Living the Croatian wine country dream: Miloš Stagnum, the first Croatian cult wine

When you have a passion for wine travels in wine country is always an adventure, even on a rainy day. I still remember that early April day when we arrived at Miloš Winery in Ponikva. It was the first winery stop on our Pelješac Peninsula journey, and YES, it was raining. Miloš Winery was the beginning of our wine adventure, which would take us through charming Pelješac Peninsula family-owned vineyards. We chose to begin our Croatian wine adventure on the Pelješac Peninsula, because besides its natural beauty, it is a paradise for oenophiles. Besides, the Pelješac is renowned for its robust red wines, Plavac Mali. 

Miloš Winery © Spaswinefood

Off on a Pelješac Peninsula Wine Adventure

That morning we were picked up in historic center of Dubrovnik and driven to Ston. Ston has a rich history with its stone walls, and salt production. Despite the weather we did a brief walkabout in Ston, and enjoyed a coffee. We loved walking about the village and discovering some of its past history.

Explore the Village, Ston © Spaswinefood

Viewing the Historic Walls, Ston © Spaswinefood

Besides it fascinating history these days Ston is know as an idyllic Adriatic oyster village. Many come to Ston to enjoy oysters.

Oyster Farming, Ston © Spaswinefood

Oyster Farming, Ston © Spaswinefood

It was just short drive from Ston to Ponikva, the home of the Miloš family winery. Miloš is one of the oldest family owned wineries on the Pelješac Peninsula, a sub-region of the South Dalmatia wine region. 

Miloš Winery

We were happy to escaped those April showers, and go inside to a welcoming tasting room.

Tasting Room, Miloš Winery © Spaswinefood

Even the rain did not dampen out spirits. Besides there was a friendly welcome waiting inside. Also, the wine glasses were ready.

Glasses Ready, Miloš Winery © Spaswinefood

Miloš  specializes in producing high quality wines from Plavac Mali, grown in organic vineyards on the manually farmed steep terraced land. We decided on tasting some of their premium wines. This included the following wines:

1. Miloš Winery, Stagnum Rosé

Miloš Winery, Stagnum Rosé © Spaswinefood

Miloš Winery, Stagnum Rosé © Spaswinefood

This is an expressive rosé made from old Plavac Mali vines grown on the slopes of the Peljesac Peninsula. The grapes are hand-harvested and farmed organically. Yes, I have read about the reaction when this rosé was first introduced to market.

2. Miloš Winery, Stalagmit 2022

Miloš Winery, Stalagmit 2022

The Miloš Winery, Stalagmit 2022 is produced from made Rukatac grapes in a dry orange wine style. Maraština is often the name used for (Rukatac, Maraškin, Mareština, Krizol, Višana) however, Rukatac is the commonly used name on the Dalmatian coast. 

3. Miloš Winery, Stagnum 2016

Miloš Winery, Stagnum 2016 © Spaswinefood

Miloš Winery, Stagnum 2016 © Spaswinefood

Even though this was my first time tasting Stagnum wines I knew it was special. I have since discovered that following the end of communism in Croatia, the Milos family was one of the pioneers pushing quality winemaking. They launched one of the first quality wine brands Stagnum, which of course is produced from indigenous Plavac Mali grapes. Influential wine journalist, Hugh Johnson and others, have called Stagnum the first Croatian cult wine.

Yes, I even got to taste a 2003 Stagnum. 

4. Miloš Winery, Stagnum 2003

Miloš Winery, Stagnum 2003 © Spaswinefood

Miloš Winery, Stagnum Wines © Spaswinefood

Critics have rated the 2003 Stagnum wine high, and yes it ages well.

Tasting these Stagnum wines certainly added depth to my rainy day introduction to Croatian wine country. What a great way to kickoff our Peljesac Peninsula wine country adventure!

Miloš also produces awarded extra virgin olive oil and herbal tea. We were introduced to their olive oil during our visit. My understanding is that the Peljesac Peninsula is also known for its olive production.

Miloš Olive Oil © Spaswinefood

So happy that we discovered Miloš Stagnum, the first Croatian cult wine. It was the perfect rainy day escape.

Thank You Miloš Winery © Spaswinefood

Before leaving that day we toured the wine cellar and were given a brief overview of their wine production. My understanding is that their grapes are grown in organically on steep terraced land. After fermentation the wine is aged in 2000 liter Slavonian oak barrels, for a minimum of two to three years before bottling. The overall goal is to produce natural wines with a minimum of intervention.

