Along with Plavac and Crljenak (Tribidrag, Zinfandel, Primitivo), Babić is among the most essential native Dalmatian red wine varieties. Traditionally grown in the terraced vineyards of Primošten and in Šibenik county, where it has been present since ancient times, Babić has the potential to produce exceptional wines of the highest quality with a clear and unmistakable touch of astonishingly complex terroir in which it thrives. Stone walls that interwreathe steep Bucavac appellation, spreading down to the crystal clear, deep blue Adriatic Sea, create an illusion of “stone lace” wrapped around vines. These breathtaking vineyards are true “works of art” and the symbol of hard human labor.

The story of Babić

Local people from the stretch from Trogir to Šibenik were aware of a strong connection between the Babić grape and the austere and rugged Primošten vineyards, as since the beginnings of viticulture in this area, Babić was the leading variety (if not sole!) of the Primošten region. 

Grown on poor, karst limestone soils, Babić is a variety that, with good winemaking skills, can produce one of the most balanced and unique red wines from the Dalmatia wine region. With the right winemaking techniques, Babić embodies all the essentials to obtaining a great wine, including perfectly balanced extract, generous acids, tannins, attractive aromas, impressive intensity of taste, and long-lasting flavor. Moreover, Babić is remarkably adaptable to the hot Mediterranean climate, retaining its freshness even during the driest years.

Picture 1. Croatian wine map 

Babić, a genetic cousin to Plavac Mali, showcases the highest quality when cultivated on rocky and sunny slopes in extreme conditions. What sets Babić apart from Plavac is its ability to maintain acidity, resulting in vibrant and lively wines. The key to a perfect bottle lies in the delicate balance between fullness and ripeness, paired with cherry fruitiness and mineral elegance.

Babić is an undisputed terroir wine! The terraced vineyards above Primošten represent truly fascinating sights and are among the must-visit world vineyards.

The best locations for Babić are in the coastal zone, emphasizing Primošten and its locations Bucavac and Podstrana. There are also some new locations, such as Jadrtovac between Šibenik and Primošten, where awarded Babić wines are produced. 

Bucavac and its stone-laced vineyards

The growing conditions for Babić grapevines can be truly extreme. One of the most beautiful vineyard sites for Babić – Bucavac near Primošten – is known for a real struggle for survival. There, young grapevines need 10+ years to reach their full potential, unlike in some other, more moderate positions, where it is known that young vineyards reach their best at 6-7 years old. If you visit Primošten, you will see stone-laced vineyards that are a true work of art, made and farmed only by human hand. Stone walls are a part of the Bucavac for the beginning of the grape growing here. Wine growers used to dig stones to have a place to plant the vines. The stones had to be put somewhere, so they created distinct vistas, now called the lace necklace, around the vineyards. No machinery can reach “vlačica” and “tirade,” unique stone-shapes of this vineyard.

Bucavac is a breathtaking appellation shaped by hard-working local people, their understanding, and their synergy with the natural surroundings. Severe conditions, steepness, and extreme summer temperatures mean that working in these vineyards means blood, sweat, and tears.

The soil in the vineyard here has a higher ratio of rocks, ideal for the quality of wines. Relatively little rain falls on Bucavac while the abundance of sun and wind help the vines to dry off, preventing the diseases most naturally.

If you think the summer temperatures are extreme, try walking on Bucavac in the winter when the wind can be so fierce that the county had to invest in building additional, higher stone walls to protect smaller bush vines that try to grow. That same wind can be so severe on Bucavac that it is often known for breaking the branches, reducing the yields even more.

Against all odds (or maybe because of it), high temperatures, extreme winds, and poor soil with high rock content, Babić vines extract the best of this land, producing one of the country’s most highly regarded red wines.

Yields here are the first indicator of the premium quality of the grapes, often giving not more than 2-3 bunches of grapes. The most expensive Babić grapes are picked in this appellation, often twice as expensive as Babić from other locations in Primošten and/or Rogoznica. When you step on this land, you immediately know why. Not only that the wine growers are fighting these extreme conditions, but so does the vine in a desire to survive. The roots have to go deep into the karst and limestone soil to extract nutrients and water here in scarce amounts.

