Extremely low temperatures at the end of April, followed by a drought, left serious consequences on the yield of grapes on Korčula Island. It was presumed this year would be poor for winemakers, but although yield was reduced by 60 percent, the quality of the grapes is excellent, Slobodna Dalmacija wrote.
The berry of the grape dehydrated and was left with concentrated sugars, minerals, vitamins and all that provides the excellent quality of the future wine.
The Pošip variety, domesticated in Smokvica and Čara towns, suffered the greatest losses, while varieties on sandy soil and southern slopes were less affected by the calamity.
One of them is the indigenous variety Grk whose harvest was again led by Ivan Batistić Zure from Lumbarda village.
“Despite an irrigation system, we have a 35 percent loss on white varieties, white red varieties have no significant losses. But the extreme drought will be remembered as one of the toughest ever,” says Ivan who harvested 20 tonnes of grapes to be turned into 15 thousand litres of wine by his cooperative.
Wines on Korčula are also made by ‘amateurs,’ primarily in order to “know what they’re drinking,” but also to preserve the tradition of island winemaking. One of them is Dinko Šegedin Jube who has been in wine growing and winemaking for twenty years, learning the traditional production methods from his father and grandfather.
“We have vineyards on the southern slopes of Defora near Žrnovo town, in Smrč and Kremenica areas. I took over most of them form my grandfather and father, and I planted several hundred young vines which are already yielding. The love for vines, and the sea, I inherited from my grandfathers Dinko and Jakov,” explained Dinko who also saw drought take a portion of his crop.
But, in his words, there will be enough for personal use and a few gifts, and the quality of what is left is excellent. So despite the smaller yield, this year will not leave a bitter taste in the mouths of winemakers.
They will enjoy a superior quality of wine, and what effect this will have on its price will be known when sales begin.
Translated from Slobodna Dalmacija.
