Looking for Croatian wine in Ontario at the LCBO? If you have visited Croatia then you will know that not only is the country rich in history, has beautiful beaches, has amazing food but they also have amazing wine.
With Croatia becoming such a popular tourist destination, wines from Croatia are starting to be recognized around the world. Wherever my travels take me, I like to bring a couple of bottles home of my favourite wine from my travels. Below you will find the top Croatian wines in Toronto and Ontario.
Croatian Wine at the LCBO
You can find several Croatian wines at the LCBO. You will be able to find everything from Grasevina, Posip, Malvazija, Plavac Mali, and at the LCBO.
Croatian White Wine Available at the LCBO
Here are the top Croatian white wines that are available for purchase at the LCBO or through Croatia Unpacked.
Croatian White Wines
Stina Vugava 2019
Made from 100% Vugava grape variety from the island of Brac. This wine has notes of citrus and apricot with a slightly bitter finish.
Kutjevo Grasevina de Gotho 2018
Kutjevo Graševina de Gotho 2018 is made from the most planted indigenous Croatian grape variety Graševina, also known as Welschriesling. In Croatian, Graševina comes from the Grašica, meaning green peas. The name refers to the appearance of the berries at a certain point in the ripening process.
This Kutjevo Graševina de Gotho 2018 has a beautiful golden colour with aromas of honey, pineapple, flowers, and mango. It is rich on the palate with flavours of pineapple, mango, and honey. This wine received a Platinum medal in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 and is rated a score of 97.
Kutjevo Grasevina 2019 VINTAGES#: 519074
Order at the LCBO or Croatia Unpacked
Kutjevo Graševina is a great introduction to the Croatian wine world. Kutjevo is the spiritual home of Graševina. The golden valley of Kutjevo makes award-winning wines vintage, after vintage.
Kutjevo was established in 1232 and is one of the oldest cellars in this part of Europe.
Graševina is a grape indigenous to Croatia. This aromatic and flavourful wine is not only a great match with seafood but it is an easy anytime drinking wine that I just keep coming back to.
Maximo Oro Grasevina/Chardonnay 2018 VINTAGES#:14187
Order at the LCBO or Croatia Unpacked
The Grasevina grape is the most planted grape in Croatia. This wine has flavours of citrus and slight floral notes. It is wonderful paired with pasta dishes, seafood, and creamy soups.
Posip Merga Victa 2018 LCBO#:770537
Order at the LCBO or Croatia Unpacked
This Pošip wine from the Dalmatian region of Croatia on the island of Korčula, is a crisp white wine, light yellow in color with citrus and green apple on the nose. It is a full-bodied wine dominated by fresh aromas of citrus fruits, stone fruits, floral aromas, and Mediterranean herbs.
Benvenuti Malvazija 2019 LCBO#: 908102
Available at the LCBO or Croatia Unpacked
Malvasia Istriana is now recognized as the leading Istrian grape variety and one of the most important indigenous Croatian varieties. This Malvasia is full-bodied and fruity.
Kozlovic Malvazija 2019 LCBO#: 767988
Order at the LCBO or Croatia Unpacked
This Malvazija has flavours of peach, apricots, and slight floral notes.
Coronica Malvazija 2019 LCBO#: 932169
Available at the LCBO or Croatia Unpacked
This is an indigenous variety that is the flagship grape variety of Istria. It is a versatile grape that can be fresh and fruity, barrel-aged and complex, and it is a grape that also loves skin contact/maceration.
This Coronica Malvazija is a fresh crisp wine with citrus notes and some minerality. It pairs great with seafood dishes as well as poultry and pasta in cream sauces. Best served at temperatures between 8 – 12 °
Stina Posip 2018 LCBO#: 696459
Available at LCBO or Croatia Unpacked
Posip is a fabulous, fresh summer wine. It has aromas of citrus and apricots with flavours of apricot, citrus, and a minerally finish. Wonderful with seafood.
Posip Korta Katarina 2018 LCBO#: 954965
Order at the LCBO or Croatia Unpacked
This Posip Korta Katarina has aromas of citrus, stone fruit, and slight floral notes with flavours of citrus and stone fruit with a long finish. Great paired with seafood.
Saints Hills Posh South Dalmatia 2018 LCBO#: 709989
Available at the LCBO or Croatia Unpacked
This Saints Hills Posh is a beautiful summer wine with aromas of citrus, apricot, and mango and flavours of peach and mango, and a long finish.
Croatian Rosé Wine
La Chic! Rose 2019 LCBO#: 156389
La Chic is a beautiful, crisp rosé is made from 100% Plavac Mali. I got extreme aromas and flavours of fresh strawberries. It is light and fresh, perfect for the summer.