Wine Cellar, Miloš Winery © Spaswinefood

Barrels for Aging, Miloš Winery © Spaswinefood

Checking Bedrock, Miloš Winery © Spaswinefood

A Closer Look at the Bedrock, Miloš Winery © Spaswinefood

Perhaps a little research on Miloš Winery on my part would have better prepared me for this visit. After all this family winery has a rich history. Grape growing and wine making has been part of the Miloš family, which has lived in Ponikva for 500 years. 

Thank You Miloš Winery © Spaswinefood

YES, that was the day I discovered Miloš Stagnum, the first Croatian cult wine. After visiting Miloš Winery our spring time travels continued through charming family-owned Pelješac Peninsula vineyards. Our wine journey would take us to Matuško Winery, Grgic Winery, and Saints Hills Winery. Checkout the latest Croatian wines available in US at: Croatian Premium Wine Imports. Special thanks to Mirena Bager at Croatian Premium Wine Imports for helping me plan our wine adventure. Also, a big thank you to Miloš Winery for accommodating us on short notice. We were delighted to be introduced to its wine history, and to discover its wines. I invite you to join me in my Croatian wine travels and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon, and at Spaswinefood on Bluesky and  Facebook. I am so looking forward to sharing more on my Croatian vine-filled explorations.

Cheers

Sharon

April 2025

Pelješac Peninsula, Croatia

© Spaswinefood

Ston, Pelješac, Croatia © Spaswinefood

 Pelješac Peninsula, Croatia © Spaswinefood

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I would highly recommend 

Kresimir Pehar, Dubrovnik 4 U Transfers for those who prefer a driver for your wine country travels. 

Living the Croatian wine country dream: Matuško Winery

We began the second day of our Croatian Pelješac Peninsula wine adventure at Matuško Winery.  I was delighted that our spring time journey took us to this charming family-owned winery. Grape growing and wine making has long been a Matuško family tradition, which in 1997 led to the founding of their family winery in Potomje.

Matuško Winery, Potomje © Spaswinefood

While at the winery I did manage to take a picture of early springtime in the vineyard.

Vineyard, Matuško Winery, Potomje © Spaswinefood

While in Potomje we also explored the Dingač appellation. We chose to begin our Croatian wine adventure on the Pelješac Peninsula. This wine region renowned for its robust red wines, particularly the Plavac Mali grape variety. Besides its natural beauty the Pelješac is a paradise for oenophiles. Plavac Mali, the best known Croatian red wine, is the nation's most sought-after red wine. It was the first Croatian grape to have its own appellation, Dingač. 

Sharing Dingač Info, Matuško Winery © Spaswinefood

Matuško Winery is well known for producing high quality wines from the Pelješac Peninsula and the wider Dubrovnik Neretva County native grapes.

During our Matuško Winery visit the hostess took us on a brief tour, including the 3,000m2 wine cellar. We we given an overview of the wine making process and some of the winery's history. After the tour we returned to the tasting room. 

Welcome, Matuško Winery © Spaswinefood

The wine tasting began with the white wines Pošip and Grk.

Intro to Pošip and Grk, Matuško Winery © Spaswinefood

We began with Matuško Pošip.

Time for Pošip, Matuško Winery © Spaswinefood

Matuško Winery, Pošip Primorska Hrvatska 2024

Pošip, Matuško Winery © Spaswinefood

Matuško Winery Pošip, Primorska Hrvatska 2024 © Spaswinefood

CHEERS, Matuško Winery © Spaswinefood

This was my first time tasting Grk wine. Grk Bijeli or Grk, a white grape variety found on Croatia's Korčula island. Since Grk has only female flowers it must be co-planted with another grape variety that has male flowers in order to pollinate. It is most commonly planted with Plavac Mali.

Intro to GRK, Matuško Winery © Spaswinefood

Matuško Winery, GRK Dalmatia 2023

Matuško Winery, GRK Dalmatia 2023 © Spaswinefood

While tasting the wines I loved seeing the Matuško wine display.

Matuško Winery Wines © Spaswinefood

Next, their Plavac Mali wines were introduced. They are known for their Plavac Mali wines, with the grapes coming from Pelješac Peninsula's Dingač and Postup appellations.