The vines on Bucavac are only about 50 centimeters high. Winemakers tell us that, to grow vines here, one needs to kneel before them at least 4-5 times a year like they’re “the holly grapevines.” The yields are as low as possible with some of the vines. Because of this, Babić wines have an extreme concentration of fruit aromas and flavors with real terroir signature – withdrawn deep from the karst soil in the vineyards. 

Babić wine taste

Babić gives rich, velvety reds concentrated in fresh and ripe fruit flavors, juicy cherries, herbs found over the Mediterranean, spices from the oak aging, and a magnificent body. Preserved acidity makes it easy to enjoy a glass of Babić, even on the hottest days during the summer.

From the best positions, it shows the strength of the vine’s ability to survive everything nature throws in the vineyards, extracting the unique taste of the soil deep under. Prized for the amazing acidity it can preserve, Babić wines give you the sense of “authentic Dalmatia”!

Babić, the bold and vivacious red wine variety, with its unwavering strength and liveliness, boasts a full body and high concentration but never compromises its firmness and vibrancy. It is a rarity among warm climate wines, as few achieve the perfect balance between richness and liveliness that Babić masters in the hands of skilled winemakers. It takes a special vineyard and a talented winemaker to bring out the best in Babić, but the result is a wine that stands out from the rest with its unique and captivating flavor profile.

Babić revival 

Šibenik, as the center of the wine culture in the region, gathers visitors from around the world. It is well known for its cultural heritage and the gourmet wine and food offered. Visitors can enjoy wine bars hidden in the narrow streets, Michelin-star restaurants, and luxurious hotel resorts. The most important tip while visiting Šibenik for wine lovers is that in just a 15-minute drive, they can walk through the stunning vineyards of Babić. 

The quality of Babić wines has been increasing in recent years, as a new wave of good Babić wines has appeared from winemakers such as Testament, Prgin, Rak, Markus, Mark Pulley from Delusional winery, and others.

Jadrtovac is spectacular, eye-catching 300 hectares of land where Babić and olive groves spread over the rolling hills. It has the potential to become the best visitors’ site for enjoying wine because few wineries have opened up there and offer visitors a unique experience to taste their amazing native varieties.

Notable Babić producers

Gracin Babić

The company’s forerunner was a family winery founded in 2000 by Leo Gracin and his father Ante. The person responsible for a genuine and long-term recognition of this excellent variety is Leo Gracin, a well-known Dalmatian oenologist, consultant, and professor of enology at the University of Split. The grapes for his Babić come from the famous Bucavac.

Gracin is undoubtedly one of Croatia’s finest Babić wines. It boasts an exceptional richness that exudes a delightful warmth and features fully mature tannins, depth, persistence, and character. The palate is brimming with ripe fruit notes, primarily succulent cherries and a hint of prunes. Its minerality background further enhances its taste profile. Wine with a more pronounced minerality and Mediterranean spices. Despite its superior quality, Leo Gracin produces only a limited number of bottles of his exquisite Babić wine.

Prgin Babić

Prgin winery is a small family-run winery nestled in the heart of Primošten. Their specialty is producing exceptional Babić wine, crafted exclusively from micro-locations in Primošten. Their focus on using grapes grown in characteristic terroir, known for producing the most specific and concentrated Babić grapes, sets them apart from other wineries.

Their young vines, planted in 2011 and 2012, required a lot of handwork to flourish. But the low yield is well worth it, as it allows for careful vinification and aging in oak barrels. The result is a wine that boasts a soft ruby red color and a full fruity fragrance, dominated by the aroma of red berries like raspberry and red currant, and dried cherries.

The fruity aromas are soon followed by herbal notes, both on the nose and taste, evocative of the specific terroir of Bucavac, with hints of salt, stone, and sun. The taste is lively, gentle, and rounded, leaving a lasting impression on the palate.