Kutjevo Rosé 2019 VINTAGES#: 18377
Buy at LCBO or Croatia Unpacked
This Premium Rosé has a delicate orange-pink hue colour that was achieved by skin contact for more than 20 hours giving it a salmon colour.
The Rosé is a blend (cuvée) of Pinot Noir and Zweigel varieties. It has refreshing fruit aromas and flavours of rose, fresh strawberries, and raspberries, and I also got some stone fruit. I am also getting some “cotton candy” flavours on the finish. It is a refreshing rosé with well-composed acidity that is low in sugar 5g/L with 12% alcohol.
Testament Opolo Rosé 2019 LCBO#: 993088
This is a beautiful rosé wine made by Testament winery from Babić grapes that has scents of peach and wildflowers.
Croatian Orange Wine at the LCBO
2018 Baracija Malvazija LCBO#: 770511
Available at the LCBO or Croatia Unpacked
A beautiful off orange colour with aromas of pears and apple and slight floral notes. On the palate, I got pears, apples, apricots, honey, and a slight hint of vanilla. Great minerality and freshness with a medium body.
Kabola Malvazija Amfora 2017 LCBO#: 993955
Available at the LCBO and Croatia Unpacked
Peach, honey, and vanilla flavours really come through in this dry and crisp, full-bodied wine with a smooth almond after taste.
This Kabola wine is wonderful on its own but we paired it with mussels and clams. Make sure to visit this beautiful winery.
Croatian Red Wine Available at the LCBO
Brime Plavac Mali 2016 LCBO#: 156355
This Brime is made from 100% Plavac Mali. It has bold flavours of cherries and plums with a slight smokey flavour and is high in tannins. This wine needs to be decanted at least one hour before drinking and could easily age for a couple of more years.
Plavina 2018 LCBO#: 161389
This wine is made from 100% Plavina. This grape variety comes from the Dalmatian region. It is smooth with flavours of plum and cherries and earthiness. It has been aged in Slavonian oak barrels for 12 months.
The Dalmatian Dog Babic 2016 VINTAGES#: 18810
Available at the LCBO and Croatia Unpacked
Babić is a native Croatian red wine grape common to the Northern Dalmatia region. Typically grown in and around the towns of Šibenik and Primošten, it can also be found on some Croatian islands such as Korčula
This 100% organic Babic red wine is ruby in color with aromas of Maraska sour cherry and aromatic herbs. The taste is fruity with a vibrant and fresh medium body.
Testament Babic 2017 LCBO#:992890
Available at the LCBO and Croatia Unpacked
Testament’s organic vineyards are located in the Northern Dalmatia region near the medieval town of Šibenik. The famous native grape grown in this region is Babić (pronounced Babich)This blue-skinned wine grape variety is indigenous to Croatia’s Dalmatian coast.
On the palate, I got flavours of berries, chocolate, slight oak, tobacco, and chocolate flavours. This full-bodied wine is smooth on the finish.
Damjanic Borgonja 2018 LCBO#: 908128
Available at the LCBO and Croatia Unpacked
Borgonja is the local name for Blaufränkisch. The wine is ruby red in colour and has aromas of berries. Fruity on the palate along with some herbal notes.
Pairs well with pasta with meat sauce, cheese, and prosciutto.
Benvenuti Caldierosso 2017 LCBO#: 908110
Available at the LCBO and Croatia Unpacked
The Benvenuti Caldierosso 2017 is made from a combination of their indigenous Istrian grape variety Teran, Italian Nebbiolo, Spanish Tempranillo, and Merlot.
This is a full-bodied wine that has aromas of berries and vanilla.
Teran Coronica 2016 LCBO#:780874
Available at the LCBO and Croatia Unpacked
Classic old-world indigenous grape variety – flagship grape variety of Istria.
This Coronica Teran has a ruby red colour with aromas of ripe dark berries, cherries, dry plums with a slight smokiness. It is medium-bodied and smooth with soft tannins.
Kozlovic Teran 2018 LCBO#: 767996
Available at the LCBO and Croatia Unpacked
Deep purple colour with aromas of black cherries and dark chocolate. On the palate, I got flavours of black fruit with some smoke.
Saints Hills Sv Roko South Dalmatia 2016 LCBO#:709997
Available at the LCBO and Croatia Unpacked
This Saints Hills “Sv. Roko” Plavac Mali is made from the Plavac Mali grape. This is a full-bodied ruby red wine with aromas of berries, plum, and fig followed by some herb scents along with vanilla with some wood and leather aromas.
