Žlahtina Wine

Žlahtina is a dry white wine grown only in the area around Vrbnik, and the best reason to stop here rather than just pass through. The grape variety is native to Krk Island and produces a light, crisp wine with good acidity and faintly mineral notes that reflect the limestone terroir. It goes well with fish, which is convenient given the location.

Several local producers offer tasting in their cellars in the old town and the village below. The Katunar winery is one of the most established, with a range from basic to premium. Buying a bottle to drink with lunch at one of the old town's small restaurants is the ideal way to spend an afternoon in Vrbnik.

things to do sight
A story
Žlahtina is grown only in the limestone-rich soil of the Vrbnik plain below the old town — the variety does not produce good wine anywhere else. The local co-operative has been pressing it here for over a century, and the current winemakers argue that the combination of the stony soil, the sea breeze from the Kvarner Gulf, and the particular microclimate of the Vrbnik valley creates a wine that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Most visitors agree after the second glass.