Palihnić Winery gathered 165 subcontractors from the area of Pelješac Župa and Kuna Pelješka. The combined forces produce an average of 700,000 liters of quality and premium wine a year, and in their native years even more. The grapes are processed in the winery of the Palihnić family in Kuna Pelješka. The winery is run by Anto and his son Goran, recently the owner and director of the winery. The business philosophy of these two, with the placement on the domestic market mostly in retail, is export to European countries (Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia) and the Far East countries China, Japan and Australia. That export is 15 percent of total production and the goal is to reach 25 percent. The winery provides its associates with funds for the maintenance and protection of vineyards and payments at agreed times. Palihnić Family owns about 100,000 vines on 10 hectares, planting meter by meter. The annual yield is 12 tons, and the total processing of subcontracted grapes is another 150 tons. The positions where the vineyards are are: Dingač, Postup, Podobuč, Oskorušno and Donja banda.
The presentation of the winery at the forum "It's time for ..." in HKD Napredak in Zagreb was led by sommelier Tomislav Jakopović, Stanko Štambuk in charge of promoting the winery in Croatia and abroad and selling wine and journalist Vjekoslav Madunić. The presentation of the winery began with Rose, 12.5% alcohol from Plavac mali from 2019. It is a dry wine, with the aromas and flavors of strawberry and raspberry.
This was followed by a small selection of plavac with 15% alcohol. The burgundy color suggested solid tannins, but the taste of the wine is not like that. It seems as if there were dried berries in the mash, the smell is characteristic and the rest of the sugar, which is not great in quantity, is very good. The winery successfully exports this wine with slightly less alcohol (13%) and more sugar, as required by the Chinese market, under the Red Dragon label. In retail on our market, this plavac costs 60 kuna.
Postup from 2019 with 15.5% is from the position Podobuč in the village Postup. Here the winery has 4000 vines in its ownership. The wine also has immature tannins that do not matter. Anto Palihnić is a winemaker who avoids excessive wood taste. The wine stays in the new barrels for 4 to 6 months and then aged in stainless steel. The winery has about 50,000 liters of procedures and dingacs in the barriq. This wine in large retail chains costs 90 kuna.
About Dingač 2019 with 17% alcohol, Jakopović says: "The color is deeper here, you can clearly see the distinction between the procedure and dingač. The price of 100 kuna in retail is the real value for this wine and it could be higher. And finally, Dingach Reserve from 2015 with 15% alcohol. It was the most mature and serious wine at the presentation. It has depth, characteristic aroma and taste of figs and prunes. The minerality is felt. Despite the age of almost 7 years, this wine is still in full form for at least ten years. The winery places this wine on the market in a limited edition with MPC of 400-500 kuna. Palihnić's cooperation with 165 subcontractors functions as a good extended family production.
Photos: Marko Čolić
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