Dingač

Dingač is a wine region on the Pelješac peninsula in Dalmatia, Croatia. It is one of the most respected areas for red wine made from the native plavac mali grape, and it was the first protected wine region in Croatia.

History

The area lies on the southwestern slope of the Zabrada mountains, between the small villages of Trstenik and Podobuče. Its soil is very rugged karst with little topsoil, and vines are planted from sea level up to about 300 metres, on slopes close to 45 degrees.

The region was established in 1961 and became the first protected wine region in Croatia. Wines that qualify for its geographic origin stamp must meet a series of strict requirements, and wines from the area can reach more than 17.6% alcohol.

The zone was hard to reach. Around 1973, winemakers paid for a one-lane tunnel at Potomje so grapes could be moved directly out of the vineyards, replacing the old method of donkeys carrying harvested grapes over a pass about 400 metres high. Today a small rural road runs the length of the region.

Culture

For fans of Croatian red wine, Dingač is above all a name to look for. Its reputation rests on plavac mali, a native variety that gives powerful, structured, high-alcohol wines. Grown on steep slopes that receive around 2800 hours of sunshine a year, on poor stony soils, the grape is considered ideally suited to red wine in the area.

The region shares its peninsula and landscape with neighbouring Postup, with which it has very similar features. Notable producers include Matuško, Matković, Bura-Mokalo, Miloš, Kiridžija, Benmosché, Indijan and Bartulović, among others.