Ferries & catamarans2026 timetables Water taxiairports & islands Rent a boatboats for a day Boat toursBlue Cave & island hopping
Two glasses of white wine with the Dalmatian coast behind
Wine guide · 43°10′N · 16°26′EBy the hvar.com team · Updated September 2026

Hvar wine, grape by grape

Hvar has been making wine for more than 2,400 years, on two landscapes that could hardly be more different: a sheer south coast of limestone terraces, and a flat Greek field that is still divided the way it was in the 4th century BC. This is what grows where, what it tastes like, and who makes it.

Destination
Whole islandHvar townStari GradJelsaSveta NedjeljaVrboskaZavalaBrusjeBogomoljeDolDubovicaGdinjGromin DolacHumacIvan DolacMalo GrabljeMilnaPitvePoljicaRudinaSelca (Bogomolje)Selca (Stari Grad)SucurajSvirceVelo GrabljeVrbanjVrisnikZaraceZastrazisce
Type
All typesHotelsApartmentsVillasHoliday homesHostelsAgrotourism & farm stay
Check-in
Check-out
Guests
24681012+
No. 01

2,400 years of vines

before you pour
Oldest vineyardsStari Grad Plain, planted by Greek settlers from Paros in the 4th century BC
UNESCOWorld Heritage Site since 2008
Still grown thereGrapes and olives, on the original Greek field grid
Main redPlavac mali, on the south slope
Island whitesBogdanuša, prč, pošip, darnekuša (red), kuč
Cellars to visit17 on the island, see them all

When Greeks from the island of Paros founded Pharos, today’s Stari Grad, they divided the plain behind the town into long rectangular plots bounded by dry-stone walls. That grid, the chora, is still there, still farmed, and still mostly vines and olives. UNESCO listed it in 2008 as one of the best-preserved ancient field systems in the Mediterranean.

Wine has never stopped since. It shaped the island’s villages, its trade and its history, more on that in our history of Hvar.

Stari Grad stone square
No. 02

Two landscapes, two kinds of wine

The south slope runs from Milna through Sveta Nedjelja and Jagodna to Zavala and Ivan Dolac. Vines are planted on terraces cut into bare limestone, on gradients of 40% and more, with a thin layer of soil and the sea directly below. Yields are tiny and the grapes ripen hard. This is where Hvar’s serious plavac mali comes from.

The Stari Grad Plain, between Stari Grad and Jelsa, is the opposite: flat, sheltered, with deep and moist soil. It suits white grapes, above all bogdanuša, which is grown almost nowhere else, and the soft red darnekuša.

Most cellars you can visit sit on one side or the other: the south coast around Sveta Nedjelja, or the villages around Jelsa, Vrboska and Svirče.

Wineries by village →
Hvar south side vineyard slope
No. 03

Plavac mali, the red of the south slope

red

Croatia’s great native red, and on Hvar the grape of the steep south coast. It is a natural cross of crljenak kaštelanski, the same vine as Zinfandel, and dobričić from the island of Šolta, which DNA testing at UC Davis confirmed in 1998.

Expect a dark, powerful, tannic wine, usually 13 to 16% alcohol and sometimes more, with dried figs, carob, dark cherries and pepper. Oak-aged versions add chocolate and vanilla.

Who makes it: Zlatan Otok, Matijević, Toni Bojanić, Colnago, Tomić, Duboković, Carić, Pinjata, Nikola Matković, PZ Svirče, Plančić, Pavičić, Ventus, Ahearne Vino, Lacman, Vujnović, Luviji.

The full plavac mali guide →
Dark grapes among leaves
No. 04

Bogdanuša, Hvar’s own white

white · native

The white grape that belongs to Hvar alone. Its name means “given by God”: it was the wine drunk at religious feasts. It needs the deep, fertile, moist soil of the Stari Grad Plain, which is why it is hardly grown anywhere else.

Golden-yellow, dry and fresh, with citrus notes and moderate alcohol from around 12%. It is the natural partner for white fish, shellfish and risotto.

Who makes it: Zlatan Otok, Matijević, Toni Bojanić, Tomić, Duboković, Carić, Pinjata, Nikola Matković, PZ Svirče, Plančić, Pavičić, Ahearne Vino, Lacman.

