The Pelješac Peninsula extends sixty kilometres into the Adriatic like a long, thin hand, its spine of limestone mountains dropping on both sides to vineyards that face the sea. This is where Dingač and Postup are produced — two of Croatia’s most serious red wines, both made from the Plavac Mali grape, both grown on slopes so steep that mechanical harvesting is impossible.
The international wine world has been slow to engage with Croatian red wine, which has suited Pelješac’s producers perfectly. The wines remain priced for locals and for the visitors who make the effort to find them. The effort is not considerable if you have the right directions.
The Dingač Slopes
The Dingač growing zone faces south-southwest at an angle of approximately 45 degrees, directly above the sea. In summer, the vines receive reflected heat from the water as well as direct sun — an intensity that produces wines of exceptional concentration and structure. The harvest is done entirely by hand, the grapes carried up the slope in baskets.
The family that we work with has farmed this land for six generations. The patriarch — a man of approximately seventy, with the particular physical economy of someone who has worked the same steep ground for fifty years — leads the tasting himself, in a stone cellar that has been used for vinification since the early eighteenth century. His English is minimal. The wines require no translation.
Ston: Oysters and the Second-Longest Wall in the World
At the base of the peninsula sits Ston — a small town enclosed by medieval fortifications that, at their original extent, covered nearly five kilometres of wall. The construction began in the fourteenth century and was still ongoing two hundred years later. Today, three kilometres of wall remain walkable, and the views from the highest point encompass the salt pans that have been in continuous operation since before the wall was built.
The oysters of the Mali Ston bay are cultivated in water of exceptional clarity and harvested to order. The restaurant by the water — a single room with perhaps ten tables, operated by the family that owns the oyster beds — is one of the best seafood experiences in the country. We arrange access and a standing reservation for T&T guests.
Korčula from the Peninsula
The crossing from Orebić to Korčula takes seven minutes by ferry and covers perhaps two kilometres of water. From the dock at Orebić, the old town of Korčula is visible in its entirety: a walled city on a narrow peninsula, its towers and cathedral emerging from the sea. The arrival is best made at dusk. We time it accordingly.
