Dalmatia's flagship red grape, grown on steep south-facing terraces of the Pelješac peninsula and the islands of Hvar, Brač and Vis. Tannic, dark-fruited and high-alcohol; the offspring of Croatian Zinfandel.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
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.
Common allergens: Sulphites
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.
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.
Signature drink: Croatian wine flight by the glass
Food: Paski sir and prsut boards with home-baked bread
Order: Monika's wine flight with the paski sir and prsut board.
Tip: The room is small; book ahead for the evening sitting or arrive at 17:00 when the bar opens for the night service.
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.
Signature drink: Plavac mali by the glass
Food: Cured meats and small plates from the grill
Order: Postup Plavac mali by the glass with the cured-meat board.
Tip: Sit at the cellar end of the dining room; the by-the-bottle list runs to around 200 Croatian labels.
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.
Signature drink: Posip by the glass
Food: Mediterranean small plates
Order: Korcula Posip with the slow-cooked octopus plate.
Tip: The courtyard tables are the right seats; live music nightly in summer.
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.
Order: Olive oil tasting flight with the cured-meat and paski sir board, followed by pasticada.
Tip: Start with the olive oil flight; the kitchen will then build a small-plates meal around what the morning Pazar yielded.
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