80 Wine Labels on a Croatian Island: Soul Kitchen's Wine Story
Soul Kitchen carries one of the best wine lists on Hvar island - 80 labels spanning Dalmatian indigenous varieties and international classics. A guide to Croatian wine on Hvar for serious wine drinkers.
Hvar produces wine. It has done so for 2,400 years, since Greek settlers from the island of Paros planted vines on the limestone slopes above the sea. The island's indigenous grape, Plavac Mali, grows on some of the steepest and most challenging terroir in Europe. At Soul Kitchen, we think the wine list should reflect that history. Eighty labels. Mostly Croatian. All chosen deliberately.
Why Croatian wine deserves your attention
Croatian wine has spent decades being overlooked by international critics who were focused elsewhere. That is changing. The indigenous grape varieties - Plavac Mali, Pošip, Grk, Bogdanuša, Debit - are being rediscovered by serious wine drinkers looking for something outside the standard canon. They offer flavour profiles you will not find in Burgundy or Napa: the mineral salinity of Adriatic-facing vineyards, the garrigue aromatics of limestone-rooted vines, and in the best examples, genuine complexity at a price point that still feels reasonable.
The best wine in Hvar comes from estates you may not recognise. We are happy to introduce you to them.
What's on the list
The Soul Kitchen wine list is built around Dalmatian producers, supplemented by international labels where we feel they add something the domestic selection cannot match. Key categories:
- Plavac Mali - the flagship Dalmatian red. Dense, tannic, cherry-and-tobacco flavoured. Our selection spans three different producers and terroirs, from the Pelješac peninsula to the island vineyards.
- Pošip - the white grape of Korčula, increasingly planted on Hvar. Textured, slightly oxidative, excellent with seafood.
- Bogdanuša - indigenous to Hvar island itself. Light, floral, low-alcohol. The white wine to drink with raw fish and a view of the harbour.
- Prošek - Dalmatian sweet wine, made from dried grapes. Not the same as Prosecco; far more complex. Served by the glass as a dessert pairing.
- International selection - French Burgundy and Rhône Valley, Italian Barolo and Friulian whites, and a short list of New World bottles for guests who prefer familiar ground.
Wine by the glass at a wine restaurant in Hvar
We offer a rotating by-the-glass selection of eight to twelve wines at any given time. The selection changes with the season and with what we are currently most excited about. If you are unsure what to drink with your food, ask. Our team can pair by dish, by preference, or simply by whatever we opened most recently that turned out to be exceptional.
For serious wine drinkers visiting Hvar
If wine is a significant part of why you are travelling, contact us before your visit. We can arrange a dedicated tasting menu pairing, suggest producers whose cellars are open for visits in the area, and put together a wine-focused evening that goes deeper than the standard restaurant experience. Hvar is a wine island. We think that warrants more than a standard list.
Written from the kitchen at Soul Kitchen, Hvar.