Innovation and experimentation are alive and well in Dalmatia—here are 4 new Dalmatian wines from the recent Vino Dalmacije festival in Split. In addition to a new sparkler from an unusual grape variety, there are three red wines that offer a lighter summer alternative to the Dalmatian super-grape, Plavac Mali.
Ante Sladić Debit 2019 Mediterranean Method sparkling
Ante Sladić has revived the historic, sparkling style of Debit using a twist on the traditional method of making sparkling wines. Normally in a hot climate, grapes destined for sparkling wine are picked early to keep acidity high and sugars low. Instead, Sladić picks ripe, flavorful fruit with Debit’s naturally high acidity. He manages the sugar by chilling the first fermentation to stop it before it is done, then starting the second fermentation in bottle using the remaining sugar from the first. In this way, alcohol stays low. The dosage is simply still wine, without sugar. The resulting wine is intensely flavorful, highlighting the fruit more than would a typically made sparkling wine.
Baraka Babić Primošten 2021
A new Babić from Baraka, in addition to their Šibenik regional bottling. The fruit comes from inland vineyards at about 220 meters elevation, with vines 30, 40 and 60-80 years old. This is a light-style Babić in spite of its 14.5 percent alcohol, with an herbaceous filigree over tart red cherries. “I don’t like to extract too much from it—maybe more infusion than extraction,” says Filip Baraka. It is a good example of Dalmatian winemakers filling a gap in the market for elegant, food-friendly reds (see also the two below).
Kairos Plamen 2024
Plamen is natural-leaning cuvee of Plavac Mali, Merlot, Syrah (a dash of Babić) from Kairos’s organic vineyards in Plano. It is the first Kairos wine to carry the values of its eco vineyards into the winery, and the first Kairos collaboration with Vinas Mora in Primošten, where the wine was made. The name itself combines Plano and Kaamen (the name of Vinas Mora’s wines). Natural wine lovers will recognize this wine’s vividly bright acidity, delicate fruitiness and lighter weight on the palate. For drinkers of conventional wines, it’s a revelation.
Testament Lasina 2021
Technically, this wine was released mid-2025, but heading straight into the summer season it was a quiet debut. A debut of both wine and vineyard, as it turns out: this is the first wine made from Testament’s new Lasina vineyards. A very light-hued ruby with elegant red cherry flavors and a structural rigor from the reclaimed karst terrain, it is a wine that underscores the oft-cited similarity of Lasina to Pinot Noir. This is a summer red, a food wine, with high acidity and light body. The label represents an old Dalmatian method of shrimp fishing: dangle immortelle branches in the sea, wait for shrimp to shelter among them, pull up branches and shrimp.