Srednja i Južna Dalmacija

Croatia · PDO · Primorska Hrvatska

Styles

Natural factors

Soils developed predominantly on limestone and dolomite; terra rossa (crvenica), brown soils over limestone, and brown soils over flysch predominate.
Terraces on flysch and Quaternary gravels are particularly important for viticulture; terraces on Cretaceous limestone have a higher skeletal fraction.
Dry, warm summers with low rainfall during the growing season (~300 mm) favour late harvests and the production of dessert wines.
Deep alluvial soils have developed in karst poljes, ranging in texture from clay loam to sandy loam, with variable lime content.

Human factors

Viticulture in Dalmatia experienced a major boom in the mid-nineteenth century; the first wine-growing cooperatives were founded in 1903 in Bol on Brač.
Plavac mali crni is trained to short canes and low crop loads exclusively on lean sites with a south- to south-west-facing aspect, a centuries-old local practice.

Product characteristics

Red wines of Srednja i Južna Dalmacija: garnet-red colour, high alcoholic strength, full extract, tannins of varying ripeness, and aromatic complexity.
Pošip bijeli yields a wine of deep golden-yellow colour, high alcohol, full and distinctive palate, and a markedly characteristic aroma.

Terroir / wine link

A Mediterranean climate (>2,000 °C of active temperature sum) with little summer rainfall shapes wines that are high in alcohol and extract with soft acidity.
Dry, warm autumns favour late harvests of overripe grapes for dessert wines (minimum 90 °Oe, sugar 28–32%).
Fertile flysch soils and sun-exposed hillside sites close to the sea are particularly well suited to the Plavac mali crni variety.
The acidity profile of the wines is dominated by tartaric acid; malic acid is present in small amounts, and high day and night temperatures accelerate acid degradation during ripening.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.