Plavac Mali

Plavac Mali, a cross between ancestral Zinfandel and Dobričić grapes, is the primary red wine grape grown along the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. The name refers to the small blue grapes that the vines produce: in Croatian plavo means blue and plavac refers to 'what is blue'; mali means small. Plavac Mali is known for producing wines that are rich in flavor and high in both alcohol and tannins. Common flavors and aromas include blackberries, dark cherries, pepper, and spices. Croatian wines from this grape include the reds Dingač and Postup (both localities on Pelješac peninsula), Ivan Dolac and Sveta Nedilja (Hvar island), Bolski plavac (Brač island) and the rosé Opolo (a vinification style).

History

A bottle of Plavac

In the 1980s, Plavac Mali was thought to be an ancestor of Zinfandel. In 1998, while researching the origins of Zinfandel through DNA fingerprinting, Dr. Carole Meredith at UC Davis with researchers from the University of Zagreb discovered that Zinfandel (known as Crljenak Kaštelanski in Croatia) is actually one parent of Plavac Mali.^[1] The other parent is an ancient variety known as Dobričić from the island of Šolta.

References

1. ^ Meredith, Carole, "Looking for Zinfandel in Croatia", Zinfandel Express, January 2002.

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