This year we have about 2,500 bottles of Medena, said Ivica Radalj about the variety which, according to the Green Book of Croatian Native Grape Varieties, is suitable for producing lighter white wines: The alcohol is low to medium, between 10 and 11 percent, and the total acidity is also medium. In the Dalmatian hinterland, it yields very fresh white wines with a fine aroma that many find reminiscent of honey, contributing to their balance and quality. Ivica has 5,000 vines of old varieties on Kozica, and the Medna variety has about 2,000. His 2024 vintage has reached 13 percent. The wines are usually good for a few months, not in the summer or after summer, the winemaker added, but there were no complaints in the fall, after the Samobor tasting of last year's Medna.
...in mȉra I found my rhyme, is written on the labels of Ivica Radalj's wine. Mȉra, he explains, is a brand that signifies a moderate way of life. The Medna label also bears the Tradition designation, which means it was fermented with wild, i.e., indigenous yeasts, and aged on its fine lees for three days. It is fresh, full-bodied, and its flavor lingers on the palate. Ivica also planted new Medna vines, as well as other varieties, on the slope opposite St. Michael. He plans to build a cellar and a tasting room there. And in the cellar at the family home in Vrgorac, we tasted other fine wines.
In the vineyard he has Trnak, as the people of Vrgorac call it, and in other parts of Croatia and Herzegovina it's called Trnjak, as well as Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Plavac and Babić. The Trnak and Merlot are made into single-varietal wines, while the other varieties go into a Cuvée. The 2021 Trnak is wonderful, further proof of what a great variety it is. The young, last year's vintage, which is still in the barrel, is also good, as is the excellent, quite wild 2024 vintage Merlot. Ivica Radalj's winery is still small, but its wine potential is enormous.
Photos: Ivana Pranjić, Cork Croatia