History

Plavac mali has been cultivated in Dalmatia since antiquity. DNA testing at UC Davis in 1998 by Carole Meredith showed that Plavac mali is a natural cross between Crljenak Kaštelanski (the Croatian Zinfandel) and Dobričić, a near-extinct variety from the island of Šolta; Crljenak Kaštelanski is itself the same variety as California Zinfandel and a near-twin of Italian Primitivo. Dingač on the Pelješac peninsula was named Croatia's and the former Yugoslavia's first protected wine appellation in 1961, with Postup following in 1967. Split wine bars run extensive Plavac lists; Bokeria Wine Cellar and Zinfandel Food and Wine are the canonical city pours.

Book a food experience

Tours, tastings and classes that match this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.

Browse every bookable food experience

Common allergens: Sulphites

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 1 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle entry-level Plavac mali (Tomić Plavac or Korta Katarina)
  • 1 bottle Dingač Plavac mali (Bura, Saints Hills or Skaramuča)
  • 1 bottle Postup Plavac mali (Donja Banda or Madirazza)
  • 200g hard aged Paški sir
  • 200g Dalmatinski pršut
  • 150g dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa)
  • 300g pasticada or beef ragu
  • 200g dried figs
  • 200g toasted walnuts
  • 1 country sourdough loaf

Method

  1. Stand all three bottles upright 24 hours before serving so any sediment settles.
  2. Decant the older Plavacs (Dingač and Postup, which are typically higher in tannin) 60 to 90 minutes before drinking. Decant the entry-level wine 30 minutes ahead.
  3. Serve at 16 to 18C; warmer than that and the alcohol becomes prominent. Chill briefly in the fridge if the room is hot.
  4. Pour 80ml of each wine into Burgundy-shaped glasses in three rows.
  5. Lay out the cheese, pršut, chocolate, pasticada, figs and walnuts on a board. Slice the sourdough.
  6. Smell each wine without sipping. Plavac aromas: black cherry, dried fig, garrigue, leather.
  7. Taste blind first, in the order entry-level then Postup then Dingač. Most palates rank Dingač highest for power; some prefer Postup's tighter acid.
  8. Pair: pršut with the entry-level (the salt cuts the tannin); Paški sir with Postup; pasticada and chocolate with Dingač. Note how each food shifts the wine.

Tip from the editors. Drink young Plavac mali (2-3 years) chilled to 15-16C with grilled fish; drink Dingač and Postup at 17-18C with red meat. Decant aged bottles 30 min.

Where to eat plavac mali

Plavac Mali in Split

MoNIKa's Wine Bar ★ 4.8

€€€ Cocktail barWine bar with Dalmatian small platesDiocletians Palace

MoNIKa's Wine Bar on Ban Mladenova in Split's Old Town pours wines from the family's Zrnovnica estate alongside Dalmatian cheese and prsut boards in a small.

OrderMonika's wine flight with the paski sir and prsut board.

DrinkCroatian wine flight by the glass

FoodPaski sir and prsut boards with home-baked bread

TipThe room is small; book ahead for the evening sitting or arrive at 17:00 when the bar opens for the night service.

Directions

Bokeria Wine Cellar ★ 4.0

€€€ Cocktail barWine bar inside restaurantDiocletians Palace

Bokeria's wine room in Split shifts the Old Town restaurant into a wine-bar mood after 22:00, pouring Plavac mali and Posip by the glass into the early hours.

OrderPostup Plavac mali by the glass with the cured-meat board.

DrinkPlavac mali by the glass

FoodCured meats and small plates from the grill

TipSit at the cellar end of the dining room; the by-the-bottle list runs to around 200 Croatian labels.

Directions

Zinfandel Food & Wine ★ 4.2

€€€ Cocktail barWine barDiocletians Palace

Zinfandel Food & Wine on Maruliceva in Split is the city's wine-led bistro, pouring 100-plus Croatian bottles and 30 by the glass between Pjaca and Vocni Trg.

OrderKorcula Posip with the slow-cooked octopus plate.

DrinkPosip by the glass

FoodMediterranean small plates

TipThe courtyard tables are the right seats; live music nightly in summer.

Directions

Uje Oil Bar ★ 4.3

€€€€ Tasting €40-65DalmatianDiocletians Palace

Uje Oil Bar inside Split's Diocletian Palace is the city's Dalmatian small-plates room, built on olive oil tastings, paski sir and Dalmatian prsut.

OrderOlive oil tasting flight with the cured-meat and paski sir board, followed by pasticada.

BookFew days ahead

TipStart with the olive oil flight; the kitchen will then build a small-plates meal around what the morning Pazar yielded.

Directions

All Split signature dishes →

More cities are in research. Want plavac mali covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →