Babić is a native Croatian

red wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple grap ...

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

common to the Northern Dalmatia region. Typically grown in and around the towns of

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

and

Primošten Primošten (; it, Capocesto) is a village and municipality in Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia. It is situated in the south, between the cities of Šibenik and Trogir, on the Adriatic coast. Demographics The total population of the municipality is 2 ...

, it can also be found on some Croatian islands such as

Korčula Korčula (, it, Curzola) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after K ...

. While officially listed as a National Cultivar in Croatia (NN 159/04), the name of this grape is also a common Croatian family name.

History

Like many grapes in Croatia, the

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

behind Babić is largely unknown other than the fact it has been actively grown in the Northern Dalmatian region for hundreds of years. One theory is that it is a localized clone of

Dobričić Dobričić is an ancient red wine grape variety from the island of Šolta off the Dalmatian coast in Croatia. Some areas still grow Dobričić – many vineyards were left to grow wild following World War II. Ancestry It is one parent of the ...

. Another suggests that it is connected to Dobričić via a parent/offspring relationship. Until more genetic testing has concluded, it will not be known for certain.

Characteristics

The wine produced from this grape is dark and thick. It typically has a high degree of

tannins Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', f ...

as well as alcohol. Higher-end versions of the grape are thought to be able to age well."Babić"
, ''Mali podrum'' Wines that are typically considered to be of the highest ''vrhunsko'' grade are made from the grapes that grow on the historic stone terraces that surround Primošten.

Synonyms

Given the far-flung spread of this grape along the coast of Croatia, a great number of synonyms have arisen, including Babic Crni, Babic Mali, Babic Pivati, Babic Pluskavi, Babic Veliki, Babica, Babica Crni, Babica Gresljivka Crni, Babica Mala, Babica Vela, Babica Velika, Babicevic, Babicevica, Babinka Vela, Babić, Babičević, Babytch, Crnac Rani, Grastavac, Gresljivka, Pazanin, Pažanin, Rogoznicanin, Roguljanac, Roguljanak, Sibencanac, and Šibenčanac.

History

Characteristics

Synonyms

References

Further reading