Pomalo Debit Pet Nat 2021
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The Debit grape had been stigmatized by locals in the early 20th century but has tremendous potential as a Dalmatian white grape, given it is cultivated halfway between the coastlines and the mountains. This microclimate offers plenty of sunlight for natural ripeness, while also getting cool winds at night to provide acidity.
The whole point of Pomalo is to take it easy and not take things too seriously. So nothing too technical here! This wine is a refreshing, fun, and zesty Pet Nat that captures everything about the pomalo lifestyle on the Dalmatian coast. Pair with fjaka (aka doing nothing).
The true meaning of ”pomalo” is rooted in the coastal and island lifestyle and the general state of mind of the Dalmatians. Americans can use more Pomalo, all the time.
There are so many exciting varietals and terroirs within Croatia, so to capture the pomalo lifestyle in liquid form, we teamed up with the allusive Begovic cousins to produce some of the best natural Hrvatska expressions to bring to the US.
The Begovic cousins are two phenomenal winemakers from starkly different backgrounds - one based in the northeastern mountains of Slovenia, one based on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia — whom discovered their long-lost relation to each other over their mutual family lineage in the village of Kozice, Croatia.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
With viticulture and winemaking dating back to ancient Greek settlers, Croatia today is one of the most successful former Yugoslavia wine producing nations. Stretching along the Adriatic coastline, across the sea from Italy, it has become a hugely popular tourist destination in recent years.
Four distinct geographical Croatian wine regions comprise the country. Dalmatia, the most famous, gained global recognition with the 2002 discovery that its indigenous Crljenak Kaštelanski is actually genetically identical to California’s Zinfandel. At the time there were only nine vines of this Croatian wine variety at Kaštela near Split but in response to this discovery, vineyard acreage is increasing. Crljenak Kaštelanski is also a parent of the indigenous, Plavac Mali (Croatia’s second most planted grape). Dalmatia extends south from Kvarner along the Croatian coast and is the only Croatian wine region where reds dominate. Babić is another red skinned variety grown here; Dalmatian white wine varieties include Grk, Debit, Vugava, Bogdanuša, Gegic, and Maraština.
Istria and Kvarner reach along Croatia’s northern coastline and enjoy a Mediterranean climate. Here Croatia’s third most planted variety, Malvazija Istarska can be found in two main styles: light and fruity or made with extended skin contact and aged in oak. Teran is the main red variety here.
Inland, the Croatian Uplands are the coolest and international white varieties take up most of the vine acreage. Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, Pinot gris and Pinot Noir grow here as well as Hungary’s Furmint, locally called Moslavac
Slavonia and Danube are home to the most important Croatian white wine variety, Graševina (Welschriesling), as well as Traminac (Gewürztraminer) and Frankovka (Blaufränkisch).