The New Old World
May / June 2024
DISCOVER STINA WINERY
We are excited to continue our theme of a "Stina" Spring, with three additional wines for you to sample this month from Brač's finest winery.
We invite you to (re)discover the King and Queen of Dalmatia - Plavac Mali and Pošip - plus a unique indigenous / international blend that could become your new summer favourite!
We hope you enjoy!
THE WINEMAKER
Petar Kusić is the epitome of a gentle giant. As bold in stature as the Tribidrag he produces, Petar is humble and charming. An agronomist by training, he is responsible for all production activities at Stina Winery, with a team of oenologists, wine consultants and cellar masters under his watchful eye.
Wine has always been a key presence in life: from his viticulture studies in Zagreb, to his career spent working vineyards across the region, from inland Slavonia, to Istrian Slovenia, to his cherished Dalmatia. In the last decade he has found his true home at Stina, crafting beautiful wines from fields of stone. When not in the vineyards and the cellar, you can find Petar, as we first did, on his daily commute on the Split to Brač ferry.
THE WINERY
Wine making is an ancient tradition on the island of Brač, with deep roots and a long history dating back to when the Greeks introduced the first vines there around the 5th century BC. Dating back to 1903, the winery that is today home to Stina, is believed to be the closest in the world to the actual sea, enabling the workers in the old days to simply roll the barrels directly from land to ship and for the nectar of the gods to set sail to far-away lands and fulfill wine lovers pleasures across the Mediterranean.
As in much of the world, the region was devastated by the phylloxera plague that struck in the late 19th century, and it was only in 2009 that production of wine in Brač was revived with the arrival of Jako Andabak and the birth of Stina.
Stina's vineyards on the island are in the most extreme locations. It is difficult to understand how the vines were first planted, let alone lovingly maintained and harvested. In places the gradient reaches 70% with vines planted at up to 500m above sea level. We were fortunate to tour these vineyards a few years ago - a truly extraordinary experience, and not for the faint of heart (the ride up to the top is precarious to say the least!).
In addition to the flagship Dalmatian varieties of Pošip and Plavac Mali, the island also possesses prime growing locations for the rare, sophisticated Vugava, and the big and bold Tribidrag, which is going through somewhat of a renaissance in Dalmatia since DNA profiling confirmed it to be the original Zinfandel.
Vines are planted on crushed stone in vineyards at altitude with strong exposure to the wind and the sun. Yields are very low, and quality extremely high. The resulting wines have a strong structure, good acidity and extreme minerality. These are wines that rapidly transport you to the Adriatic coast.
THE WINES
Stina wines are inspired by stone and the magic and inspiration that can come from stone, be it art, or be it wine. The pure white labelling - representing stone as a canvas - that you saw in last months selection has, for these 3 wines, been adorned with artistic touches.
We hope that the art inspires you and the wines delight you.
STINA CUVÉE WHITE
JOS'S TAKE
The fruit intense and distinctly saline pošip shines through as the dominant grape in the blend, with vugava and chardonnay definitely playing their role to round out a patio perfect sipper.
Despite being their entry level white, Stina's mark of quality and distinctiveness shines brightly. The best vintage I've tasted of this cuvée to date. Catch it while you can at Vintages.
STINA CUVÉE WHITE
Stina's Pošip, Vugava and Chardonnay grapes are grown on stony vineyards on the island of Brač.
Grapes are handpicked in the early morning hours, cooled before pressing, and pressing occurs without any contact with oxygen. Controlled fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks.
THE BLEND
This bright cuvée embraces both the indigenous and the international, consisting of 70% Pošip, 20% Vugava, and 10% chardonnay.
It has an intense fruitiness, complexity and creaminess in the texture, good acidity and great length. Full of flavour, character and freshness.
TASTING NOTES
Stina's Cuvée White was a new Vintages release in early March, which caught the attention of the Wine Align critics, John Szabo, MS, in particular, who selected it as his "If I could buy only one..." of all the wines released by Vintages that week.
