectares with 125,000 vines planted. 

The Terra Madre winery itself is a structure occupying 2600 square feet on top of the largest hill. The first floor is intended for wine tasting and is dominated by a terrace with its amazing views of the Neretva Bay, Pelješac Peninsula, and apparently on especially clear days, the outline of the islands of Brac and Hvar. 

After Mr. Šuman and Mr. Martinović greeted us we proceeded with a tour of their facility with Šuman describing both the equipment and his winemaking goals for the region. This equipment included a large press, gravity-flow fermenting stainless steel tanks, stainless steel tanks for aging, large barrique casks, a separate barrel room, a large chemistry lab, and a modern bottling line.  They have complete control of the vinification process. 

Šuman also discussed his ideas for the winery and the region. They will continue to focus on Plavac Mali and Pošip while developing various new styles. One example is their new Pošip aged on lees which is a clear distinction from their flagship stainless steel Pošip. Whereas Šuman believes the standard Pošip will still dominate sales, the lees Pošip will entice those who desire a white wine with a larger mouthfeel or have more funk in their palate. Šuman also related how they have experimental plantings of autochthonous grapes that are more prevalent in other Dalmatia regions. One of these is Grk from the island of Korčula and while Šuman wants to stay connected to the camaraderie of the Komarna appellation, he also wants to start promoting the Dalmatia region. He believes a focus on Dalmatia wines will elevate the region on the world market. 

Returning to the tasting room and over a plate of prosciutto and cheese we sampled the two versions of Pošip mentioned above, the 2019 Plavac Mali Rosé, the 2015 Barrique Plavac Mali, the eye-opening 2016 Premium Plavac Mali, and ta cellar bottle of the 2017 Premium Plavac Mali. From previous samples and subsequent purchases from Croatian Premium Wine Imports, we were already well-versed with the 2018 Pošip, Rosé, and the Premium Plavac Mali and the tasting just reinforced our fondness for these wines. Interestingly Šuman plans to lighten the rosé in order to make it more appealing for the summer heat and visitor's palates but we definitely prefer this more textured version.

The 2018 Pošip Sur Lie provided a delicious alternative with its creamy mouthfeel and funky finish.  A gifted bottle did not last long when we returned to Dubrovnik. And I wish we could pair with Mali Ston Bay oysters -- considered the best from all of Europe. We also were gifted the next iteration of the Premium Plavac Mali which will allow more time aging in the bottle for the tannins to become a little tamer.

During our visit, a large group arrived for a similar tasting as ours with wine, cheese, and prosciutto. Komarna is a short trip from both Split and Dubrovnik so check out excursions when visiting each destination. Two weeks home and I'm already itching to return to Croatia to revisit Terra Madre but also the other K7 area wineries such as Rizman and Deak Family Farm or onto the Pelješac Peninsula to Grgić or Saints Hills. In the meantime, I will have to settle for the large selections of wines available from Croatian Premium Wine Imports.  Živjeli.