Wine country on the city’s doorstep

About Wine country on the city’s doorstep

By the ULTIMATE Zagreb Editorial Team

Croatia makes wine from the Danube plains to the islands of Dalmatia, and Zagreb is the best place to taste it all, with wine bars pouring bottles from every region and vineyards just outside the city.

The grapes to know

Graševina is Croatia’s most planted white grape, grown especially in Slavonia in the east, fresh and easy or rich and late-harvested. Istria is famous for malvazija istarska, a fragrant, mineral white, and teran, a lively red. In Dalmatia, plavac mali makes powerful reds, especially on the Pelješac peninsula and the islands.

Plešivica, on the doorstep

About half an hour south-west of Zagreb, the hills of Plešivica are dotted with family wineries known for crisp whites and some of Croatia’s best sparkling wines. On a weekend afternoon, a drive or a tour to taste in the vineyards makes a lovely escape from the city.

In one evening in Zagreb, you can drink your way from the Danube to the Adriatic.

Zagorje and the hills

The hills of Zagorje and the slopes around Zagreb also make fresh whites, and many traditional restaurants serve local wine by the jug, mixed with sparkling water as a gemišt in summer.

Where to taste in Zagreb

Wine bars in the centre pour Croatian wines by the glass, and a good wine shop will help you choose bottles to take home. Bornstein, in a vaulted cellar on Kaptol, has one of the widest selections in the city.

Our advice: start with a glass of graševina, then compare an Istrian malvazija with a Dalmatian plavac mali. If you have a free afternoon, visit a winery in Plešivica, and remember that you can usually take wine home in your hold luggage.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Wine country on the city’s doorstep before you go.