Intro to Pelješac's Dingač, Matuško Winery © Spaswinefood

Matuško produces a variety of Plavac Mali wines. We tasted their 2016 Reserva.

Intro to Plavac Mali, Matuško Winery © Spaswinefood

Matuško Winery, Dingač Reserva Barrique 2016 

Matuško Winery, Dingač Reserva Barrique 2016 © Spaswinefood

Matuško Winery, Dingač Reserva Barrique 2016 © Spaswinefood

Plavac Mali Time, Matuško Winery © Spaswinefood

Yes, this Dingač Reserva Barrique 2016 gets great reviews. Perhaps, this is not surprising given the Dingač appellation located on the southwestern facing slope of the Zabrada mountains, between the small villages of Trstenik and Podobuče, is a highly regarded area for growing the Croatian red wine grape, Plavac Mali. Morevover, Matuško is regarded as one of the best producers of Plavac Mali.

Plavac Mali Time, Matuško Winery © Spaswinefood

Matuško Winery also produces Prošek, a dessert wine that is traditionally made in South Dalmatia. It is made using dried wine grapes in the passito method. The indigenous white grape variety Rukatac is used to make this Prošek. Maraština is often the name used for (Rukatac, Maraškin, Mareština, Krizol, Višana) however, Rukatac is the commonly used name on the Dalmatian coast.

Introducing Prošek, Matuško Winery © Spaswinefood

Matuško Winery, Prošek 

Matuško Winery, Prošek © Spaswinefood

Matuško Winery, Prošek © Spaswinefood

We absolutely loved discovering Matuško wines. If you get the opportunity to taste these wines do not pass it up. These are great wines. Besides Matuško growing into a successful winery over the years they are also home to an olive oil mill. Now is the perfect time to plan a Croatian wine country dream. You can checkout the latest Croatian wines available in US at: Croatian Premium Wine Imports. Special thanks to Mirena Bager at Croatian Premium Wine Imports for helping me plan our wine adventure. Also, special thanks to winery staff at Matuško Winery for being such a delight. I invite you to join me in my Croatian wine travels and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon, and at Spaswinefood on Bluesky and  Facebook. I am so looking forward to sharing more on my Croatian vine-filled explorations.

Cheers

Sharon

April 2025

Potomje, Pelješac Peninsula

Croatia

© Spaswinefood

Matuško Winery, Potomje © Spaswinefood

Pelješac, Croatia © Spaswinefood

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I would highly recommend 

Kresimir Pehar, Dubrovnik 4 U Transfers for those who prefer a driver for your wine country travels. 

Living the Croatian wine country dream: Grgić Vina and its Judgement of Paris connection

Croatia's Grgić Vina, Trstenik was an absolute must for me when my wine travels took me to the Peljesac Peninsula. Grgić Vina (winery) was founded in 1996 by Croatian-born Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, his daughter, Violet Grgić and his nephew, Ivo Jeramaz. Long before founding Grgić Vina, Grgich, a renowned winemaker had already established a global reputation. Grgich, was the genius behind California's Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, which triumphed over its esteemed French competitors at the Judgement of Paris in 1976. He then founded Napa Valley's Grgich Hills Estate, and would continue to make significant contributions to the American wine industry. 

Grgić Vina, Trstenik © Spaswinefood

Mike Grgich (April 1, 1923 – December 13, 2023) Croatian-American winemaker was recognized for his contributions to the American wine industry, by being inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's Vintner's Hall of Fame on March 7, 2008. This tribute was made when Grgich celebrated his 50th vintage of winemaking in the Napa Valley. Knowing of Grgich's lifetime contributions to the wine world, and his Croatian roots I was excited to visit Grgić Vina.

Peljesac Peninsula's Grgić Vina is a part of Croatia's wine history. Once the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995) ended Mike returned to Croatia and established a winery. Toether with his daughter, Violet Grgić and his nephew Ivo Jeramaz, Grgić Vina was founded in 1996. In conjunction with this effort he also introduced modern winemaking techniques to the challenging slopes of Pelješac.

Welcome to Grgić Vina, Trstenik

Knowing the above story, I just had to visit Grgić Vina. We were most fortunate to have a wonderful hostess who took us on a brief winery tour, then walked us through the wine tasting. We also learnt about some of the winery's history, and her family's involvement in the winemaking process at Grgić Vina.

