Šolta is an island just across from Split (there’s a well known Croatian song that says that you can see Šolta from a window in Split). It’s not one of the major tourist go-to places, however it is very popular with the nautical crowd, arriving on their boats, yachts, sailboats or whatever. One of the most popular locations on Šolta is Maslinica, on the western-most part of the island, with the marina and wonderful beaches on small isles and in several bays. In the heart of Maslinica there are several places that a wine lover needs to know about: first and foremost, the wine-bar Fortunato; however there are two restaurants owned by the same owners, Šakajet and Šišmiš (located not in the centre of Maslinica, but rather in the Šešula bay several hundred meters away). All of those establishments are owned by the same couple, Marin and Nataša Ružić, and the reason we are mentioning them together is that they have very similar philosophy, almost the same target audience, and they have the same wine list.
That wine list has around 50 wines on it, and it’s very carefully selected as to include the overview of the best wines in Croatia. The prices for bottles are rather high, but like we said, those are some of the best wines you can buy in Croatia, and not many wines on their list can be had by the glass – a white wine, a red wine, some sparkling wines meant to be had as aperitif, and a prošek. The selection of wines includes wines from all over Croatia, Slavonian white and red wines by Galić, a great selection of mighty plavac mali wines from Pelješac (Korta Katarina, Markus, Stina), other wines from Dalmatia (Korlat syrah, Krolo zinfandel, Gracin babić, local Burica dobričić from the island of Šolta, Intrada and Stina pošip and Birin maraština), few wines from Istria (Meneghetti merlot and Cossetto malvazija).
The food offered at the restaurants is inspired by local ingredients, strongly based on seafood (which is an obvious choice), with modern influences – always fresh, light and imaginative, the type of food that asks for an excellent glass of wine. The staff at the restaurants is well-educated in wine, so will be able to recommend the best possible bottle with your meal, based on your preferences. Restaurant Šišmiš has recently been expanded to have a wine shop, where you can purchase most of the bottles offered in the wine-bar and restaurants Fortunato, Šišmiš and Šakajet.
Wine bar – Fortunato, Put Svetog Nikole 3
Restaurant Šakajet
Restauran Šišmiš – Šešula Bay
21430 Maslinica, Šolta
Phone: +385 98 560 436
http://www.restaurant-sismis-sakajet.com/