The full bogdanuša guide →
White grape bunch sunlit
No. 05

Pošip, the Dalmatian white

white

A Dalmatian white that has spread from Korčula to most of the islands, Hvar included. Richer and stronger than bogdanuša, usually 13 to 14%, with dried apricot and fig.

Good with white meat, grilled fish and shellfish, and a safe choice if a table is split between red and white drinkers.

Who makes it: Zlatan Otok, Matijević, Toni Bojanić, Colnago, Tomić, Carić, Nikola Matković, PZ Svirče, Pavičić, Ventus, Ahearne Vino, Lacman, Vujnović, Luviji.

The full pošip guide →
White wine on terrace table by sea
No. 06

Prč, the aromatic one

white · native

An old Hvar white, also written parč, with a distinct muscat-like perfume. Golden-yellow and firm, it is made by several of the island’s family cellars, often in blends with bogdanuša.

Try it with white meat, fish and seafood, or on its own as an aperitif.

Who makes it: Toni Bojanić, Duboković, Pinjata, Plančić, Pavičić, Ventus, Lacman, Vujnović.

The full prč guide →
Cutting white grapes
No. 07

Darnekuša, the gentle red

red · native

Grown on Hvar since antiquity, on the Stari Grad Plain and in the uplands around Vor. It is lighter in colour and much softer than plavac mali, with strawberry and ripe cherry.

A red for lighter food: pasta, risotto and vegetable dishes.

Who makes it: Duboković, Carić, Plančić, Ahearne Vino, Lacman.

The full darnekuša guide →
Backlit dark grapes
No. 08

The rare whites, kuč and maraština

Kuč is a traditional local white, grown by few and used mostly in blends. Maraština, also called rukatac, is a Dalmatian white with citrus and stone fruit, good with white fish, veal and hard cheese.

Kuč: Duboković, Carić, Ahearne Vino. Maraština: Duboković, Carić, Ventus, Lacman.

For the widest spread of native Hvar grapes in a single tasting, go to Duboković in Jelsa or Carić in Vrboska.

Kuč guide →Maraština guide →
White grapes gnarled trunk
No. 09

How to taste on Hvar

before you go
Book aheadAlmost every cellar is a family business. Call first; in July and August, a few days ahead.
SeasonMost tasting rooms work through the summer season; outside it, arrange by phone.
Where to baseSveta Nedjelja for the south slope; Jelsa or Vrboska for the rest
By boatZlatan Otok in Sveta Nedjelja has its own marina
Pair it withA morning swim on the north coast, a tasting in the afternoon

The easy way to plan a wine day: a swim in the morning on the calmer north side, a tasting in the afternoon, and dinner in one of the restaurants in Jelsa or Stari Grad. Our things to do on Hvar guide shows how it fits into a longer stay.

All 17 wineries →Where to stay
White wine glasses on barrel
No. 10

Hvar wine, common questions

What wine is Hvar known for?

Plavac mali, the powerful red from the steep south slope, and bogdanuša, a white grape that grows almost only on Hvar’s Stari Grad Plain.

What is the best red wine on Hvar?

The island’s top reds are plavac mali from the south-slope positions between Milna, Sveta Nedjelja, Zavala and Ivan Dolac, where the vines grow on limestone terraces with gradients of 40% and more.

Is plavac mali the same as Zinfandel?

No. Zinfandel, known in Croatia as crljenak kaštelanski, is one of its parents. The other is dobričić from the island of Šolta.

Which grapes are native to Hvar?

Bogdanuša, prč, darnekuša and kuč are old Hvar varieties. Plavac mali, pošip and maraština are Dalmatian grapes widely grown on the island.

Do I need to book a wine tasting on Hvar?

Yes, almost always. Most cellars are small family businesses; call ahead, and in July and August do it a few days in advance.

Where are the wineries on Hvar?

Mainly in two areas: the south coast around Sveta Nedjelja and Jagodna, and the villages around Jelsa, Vrboska, Svirče and Vrbanj on the Stari Grad Plain. See our list of Hvar wineries by village.

Taste it where it grows

17 cellars, from the south-slope terraces to the villages of the Stari Grad Plain, with the grapes each one makes.

Hvar wineries →Villas on Hvar