Maraština (Rukatac, Maraškin, Mareština, Krizol, Višana) is an indigenous white grape variety from the

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

n coast, recommended for all Dalmatian sub-regions, and the Croatian Coast, except Istria. On the island of Cres, it is known as krizol, and in other parts of Dalmatia it is known as rukatac. As it is widely grown, other local names exist, for example đurđevina, kačebelić, kače-debić, kukuruz, mareština, and marinkuša. DNA analysis has shown that maraština is closely related to the Italian variety Malvasia del Chianti. Croatian dessert wine prošek also uses this grape.

Production

Maraština is a variety of grape abundant and easy to cultivate. It can be found throughout the Mediterranean, including most of the Croatian coast (except for

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...

). In the south of

is called Rukatac; on Cres Island is Krizol; Višana, Malvasia del Chianti, Malvasia Bianca Lunga in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, Pavlos in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Only recently it was shown that Maraština is genetically the same as all those other varieties from the Mediterranean. Some experts believe that it was originated in Dalmatia and spread due to its features and quality. Maraština can be found in the south of Croatia on the island of

Hvar Hvar (; Chakavian: ''Hvor'' or ''For''; ; ; ) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis (island), Vis and Korčula. Approximately long, with a high east–west ridge of M ...

Korčula Korčula () 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 Krk. The populat ...

, peninsula

Pelješac Pelješac (; Chakavian: ; ) is a peninsula in southern Dalmatia in Croatia. The peninsula is part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and is the second largest peninsula in Croatia. From the isthmus that begins at Ston, to the top of Cape Loviš ...

, and

Konavle Konavle () is a municipality and a small Dalmatian subregion located southeast of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The region is administratively part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the center of the municipality is Cavtat. Demographics The total muni ...

region. The island of

Lastovo Lastovo () is an archipelago municipality in Dubrovnik-Neretva County in Croatia. The municipality consists of 46 islands with a total population of 792 people, of which 94.7% are ethnic Croats, and a land area of approximately . ''Lastovo Munic ...

and

Mljet Mljet () is the southernmost and easternmost of the larger Adriatic islands of the Dalmatia region of Croatia. In the west of the island is the Mljet National Park. Population In the 2011 census, Mljet had a population of 1,088. Ethnic Croats mad ...

count with small Maraština vineyards. The region around

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

is branding its local Maraština.

Features

The grapes give high yields and have a high content of sugar when is grown in an adequate location. Traditionally, it's been used to complement other wine varieties. Because it's fragrant and fruity, it's described as "a female wine". Its color is golden yellow and it's full-bodied with hints of vanilla and quite low alcohol content. The grape is low acid. For that reason, many producers blend it with varieties that have higher acids. Around 10 °C is the preferred temperature for serving. It can be pairing with seafood, salted anchovies, various risottos, or goat cheese.

References

External links

Croatian Institute of Viticulture, Enology and Pomology
Grape varieties of Croatia Dalmatian grape varieties White wine grape varieties {{Wine-grape-stub