Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          Hrvoj Baković is a tad tricky to find. It's true that he's in one of the biggest towns on Brač, Supetar, but we were on the lookout for a full winery and instead found his home. He was a little surprised by our tenacity (as were we) but he was very welcoming nonetheless, inviting us in for a little chat.     He's quite a character who worked for many years as a sailor in New Zealand to save some money to start his own winery, before returning back to his homeland. Once there, he bought five hectares of land and worked to build up his winery. He started at something of a disadvantage because while his family has a history of growing grapes, they didn't have a history of making wine.     None of this has held back Hrvoj and he has learned a great deal about the climate of Brač in a short time. He knows what grapes work and what don't. He is one of the few wine makers who has tried other grapes only to fall back on Plavac Mali because the grapes can handle the climate the best. Others varietals grow fine for some time and then just dry up suddenly without warning. His vines are on the south side of the island, getting regular sun as well as the sun which reflects off the water, making for a lot of light on his vines. There is another place this happens and that is in the Dingač region on Pelješac. How does this effect the taste? A great deal as we found out.     And this is why Baković was such a surprise to us. For one, we weren't able to taste his wine on the spot and had to take a bottle of Plavac Murvica 2003 with us for later. Once opened, the aromas were fantastic. There was a sweetness to the nose that reminded us of, yes, that's right, Dingač Plavac Mali. But, his Plavac built upon this with nice plum aromas. The body was a lot of fun and lovable. The oak tones were very subtle and the finish was clean. It's a wine that we highly recommend for eating with red meats. There is a touch of dryness to the finish develops in a way that is perfect. It is an astounding example of how good Plavac Mali can be and how a perfect Plavac should taste.     With some Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon vines coming in to production over the next two years, Hrvoj is one to watch and the reason that so many critics in his homeland rave about his wines.

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          Dol is a small village tucked away in the deep recesses of a small valley of the island of Brač, which explains the name that merely means 'valley' in Croatian. It's a really lovely village that doesn't seem to see a lot of traffic and because it's not near the beach, the look of the town is 100% authentic with no ugly beach apartments. This also explains why there are only 112 people living in a village that once sported a slightly more bustling 750 souls. It is here, nestled in a 130 year old house and wine cellar that Frane Matulić makes his wines.     He started four years previous and is currently pumping out 27,000 liters of wine a year. This is produced from the one hectare that he cultivates and about 20 more that he buys from. There is a wine growing tradition in his family, which has been additionally tempered with a dose of large business acumen working as the general director for Badel 1892, a massive alcohol producer in Croatia that is based in Zagreb. It was only after working there for 25 years that he decided to somewhat retired and start making wine. Of which, he makes several varietals: Plavac Mali, Pošip, Viver (a red), and Vivera (a white).     We started off tasting his 2005 Plavac Mali barrique. It has a nice earthy nose on top of standard Plavac aromas. There are a bit of moist blackberries that carry though under the top aromas of the nose. While the body is a tad acidic at first, it mellows out a great deal with air. The finish cleans up with some nice round buttery tones. Even still, Frane is something of a perfectionist and says that his 2006 vintage will be even stronger because it actually spent less time in the barrels. We could taste the difference the barrels made when we moved to the 2005 Plavac Mali that hadn't been barrel-aged. The lack of oak in this vintage makes it even more drinkable than the barrique. The body is very light and easygoing. The light berries in the nose come through even easier and as Frane showed us, it is quite splendid when blended with the barrique 50-50.     Frane is very interesting fellow who, despite his business background is right at home amongst the grapes. Given his ability to change and grow with his wines, the vintages in the next few years will undoubtedly be sound examples of the fine wine making tradition on Brač that died out for awhile, yet is coming back to some degree.

Over a summer, two travelers drink their way through the wines of Mediterranean Europe          The island of Brač, the third biggest of the 1,184 off the cost of Croatia, and the biggest in the region of Dalmatia, is mostly known for its postcard-perfect beach in the town of Bol. Described by the Croatian Tourist Board brochures as "the most beautiful beach on the Adriatic", the famous Zlatni Rat (Golden Beach in Croatian) owes its fame to its original cone shape and for being one of the very few on the Croatian coast that features sand instead of rocks, pebbles, or the most unfortunate: concrete.     Although currently the economy of Brač is based mostly on beach tourism, historically it has always been famous for its wines, goat cheese, and olive oil (as well as its white stone which, as a side note, it was used to build the White House in DC).     Nowadays the biggest and oldest winery in Brač is PZ Bol, the island's cooperative that now belongs to the Jeruzalem wine company in Zagreb. Founded over a hundred years ago, in 1903, it is located in quite a scenic location right on Bol's harbor overlooking the ships by the shore, just a few minutes away from its famous beaches.     During our brief visit to Bol we didn't get the chance to suntan, but me managed to taste PZ Bol's main wines, their standard quality Plavac Bol and Pošip. They also make table wines made grapes from their cooperants all over Brač's land, but the Plavac is only made of grapes from the Bol and Murvica area.     The Plavac Bol we tasted, from 2004, had the typical aroma of Plavac Mali grapes, but it had a bit stronger nose than others. The body was quite dry with a slight fruitiness to it and a relatively smooth finish.     The Pošip, from 2006 was a pleasant white with a fresh finish to it. The nose had some apricot in it, and the body had a touch of dryness as well as some citrus tones to it.     Overall, it was surprising to find such drinkable wines at very affordable prices in such a touristic location. From the flow of sunbathers that kept leaving the place with piles of bottles, it appears that our opinion was shared.