Pošip
The style profiled here is a dry, full-bodied white Pošip wine: full, ripe, apricot, almond. Typical alcohol is 13 to 14.5%. Serve it at 9 to 11 °C.
The grape
Pošip is a white grape from the Croatian island of Korčula, and its origin is unusually well documented for a Mediterranean variety. It was found as a chance seedling in the village of Smokvica in the nineteenth century, and it was propagated from there. In 1967 it became one of the first Croatian white wines to receive protected status.
Its two home villages, Smokvica and Čara, sit on a limestone plateau in the middle of the island, and the wine from there is the benchmark. It has since spread to the mainland coast and to the Pelješac peninsula, and it is now one of the most planted whites in Dalmatia, because it is one of the few local varieties that makes a wine of real body.
The style is fuller than most people expect from a hot coastal island: medium to full bodied, moderate in acidity, with dried apricot, fig, citrus peel and a faint bitter almond note on the finish. It can carry oak and lees work, and the best bottlings hold five years, but the fresh unoaked version is what the island drinks.
BuyingLook for Smokvica or Čara on the label if you want the classic version. Serve it cold, but not straight from the fridge, because the aromatics need a little warmth.
Style profile
Our rating of a representative wine- Sweetness
- Bone dry
- Body
- Full
- Tannin
- Very low
- Acidity
- Medium
Sweetness and structure vary with the producer, region and winemaking. These ratings describe the style above; check the label for the bottle in front of you.
Food pairings
Where it grows
- Notable regions
- DalmatiaCroatia
- Hot climate
- Apricot, peach, citrus
Explore its wine regions
Countries that build on it
Similar grapes
Sources
- Facts: Wikipedia, Pošip (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata Q832738 (CC0).
- Variety record: Vitis International Variety Catalogue, VIVC 16018.
- Style profile, pairings and serving figures are our own assessment.