September 16, 2019 - Hvar wine tourism is booming, and that message is going international. Money Week features Croatia's sunshine island in its top wine holiday ideas.
Like many things in Croatian tourism, the potential was always there, but it went largely unnoticed.
Until - at least in this case - about a decade ago, when a passionate wine-loving local called Ante Lacman decided to start offering the first accompanied wine tours on the island of Hvar.
An island with a 2,400-year wine tradition dating back to the Ancient Greeks, with grapes still gown on the fertile UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Greeks established their first agricultural colony and planted the vines they brought with them from the island of Paros. An island rich in indigenous grape varieties not grown elsewhere - Bogdanusa, Darnekusa, Prc, Palarusa, Kortolaska, Mekuja. An island which is home to the only Master of Wine in all Croatia - hands from London, grapes from Hvar. The personalities and winemaking styles of Hvar's winemakers are as diverse as the terroirs and mico-climates on the island. Add to that the magnificent beauty of the sunniest island in Europe, and it was only a matter of time before Lacman's concept of wine tourism on Hvar became a major hit. The latest international publication to notice last week was Money Week.
Here is what Money Week had to say about Hvar and the Hvar wine scene.
An ancient wine scene in Croatia
“Located off the coast of mainland Croatia is the island of Hvar – and if its idyllic location in the Adriatic Sea isn’t enticing enough, the island also boasts a wine scene that pre-dates the arrival of the ancient Greeks,” says Evie Carrick on Travel + Leisure. Hvar Wine Tours offers a half-day Waves and Wine tour (€125) that combines wine tasting with swimming in the sea.
Guests can talk to winemaker Toni Bojanic, whose family has made wine on the island for 500 years. There is also a subterranean cave on the southern shore that serves as a wine cellar and can be visited. “If you want to experience the creations of Croatia’s famous winemaking pioneer, Zlatan Plenkovic, Hvar Wine Tours docks at Plenkovic Bilo Idro for four courses of wine paired with local food – think marinated prunes, smoked ham and Croatian cheeses.” Hvar’s first five-star hotel, Palace Elisabeth, has its “soft opening” this month – perfect for those “looking for a luxurious wine holiday”.
Here are the top 5 wine tours available on Hvar - plenty of exciting diversity.
To learn more about the wonderful world of Croatian wine, check out the Total Croatia Wine in a Page guide.