Welcome to Grgić Vina, Trstenik © Spaswinefood

Tasting Grgić Vina Wines © Spaswinefood

Given Mike's dedication to the art of winemaking, when he started a winery in Croatia he decided to produce the finest wines from the best known native Dalmatian grapes, Plavac Mali (red wine), and Pošip (white wine). We were fortunate to taste both of the wines at the winery.

1. Grgić Vina, Pošip Croatia 2023

Grgić Vina, Pošip  2023 © Spaswinefood

In the Glass, Grgić Vina, Pošip Croatia 2023 © Spaswinefood

For sure the sea view through the window was beautiful.

Taking in the Views, Grgić Vina © Spaswinefood

April View, Grgić Vina © Spaswinefood

Our hostess next introduced the winery's most celebrated wine, their esteemed Plavac Mali.

Wine Tasting, Grgić Vina © Spaswinefood

Earlier she explained that Plavac Mali undergoes a meticulous two-year process to achieve perfectly harmonized flavors.This process includes a remarkable 15 months of aging in French oak barrels. 

2. Grgić Vina, Plavac Mali Croatia 2021

Grgić Vina, Plavac Mali Croatia 2021 © Spaswinefood

Grgić Vina, Plavac Mali Croatia 2021 © Spaswinefood

During our brief tour I managed to capture a photo some Grgić Vina bottles, I even spotted a Grgich Hills Estate Rosé amongst the bottles.

Bottles & Barrels, Grgić Vina © Spaswinefood

At Grgić Winery, visitors can enjoy wine tastings and tour the winery to explore their winemaking process. For sure it was important to learn about the history and philosophy behind this winery.

Grgić Vina  © Spaswinefood

Entrance Grgić Vina © Spaswinefood

The picturesque surroundings of Trstenik, with its vineyards and coastal beauty, made our visit even more enjoyable.

Landscape near Grgić Vina © Spaswinefood

Viewing the Landscape, Grgić Vina  © Spaswinefood

I could not resist buying a wooden wine box.

Grgić Vina, Wooden Wine Box © Spaswinefood

Of course the box made it back home with some bottles too, and now I can use it to store my Croatian wines.

Storing Grgić Vina Memories © Spaswinefood

Of course, one of the first things I saw as I entered the winery was life-size cardboard cutout of Miljenko “Mike” Grgich.

Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, Grgić Vina © Spaswinefood

The Californian-Croatian Connection

Indeed, Mike Grgich was the winemaker of the iconic Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. Yes, the Chardonnay that upset French wine critics in the 1976 Paris Judgement. Grgich later founded his own Napa Valley winery, Grgich Hills Estate. Throughout his long career he would continue to make significance contributions. 

Grgich Hills Estate, Rutherford, Napa Valley © Spaswinefood

Croatian and American Flags, Grgich Hills Estate © Spaswinefood

One noteworthy contribution was, Grgich was the first to note the similarities between Zinfandel and Plavac Mali wines (the wines he knew from his youth on the Dalmatian Coast). Plavac Mali was first thought to be genetically identical to the Californian widely planted variety Zinfandel. When Grgich employed researchers at UC Davis to explore further the findings were interesting. It turned out that the varieties are not identical, but are genetically linked. In fact the testing revealed that Plavac Mali was the offspring of Zinfandel, with its other parent being Dobricic, an ancient variety native to Croatia. Wine & More credits Mike Grgich, for helping to bring Plavac Mali to international attention. 

Although Grgich, received countless gold medals and many accolades for his California-made-wines, some claim the most meaningful awards to him, were the ones he received for his Croatian Pošip and Plavac Mali wines. All wines made in at Grgić Vina have been judged to be top premium wines.

Thank You Grgić Vina © Spaswinefood

Grgić Vina is a special place in the world of wine. Now, is the perfect time to plan a Croatian wine country visit. Special thanks to Mirena Bager at Croatian Premium Wine Imports for helping me plan our Croatian wine adventure. Also, special thanks to Grgić Vina for the visit. I invite you to join me in my Croatian wine travels and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon, and at Spaswinefood on Bluesky and  Facebook. I am so looking forward to sharing more on my vine-filled explorations in Croatia.

Cheers

Sharon

April 2025

Trstenik, Peljesac Peninsula

Croatia

© Spaswinefood

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Grgić Vina, Trstenik © Spaswinefood

Grgić Vina © Spaswinefood

Pelješac Peninsula, Croatia © Spaswinefood