In the viticulture and wineries of Pelješac Peninsula, St. Martin is not celebrated as in the continental Croatia. Still, the PZ Putniković, a winery from the centre of this peninsula, decided to break with the tradition and “act” according to the wishes of the wine fans in Zagreb. The event took place in La Gota del Vino wine shop. PZ Putniković brough four kinds of wine, prosciutto, cheese, hrostule (a sweet made from flour and sugar), broštulane mjendele (sweetened almonds) and kontonjata (sweet quince).
Rose Putniković 2017, a wine with light aromas of red fruit, strawberries and raspberries was an introduction to this wine voyage. It was followed by Sveta Ana, a pride of this winery. It is a superb Maraština 2017, with 12,5 per cent of alcohol and with citrus aroma that blends well with fish and Ston oysters. We also tried Lirica, a top Plavac from 2011, with 14,7 per cent of alcohol. Its grape ripe at one of the most beautiful Croatian beaches near the village of Žuljane. It has balanced acids, strong aroma of black berries, dry figs and dark chocolate. It got its name after an islet in front of the aforementioned beach, which resembles the local instrument lirica. The highlight of this evening was Plavac barrique 2016, a quality wine with 12,5 per cent of alcohol, with dark ruby colour and strong Plavac aroma enriched with mild wooden taste, excellent for blending with meat dishes and blue fish.
“Our community gathers some 144 wine makers from Putniković, Žuljane and Ponikve. We produce some 800,000 bottles annually, out of which 80 per cent is Plavac and 20 per cent Maraština”, says Ana Barać, the director of House of Viticulture Tradition, a touristic office with a tasting room that was opened last year within the winery. “This culture lives also through the Days of Open Doors of Pelješac Cellars, which brings for the 13th time on first Saturday in December thousands of guests to the peninsula”, mentions Slobodan Rosić, the president of the Association Plavac mali from Pelješac.