Wine pre-dating the ancient Greeks in a remote Croatian island
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Arushi Sakhuja
- 5 minutes read
Arushi Sakhuja
If you’re a wine lover travelling to Croatia, listen up! You can find wineries across the world, but if you’re seeking a unique adventure, you’ll have to hop on a boat for an unusual wine-tasting experience, at the underground Croatian cave — Cliffbase wine cellar. Located off the coast of mainland Croatia is the island of Hvar, an idyllic location in the Adriatic Sea, that boasts a wine scene pre-dating the arrival of the Ancient Greeks.
This underground Croatian Cave is accessible only by a speedboat and the locally available red wine, Plavac Mali — which is known for its peppery and smoky flavour profile and grown directly above the cave — makes the experience a once-in-a-lifetime one.
Miro Plavac is the one who discovered and bought the vineyard 15 years ago. He stumbled upon the location as a passionate climber and fell in love with the island’s beauty. With this desire, he decided to buy a vineyard and produce his own wine. Miro offers quite an extraordinary tasting location, set in a cave on the southern shores of Hvar, accessible only by a speedboat making it one of the true authentic hidden gems of the island.
The beauty of this experience is the way the cellar is built. Its intimate experience in an exotic location makes it very memorable. Built over a span of five years, it is located inside an old limestone chasm next to the sea. A marvellous entrance leads you down a few winding stairs — which are softly lit — and into a beautiful tasting room. Its doorway is covered in vines with the backdrop of the azure waters as the perfect touch.
Cliffbase explains on its website that the wines are exclusive to this region, the vineyards are unlike any other in the world, and the wine is produced in a natural, organic way. ” There are no herbicides, insecticides, or fungicides. Irrigation is not required for production. It truly is a pure, pristine wine. The wine is grown and matured on the steep, dry slopes of the south-facing hillside of Hvar island.” Situated just below majestic limestone towers, the vineyards are exposed to direct sunlight and sea reflection, which influences the wine for remarkable taste.
