The island of Hvar claims to be home to the oldest continuously farmed vineyard in the world. Regardless whether that is true, the country has an ancient history of wine production that predates even the Greek colonies on the Dalmatian Coast in the 5th century B.C, and, as is true throughout the old world, Hvar and the Dalmation Coast boast many varieties unique to it. Still recovering from centralized control of agriculture under communism and its focus on quantity over quality, Croatia’s abundance of indigenous grapes and ancient wine culture mean that Croatian wines are some of the best values in the market today. In 1991 Zlatan Otok (golden island) Winery was established by Zlatan Plenković becoming the second private winery in Croatia after the country declared its independence from Yugoslavia, and is now one of the largest private wineries in Croatia. Zlatan’s dedication to traditional winemaking is now continued by his sons, Nikola and Marin and many of you will have fond memories of the Zlatan Otok Pošip we had in the club in December 2020. Organically farmed, the grapes for this wine are vinified separately before blending and the wine takes its name from the port-side restaurant the family owns. Salty and mineral, with white blossoms, early season stone fruit and lemon zest flavors, this medium bodied wine would pair perfectly with grilled chicken or fish, Asian dishes and/or raw seafood.