History
Obstacles to vine production
One item was an obstacle to the local population engaged in agriculture in the Jezero field. As the name itself says, Jezero (croatian word for lake) was really one big pool of water until 86 years ago, and thus directly created a hindrance for agricultural families to grow year-round crops.
Because of this, the inhabitants of the surrounding settlements were forced to plant crops with a short growing season (vegetables), and vines were planted on the areas above the Jezero field itself and on plots of land in the places where the locals lived.
With the opening of the Maričevac-Krotuša tunnel in 1938, which accumulated water flows from the Jezero field, the situation changed greatly and opened a new “pool” of possibilities for agricultural production.
Year after year, the fund of planted vines increases, which over time begins to bear fruit, which is hand-harvested at the end of autumn and sold to the local winery “Vrgorka”.
Period after tunnel (till mid-1960s)
Revival in the 21st century
This variety experienced its rebirth in 2007 when, on the recommendation of an agronomy engineer from Mostar, we planted the first 1,700 vines of the Trnak variety and thus started a new wave of varieties that compete with established and widely popular varieties.
For us, this new variety was a kind of enigma because apart from short stories from my grandmother Ljubica’s memory, we didn’t have much technical information. Initially, we did not know what to expect from Trnak because there was no professional record or picture confirming certain physical and qualitative characteristics about this variety.
At that time, you could buy dozens of different books about popular varieties such as Plavac mali, Malvazija Istria, Merlot, Graševina, Chardonnay,… but not about the nearly extinct Trnak variety. We wrote a real book with our experiences, literally from removing the first weeds to the first wine in 2010.
Early steps
I remember the first days when we planted the vines by hand and for the next 3 years we mechanically removed every kind of weed. Three years flew by and in 2010 we made the first Trnak wine in this part of Dalmatia. Next year we obtained a marketing license, a green light for us.
I’ve got a lot of stories to tell, and one of them is that we made our first Rose from Trnak, in a rather small edition of 40 bottles that were partly consumed, and the other part is an anecdote that I leave for later.
Nowadays, we maintain the practice of mechanical weed removal, which takes some more time, but we have a guarantee that the grapes are environment friendly.
Other winegrowers' interest
After us, other local winemakers started investing in smaller Trnak plantations. Although we are united in choosing the variety, our methods change over the years, which is normal in the process of working on something really unknown and new for the palates of consumers who are used to established Dalmatian wines.
We started from scratch, using scientifically proven cultivation and production methods. Our passion and dedication revitalized this forgotten variety, returning it to its former glory.
Modern days
Today, Trnak is a symbol of returning to the roots and a testament to the persistence of local winegrowers. Each glass of Trnak represents a taste of the past and a promise of the future – that tradition will live on.
Our path with Trnak doesn’t need fleeting trends and fashionable tastes. Because the variety is unique and deserves its place under the Sun. It is not for every palate, but likes to be tasted. Shows a strong character, wildness and breadth of aromas, but our favorite is the elegance in the wine we produce.
Trnak needs time and experience to break through and show its boldness and balance in a wine world. Even without excessive comparison with other varieties from Dalmatia.
Follow us for more
Follow us on social networks for new posts in the future, share the post if you like it and treat yourself to a nice drop until the next post.