"My only one this week takes us to the beautiful Dalmatian coast in Croatia, and specifically the island of Brac: Stina Cuvée White 2022, PDO Central and South Dalmatia. I had a very memorable visit to Stina a couple of years ago, a leading figure in the export renaissance of Croatian wine, and saw first hand their spectacularly steep and stony vineyards (Stina means stone in Croatian), and tasted through their excellent range. The ‘Cuvée White’ is the impressive entry point, in 2022 a blend of locals posip, 70%, and 20% vugava, with the remainder in chardonnay to wedge the door open a smidge for foreign consumers. It’s crafted in a clean and fruity, stainless steel style, with the quasi tropical fruit perfume of posip joining the viognier-like florality of vugava on an attractively mid-weight and fresh, lively frame. Really quite a lovely bottle all in all, ready to enjoy or hold short term." John Szabo, MS (90 pts)
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
Chill well, to 10 - 12°C.
PAIRING RECOMMENDATIONS
Seafood, pasta, sushi, grilled fish, pork and salads.
STINA POŠIP
JOS'S TAKE
Chablis on steroids. Need I say more?
STINA pošip
The grapes are harvested by hand, cooled prior to vinification and protected from oxygenation throughout. Two-thirds of the grapes are gently pressed; the remaining third is left to macerate on the skins for six hours.
The fermentation is in stainless steel tanks. Natural selected yeast. Aged on lees in stainless steel for up to 6 months.
pošip
100% Pošip, Dalmatia's flagship white.
Indigenous to the island of neighbouring Korčula, pošip is a very adaptable and terroir driven grape that produces full bodied yet fresh whites.
Wines are medium to full bodied, rich and yet fresh, with herbal, mineral and saline notes - a perfect companion to seafood.
TASTING NOTES
"A classic, saline, salty, ripe citrus-lemon-inflected posip from the island of Brac, complex and compelling, so stony, like licking an oyster shell, with superb length. Really quite magical stuff." John Szabo, MS - 2018 Vintage (93 pts).
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
10 - 12 ° C
PAIRING RECOMMENDATIONS
Oysters all they way.
STINA PLAVAC MALI MAJSTOR
JOS'S TAKE
One of the mantras of Stina is that "it takes an artist to create wine from a field of stones".
I invite you to take a moment to admire the labelling of this month's selection, and in particular this bottle. The creative process is revealed in the below video for the curious amongst you!
Back to the wine ... A classic, earthy, robust old world red from the hot mediterranean climate that is the southern Adriatic. The chalky tannins transport me back to the island of Brač and the awe-inspiring crushed stone vineyards where this grape thrives.
Fire up the barbecue with your favourite cut, and sit back and enjoy ...
STINA MAJSTOR
Grown on almost impossibly steep vineyards, the grapes are harvested by hand. Maceration of grapes lasts from two to three weeks.
The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation, prior to aging in used French barriques for 8-10 months.
The wine is aged for a further 6 months in the bottle prior to release to the market.
PLAVAC MALI
100% Plavac Mali.
An ancient variety, it is the most widely planted red grape in Croatia. It thrives in mainland Dalmatia, the Pelješac peninsula, & the islands of Brač & Hvar.
Plavac Mali wines are full bodied, hearty and opulent, with ripe notes of fig, plum and spice, pairing well with game and red meat dishes.
TASTING NOTES
"Typically earthy, scorched fruit-flavoured plavac mali, bold, firm, very extracted and structured, from Stina's stunning vineyards anchored in the stark white limestone rocks of Brac Island. This is indeed a real stone-lovers wine, unabashedly mineral despite ample fruit and generous alcohol (14.5% declared). For me it's mostly about the chalky tannic structure and surprising natural acids - I can't say it's an easy wine with wide appeal, but rather more gruff, honest, with natural character and strong personality. Great length, too; a premium wine to be sure, best 2022-2030, with roasted, salty-fatty protein." John Szabo, MS - 2016 Vintage - (93 pts)
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
16 - 18 ° C. Decant an hour before consumption.
PAIRING RECOMMENDATIONS
An ideal partner for roasted red meats and strong cheeses.