- Plavac Mali
Plavac Mali, a
hybrid cross between ancestralZinfandel andDobričić grapes, is the primary redwine grape grown along the Dalmatian coast ofCroatia . The name refers to the small blue grapes that the vines produce: in Croatian "plavo" means blue and "plavac" refers to 'what is blue'; "mali" means small. Plavac Mali is known for producing wines that are rich in flavor and high in bothalcohol andtannin s. Common flavors and aromas include blackberries, pepper, and spices. Croatian wines from this grape include the reds Dingač and Postup, and the rosé Opolo.History
In the 1980s, Plavac Mali was thought to be an ancestor of
Zinfandel . In1998 , while researching the origins ofZinfandel through DNA fingerprinting, Dr.Carole Meredith atUC Davis with researchers from theUniversity of Zagreb discovered thatZinfandel (known as "Crljenak Kaštelanski" inCroatia ) is actually one parent of Plavac Mali. [Meredith, Carole, [http://www.zinfandel.org/about_zin/pdf/2002_01_Looking_for_Zin_in_Croatia.pdf "Looking for Zinfandel in Croatia"] , "Zinfandel Express", January 2002.] The other parent is an ancient variety known asDobričić from the island ofŠolta .References
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