Taste the delicious wines produced on the dreamy, moonlike landscape of Pag.
Croatian vineyards offer an amazing array of quality wines under very affordable prices, so it’s no wonder that wine-aficionados all over the world consider the country a mecca for enotourism. If you’re thinking of going on wine tours in Croatia, definitely don’t miss going to the island of Pag. Besides the unique underwater wine cellar, the island also has wineries (located above surface!) where you can taste premium Croatian wines.
How much is wine in Croatia
First of all, you might be thinking, “okay, wine tours sound nice, but how much is a bottle of wine in Croatia?”. Some of the most popular Croatian wines are plavac mali, malvazija and graševina, and premium bottles of those wines can be bought for less than 20 euros.
If you want to try the wine in smaller quantities before buying a bottle, enjoy a glass or two in the restaurant Mali raj in camp Šimuni, which offers various wines of excellent quality.
Wines of the island of Pag
Wines of the island of Pag is the literal translation of the name Vina otoka Paga, a winery famous for cultivating the gegić grape, an old variety from the island. You can try the traditional Croatian wine in the tasting room of the winery, which also offers other traditional Pag products such as salt and cheeses.
Boškinac wine
The restaurant, hotel and winery Boškinac is the ultimate destination for both foodies and wine lovers. They have an old family tradition of wine production, and the winery is now famous for some of the finest wines in Croatia (including gegić). You can taste the top quality wines in the konoba of the Boškinac winery, paired with Pag cheese, anchovies and other specialities. You need an appointment for wine tasting, and the prices range from 13 to 56 euros, depending on the number of wines tasted.
Royal treatment
Although they’re not located on the island, we have to mention the Royal vineyards near Petrčane. One of the most famous vineyards in Croatia is so close to Pag that it would be a shame to miss it!
The name “royal” comes from the history of the vineyards, which begins when Croatian king Petar Krešimir the 4th gave the land to the Benedictine monastery of St. Mary in 1066. One of the nuns decided to turn it into a vineyard, and the wine growing tradition continued till present day, fruitful thanks to the unique microclimate that combines the effects of the Adriatic Sea and Velebit mountain.
They cultivate only five varieties of grape: pošip, plavac mali, crljenak, rose scuro and muškat. If you want to drop by for a free wine tasting during your travels, you can do so unannounced every day from 11 AM to 4 PM.
The unique soil of the island of Pag might seem harsh, but the grapes cultivated there taste even sweeter because of the passion needed to grow them. Visit the moonlike island on the Adriatic and enjoy your glass of wine while overlooking the gorgeous sapphire sea.