Volarevic Plavac Mali Gold Edition 2016 LCBO#: 993278
Available at the LCBO and Croatia Unpacked
This Volarević Plavac Mali Gold has complex aromas of plum, berries, pepper, dried fruit, and Mediterranean herbs.
The flavours that come through for me are plum, berry, pepper, leather, chocolate, and a smooth smokey vanilla finish. It is well balanced with its smooth tannins, complex body, and soft acidity. My 90% dark chocolate paired perfectly with this wine.
Stina Plavac Mali Majstor 2016 LCBO#: 696467
Available at the LCBO and Croatia Unpacked
The translation of “Plavac Mali Majstor” is “little blue master”. This wine is made from the little blue grape known as Plavac Mali. The small grape with big flavours.
Stina Plavac Mali Majstor is made from this small blue grape that has full-bodied flavours. This wine is a bold red colour with notes of blackberry, figs, and spice. It is a full-bodied wine with flavours of berries, cherries, dried figs, and spices.
Korta Katarina Plavac Mali 2012 LCBO#: 954973
Available at the LCBO and Croatia Unpacked
This Plavac Mali is full of flavour with stewed fruit flavours and herbs and spices.
Saints Hills Dingac 2016 LCBO#: 993963
Available at the LCBO and Croatia Unpacked
This 100% Plavac Mali from Dingač is full-bodied, deep ruby red in colour with intense aromas of cherries, blackberries, and a slight smokey tobacco scent. It has beautiful flavours of dark berries, dark chocolate, and Mediterranean spices. It is a well-balanced wine with silky tannins and a long finish. I would recommend decanting this wine at least one hour prior to drinking it.
Wines of Croatia Common Questions
Here are some of the top questions that people ask about Croatian wine.
Is Croatian Wine Any Good?
Croatians are very proud of their wine and are some of the best wines in the world. If you have had a chance to try Croatian wine you will know why it is so good.
Is Croatia Known for Wine?
Croatia is known for wine but people have not had much opportunity to taste these fantastic wines outside of Croatia.
Thankfully, this is something that is changing and more wines are appearing on liquor store and wine store shelves. If you live in Canada you can find Croatian wine at the LCBO. You can also order Croatian wine at Croatia Unpacked for delivery.
If you are lucky to travel to Croatia, I would highly recommend visiting some of the beautiful vineyards and try some of the indigenous wines such as Plavac Mali from the Peljesac Peninsula and the whites Posip (Korcula/Peljesac Peninsula); Grk (Korcula); Malvazija (Istria); and Grasevina (Croatian interior). Prosek is a sweet dessert wine, most common in Dalmatia.
How much is a Bottle of Wine in Croatia?
Croatian wine, just like any wine, ranges in price. There are so many different factors that determine the pricing of wine.
There are so many things to consider when looking at the price of a bottle of wine. Where are the grapes grown, how are the grapes harvested, how is the wine made. These are just a few factors that determine the price of a wine.
What is the Best Wine in Croatia?
Here are some of the best wines in Croatia that you should try.
Dingač is a top-quality dry red wine named after the area of Pelješac peninsula where this wine sort is being grown on its steep slopes and produced from the autochthonous red wine grape Plavac Mali.
Pošip is an autochthonous white wine grape of southern Croatian region Dalmatia primarily found on the island of Korčula. It is the first Croatian white wine sort of a protected geographic origin.
Malvasia (Croatian: Malvazija) is a typical Mediterranean wine sort and the most popular white wine sort of the northern region of Croatia, Istria, one of the few areas in the world where this grape is being grown.
How to buy Croatian Wine at the LCBO
There is an amazing selection of Croatian wines available at the LCBO, although not all of them are available on the shelves in store they are available to order online through the LCBO website for pickup. I promise it is super easy to order wine at the LCBO. LCBO is a great place to buy Croatian wines online.
Find the wine that you want to purchase and click on add to cart. Once you have all your selections in your cart proceed to checkout. Select the LCBO location where you would like to pick up your order. Enter your payment information and submit your order.
You will receive a confirmation email from the LCBO confirming your order. Once your order is ready for pick up, you will receive another email letting you know that you can pick up your order.
When you arrive at the LCBO proceed to the customer service desk and show them your order number and a piece of ID. That’s it! Head home with your order and enjoy your wine.
How to Buy Croatian Wine at Croatia Unpacked
Head to the Croatia Unpacked website and choose the wine you want to order. You can make a selection of a case or a mixed case. There are also several mixed case options to choose from. If you are not sure what to choose you can always message Croatia Unpacked for assistance on your wine selection.
To place your order, order online at Croatia Unpacked and they will arrange for your wine order to be delivered directly to your home. Please let them know that Girls Drink Wine Too referred you.