Testament Babić

Testament winery, owned by a Swedish fund under the supervision of the oenologist Juraj Sladić, shows the potential for serious Babić wines. Testament vineyards in Jadrtovac are in the wine-growing region of Northern Dalmatia, near the medieval town of Šibenik. 

With the unique climate and the specificity of the soil. This centuries-old survival ritual is felt and seen in Testament wines’ intense and deep colors and intense flavors and aromas. Testament wines are created in an organic production process with the benefits of the region’s special microclimate and soil, giving them a particularly rich and complex taste 

Testament Babić is a wine with a balance of fruit concentration, where the fruit combines red and darker flavors. The body is full and very powerful, but at the same time lovely and delicious. In this Babić, you’ll find elegant cranberry at the nose and on the palate. Aged in oak, the overall expression is rounded with black and white pepper notes and earthiness. 

Delusional Babić

When Mike Pulley made the bold decision to abandon his corporate lifestyle in London and follow his passion for creating a boutique winery on the stunning Dalmatian coast, his friends were quick to label him as delusional. Yet, with dedication and hard work, he has successfully brought to life a truly remarkable wine that embodies the region’s essence.

The grape varietals used in his creation thrive under extremely low-yield conditions, producing a wine with concentrated flavors of dark cherry, herbs, and stone. To achieve the perfect balance of flavors, Mike ages the wine for three years in French and Slavonian oak. The result is a limited edition of only 1,250 bottles that represent the epitome of excellence.

It’s truly remarkable how someone with a background in the corporate world has managed to create such an authentic and multilayered wine. The Babić variety, with its progression from marasca cherry and spices to a mineral and balsamic finish, is a testament to Mike’s incredible talent and passion for winemaking.

RAK Babić

Winery Rak is dedicated to the art of grape growing and wine production in Dubrava, situated near Šibenik, within the unique climate of the Dalmatian region. Rak family has been steeped in the traditions of viticulture and viniculture since 1960.

Babic Rak is a dry red wine with a full body, balanced acidity, and distinctive aromas and flavors. Aged in wooden barrels for at least one year, it reflects terroir and passion for wine. This wine pairs excellently with all kinds of meat and hard cheeses.

Markus Franz Ferdinand Babić

Danijel Szabo is one of the most important Croatian wine garagistes producing top-quality “vins de garage. The wine with which he became famous is Dingač Pepejuh, one of the best domestic Plavac Mali wines for several years. In cooperation with Anto Čobanov from Primošten, who has some of the oldest vineyards in the entire region and a very good base in grape quality, he produced already iconic Markus Babić Franz Ferdinand. He raised the expectations of this variety to new levels.

Wine comes from a unique plot of more than hundred-year-old vineyards. In the wine world, a translation for the French wine term is “clos”. Clos means a vineyard bordered by a dry stone wall or a stone border, often less than a hectare in area, and guarantees a microclimate, which is impossible in large vineyards. The name of the plot from which Babić grapes come is Podgreben. The old vines struck roots in the karst and cracks in the rocks hundreds of meters deep, absorbing nutrients from these depths. Huddled in a bush during the hot summers, with its large and thick leaves, which carefully hide three to four grape bunches from the intense sun, the maximum yield it can give under these conditions. The quality and concentration of these grapes are remarkable. With a bottle of Markus Babić, you will get the deepest mineral extraction in the wine and a strong terroir signature with amazing harmony. Matured in oak, the wine has a gentle touch of smokiness, black pepper, and vanilla spices. Powerful aromas of dark cherries, blackberries, and black currants explode on the nose.

The quality of the grapes is immeasurable, the pure essence that Danijel Szabo unmistakably recognized, bought, separated, and prepared from it only three hundred bottles of exceptional terroir wine! What is in this bottle is not only one of the best red wines of Dalmatia in history but also living history, a witness to the life and death of generations, the fruit of the love of caring people, and the attention of good people—a unique experience.

Check out Markus Franz Ferdinand, truly fascinating Babić in more detail here and enjoy the authentic taste of Dalmatia with Babić wines carefully selected from Wine and more team! 

Cheers!