Carić

About

The island of Hvar is home to a rich winemaking history and mix of indigenous grapes, thanks to its location in the center of the Adriatic sea as an important stop on trade routes throughout Mediterranean history. Dating back to the 4th century to the ancient Greeks, Hvar has maintained a culture of winegrowing that has perpetuated to modern times, where the Carić family looks to follow in the footsteps of the island’s history.

Ivo Carić founded the winery in 1993, in the small village of Svirče in the heart of the island. Joined in 2011 by his wife Ivana, and nephew Ljubo, today they all work together running the small island winery. Ivana remains very active in the Hvar winemaking community, serving as the president of the Hvar Winemakers Association for 12 years, and spearheading the Viticulture Collection in Pitve, illuminating the rich history of the islands winemaking.

One of the most exciting elements of the Čarić's winery is their balanced representation of Hvar’s tremendous biodiversity and variety of indigenous grapes, including Bogdanuša, Prč, Pošip, Plavac Mali, Darnekuša, and Kuč. Carić’s vineyards are scattered across the island to express the diversity of the terrain and soil conditions in their wines, ranging from the historic Stari Grad plain to sandy hills and the rocky steep slopes overlooking the Adriatic.

The Stari Grad plain is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, where agricultural production has been carried out continuously since the time of the first Greek colonizers. Most of the vineyards in the area are planted with white grapes, such as the Hvar native Bogdanuša, and Pošip, that offer lighter and fresher wines, with longer minerality. There are also sandy soil vineyards in the middle of the island, best for Plavac Mali, as well as Hvar ‘beaches’ (Hvarske plaže) located on the southern parts of the island, where vineyards grow on steep slopes, rocky soil, and tremendous exposure to the sun and winds. Here Plavac Mali is found with great strength and concentration, as well as the rare indigenous grape, Darnekuša, found at higher altitudes.

Hvar's winemaking story is one of the oldest in the Mediterranean, but in the eyes of most of the world, it is just beginning. The Carić family, with their ability to capture a full range of the island’s viticultural diversity, are perfect ambassadors to share these captivating island  wines, with a global audience finally ready to listen.