Vrboska is great for windsurfing and wine tasting. Jelsa will generously melt your yearly fatigue away, with Mediterranean cuisine and mali plavac. The scenery is unspoiled and wild, and along the shore, there are forgotten bays where clothes are not needed. And yet, during summer, ribarske večeri (fishermans nights), fešta vina (the festival of wine), and other musical or wine tasting events are frequent.

Not to mention, that Hvar is within reach and even Dubrovnik is only four hours away with a catamaran boat.

And then the rest of the world is just a few dreamy hours away, with a plane.

Vendange gives a heartbeat to the place

Vendange usually takes place in late August and at the beginning of September. The temperature in the middle of the summer can even reach 45°C or 113°F. Summers are dry. The rain season starts in November. And the rain is beautiful as well. I love it, just like any other day here. 

When it’s raining, first of all we get to drink wine and relax. And then there are rivers of water descending narrow roads called kola.

When I was a kid, while it was raining I went down the kola (narrow dalmatian street) in a rubber boat. Mum was screaming of course, but I was off. Kids are like rabbits, quite hard to catch.

Due to dry summer, rocky, and “cheap” – as we call it – land, it’s understandable that some of the most exciting mali plavac you’ll find right there.

Svirće, Dol, Vrbanj, Zavala are other nearby villages where locals are equally committed to wine-growing. It’s a hobby, it’s love, and even a race in making the most exquisite wine.

And after you go through all the wineries and taste a “happy” quantity of wines, you’ll still stumble upon a bottle of an unknown origin. And a glass will sweep you from your feet. Later on, you’ll realise that it came from a regular house, just like yours. Maybe even one of your neighbours.

Everybody participates during vendange. Grandchildren, grandparents, parents, kids, cousins, friends, everybody. If they’re lucky, even the travellers that are staying at a local house.  Nobody is spared, or left out. 

And during vendange, when you’re thirsty, you drink grapes. When you’re hungry, you eat grapes. When you’re tired, you drink wine. And tomorrow, all over again.

There is so much beauty behind a glass of wine

Up and down the hill buckets of grapes are carried. Sun is high on the horizon. Sea is sparkling. Hands are spreading vines leaves. The sound of footsteps on dry soil. Fingers sticky with grapes. Then you take some dirt and rub it through your palms. No point washing your hands till it’s all over. The scent of vines in the air. Bees effortlessly buzzing. And the rest of the world is on stand-by.

Then somebody’s shouts in the distance: “How much sugar did you get?” 

“17.”

“I got 18. Tome (a name), from Zavala, got 22.”

Then a short nod and back to the vineyards. The welcoming, the taking, the demanding, the wonderful vineyards surrounded by the blue Adriatic sea. Nobody around, but you, vines, sea, and sun. 

And now, when it’s picked, let’s press them all. Let’s make some wine!

Wet beach towels are used to cover wooden barrels in the port. Lined up in the port next to each other, they look like rhinos drinking some water. The sound of tractors bringing grapes to the village. And not so long ago, the thud of donkeys could be heard. As they would carry grapes to konoba (a wine cellar).

Wandering travellers are looking at the locals, astonished by a different vibe in the air. There’s no more tourism, no more unknown, just vine and wine again. So travellers hop in as well, and they’re taking pictures with locals: on a tractor, next to wine barrels or while eating grapes.

Jelsa & Vrboska – Mediterranean cuisine and dalmatian wine

In the very beginning, Jelsa was a safe port of the villages in the interior of the island. As well as Vrboska. Both of them were used by a few local fishermen. 

Only after the 16th century did the development of Jelsa and Vrboska start. Few settlements and slow irrigation of deep and sandy bay were the first steps. Therefore there is sandy soil in some parts of Hvar island.

The true progress happened in the 19th century, during the Austro-Hungarian empire. Their appreciation of Hvar’s land and vine, and finally exportation of wine, helped the economy of the island in all. Equally important, sailing ships and Croatian worldly-appreciated-captains contributed to the development of their own birthplace. For instance, captain Niko Duboković from Jelsa in 1845..

Even today, in houses of previous captains you’ll find numerous valuable artefacts, clothes, maps, books, or paintings from the time.

The rapid growth of Jelsa happened in the 19th and 20th century. In 1868. the first public reading room was made in Jelsa. It was one of the first in Dalmatia. In the 20th century, the entrepreneurial spirit contributed to the rise of disco fewer in Jelsa, and eventually opening of the first disco club in Croatia, in Jelsa.

Vrboska went from a rebel village in the 16th century, that took down the Venetians, to the sardine industry in the 19th and 20th century. Today it’s a maze of history and tradition written by the footsteps of its habitants. 

And even though in the middle ages, habitants of Vrboska were poor and simple, they were fine art collectors. Thanks to it, in the church of st. Laurence, you’ll still find works of Tintoreti and other Venetian artists.

The fortified st. Mary’s church proudly speaks of a diverse history on the island. 

And yet, vineyards and olives all around. Windsurfing paradise. Sandy beaches. Biking and hiking trails. Cocktail bars and family farms. Heritage and joy that go together just like fish and wine.

The canal of Hvar

Because of its geographical position, Jelsa and Vrboska are excellent for windsurfing beginners and advanced. They are located on the northern side of the island of Hvar, opposite to Bol on the island of Brač – one of the most visited locations in Croatia by many worldwide windsurfers.

Being protected by a bay and a nearby island of Zečevo, gives Vrboska a perfect playground for windsurfing beginners. And yet within two-three minutes of gliding on the sea surface, there’s the canal of Hvar, with stronger winds for those that seek more challenging thrill.

In the summer time a constant maestral (western wind) or tramuntana (north-western wind). In the winter time bura (strong eastern wind) for the insane ones, and jugo (souther wind) for those that can’t wait for summer.

Everything is better with a glass of wine

Wineries Pinjata and Carić welcome travellers in Vrboska in their konoba (wine cellar). Bogdanjuša, mali plavac and pošip are the perfect drop to seal the day.

In the ambience of a dalmatian garden and a wine cellar, travellers are seated at a wooden table. 

A few salted sardines, a couple of slices of home made cheese and olives, with a glass of wine will make you start riding another wave. Only this time, the sea will be wine.

In Jelsa, Tomić and Duboković will enchante their visitors with theatral ambience as well as excellent wines. From underground cellars, with wide chambers that look like Greek wine-tasting-sanctuaries, to candle-lit cellars where the scent of wines whispers with a sweet voice of pleasure. 

And the story will be only a beginning of a thrilling voyage in wine-tasting.