vijesti

In this volatile world, the only constant is the decline of Croatian vineyard area! In 2025. there was 390 hectares less than year before

Published: 22.01.2026

Graševina Pošip Malvazija istarska Rajnski rizling Chardonnay Traminac Sauvignon Blanc Kujundžuša Maraština Debit Cabernet Sauvignon Plavac mali Teran Babić Frankovka Plavina Merlot Syrah Pinot crni Jeste li znali Pinot sivi

Ivo Kozarčanin

Bakhov Sin

On the last day of 2025, 16,399 hectares in Croatia were planted with grapevines, compared to 16,789 the year before. These figures come from the Vineyard Register maintained by the Agency for Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, comparing the period up to December 31, 2025, and the final day of 2024. The difference is 390 hectares, a reduction roughly consistent with the year-on-year decline observed since 2017. Over nine years, Croatia have lost 2,881 hectares of vineyards, an average of 320 hectares annually. If this trend continues, in five decades we won't have a single vine left. The fact that the current 16,399 hectares are divided among 28,038 owners, comprising 26,663 private individuals, 580 sole proprietorships, and 795 companies, is hardly encouraging either. My 149 young vines aren't included in the statistics. And even if they were, they wouldn't significantly slow the decline in vineyard acreage

In this volatile world, the only constant is the decline of Croatian vineyard area! In 2025. there was 390 hectares less than year before

The three leading grape varieties in Croatia remain Graševina (4,212.35 hectares or 25.69%), Malvazija Istarska Bijela (1,509.18 hectares or 9.2%), and Plavac Mali Crni (1,126.49 hectares or 6.87% of all vineyard areas). The area for Graševina and Malvazija has decreased compared to the previous year, while the area planted with Plavac Mali has grown by 57.5 hectares. The registry lists the 20 most widespread varieties, yet Crljenak, also known as Tribidrag, Kratošija, Primitivo, or Zinfandel, is notably absent. This is surprising given the significant attention the variety receives; however, Kujundžuša, ranking last on the list of the top 20, covers 154 hectares, whereas Crljenak covers 71.4 hectares. These figures were presented by Prof. Dr. Ivan Pejić of the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb during a major tasting event dedicated to the Zinfandel, organized by Ivana Pranjić (Cork Croatia) in March 2025. Here is the list of the 20 most widespread varieties in Croatia as of December 31, 2025, according to the Vineyard Registry. They are listed in reverse order, from twentieth to first:

Kujundžuša (20.)

153,96 ha

Pinot gris (19.)

164,86 ha

Pinot noir (18.)

170,6 ha

Syrah (17.)

220,29 ha

Teran (16.)

227,39 ha

Traminer (15.)

235,69 ha

Babić (14.)

256,81 ha

Debit (13.)

280,92 ha

Maraština (12.)

302,56 ha

Sauvignon blanc (11.)

316,85 ha

Pošip (10.)

343,28 ha

Blaufränkisch (9.)

387,3 ha

Riesling (8.)

447,6 ha

Plavina (7.)

452,37 ha

Chardonnay (6.)

581,6 ha

Cabernet sauvignon (5.)

617,6 ha

Merlot (4.)

788,6 ha

Plavac mali (3.)

1126,49 ha

Malvazija istarska (2.)

1509,18 ha

Graševina (1.)

4212,35 ha