Korčula Island estate making Pošip from 25 family-farmed terraced vineyards in Smokvica village.
The producer
Black Island Winery opened in 2018 in Smokvica on the Dalmatian island of Korčula, taking over the site of the former Agricultural Cooperative Jedinstvo. The estate works with 25 local family farmers whose multigenerational vineyards climb terraced fields carved from rocky hillsides, where red soil, sand, and stone provide the drainage and warmth Pošip needs. Two Pošip bottlings anchor the range: the stainless-steel-fermented Merga Victa, built for freshness, and The Dalmatian Dog Pošip, a fuller expression drawing from all three Smokvica soil types with a long mineral finish.
Known for
Native Pošip from Korčula hillside terraces
Notable facts
Established in 2018 on the site of the former Agricultural Cooperative Jedinstvo in Smokvica, Korčula.
Partners with 25 local family farmers holding multigenerational vineyard plots in the Smokvica region.
Pošip was discovered as a wild vine in Smokvica in 1880 and became Croatia's first protected white wine variety in 1967.
Grapes are hand-harvested in early morning and manually sorted on arrival at the cellar.
The story
Wild vine, 1880
In 1880, a Smokvica farmer named Marin Tomašić found a wild grapevine growing on a hillside above the village. The variety was Pošip. Decades of cultivation by Smokvica growers followed, and by 1967 the grape had gained enough recognition to become the first white wine variety in Croatia to receive a protected geographic label. The discovery on that Korčula hillside and the national classification it eventually earned were separated by nearly ninety years of farming.
Wild vine, 1880
In 1880, a Smokvica farmer named Marin Tomašić found a wild grapevine growing on a hillside above the village. The variety was Pošip. Decades of cultivation by Smokvica growers followed, and by 1967 the grape had gained enough recognition to become the first white wine variety in Croatia to receive a protected geographic label. The discovery on that Korčula hillside and the national classification it eventually earned were separated by nearly ninety years of farming.
From the atlas
Black Island Winery
A Korčula Island estate built on 25 family farming partnerships and the native Pošip grape, rooted in the terraced hillside vineyards of Smokvica.
At A Glance
Region
Dalmatia, Croatia
Island
Korčula
Village
Smokvica
Main grape
Pošip
Signature wine
The Dalmatian Dog Pošip
Defining feature
25 multi-generational family farming partnerships on terraced limestone hillsides
The Producer
In Smokvica, a village on the Dalmatian island of Korčula, the white grape Pošip has roots that go back to a wild hillside discovery in 1880. Black Island Winery was established in 2018 on the site of the former Agricultural Cooperative Jedinstvo, gathering the oldest established vineyard holders in the Smokvica region under one winemaking operation. The estate produces Pošip as its central white wine alongside the native Rukatac, Grk, and Plavac varieties.
The winery's name draws on ancient history: Greek sailors called the island Korkyra Melaina and Latin writers Corcyra Nigra, both meaning Black Korčula.
Place
Korčula sits in the Adriatic off the Dalmatian coast. The vineyards around Smokvica climb terraced fields carved out of rocky hillsides, where the combination of red soil, sand, and rock creates the drainage and heat retention that Pošip needs to ripen with concentration. Those three soil types appear across the 25 partner farms, giving the fruit sourcing a natural layering of mineral character. The terraces hold the vines above the limestone bedrock while the stony surface reflects warmth back into the canopy during the growing season, contributing to the aromatic intensity and citrus brightness that characterise the wines.
Wines
The range centres on two Pošip bottlings. Merga Victa Pošip is the estate label: cool fermented in stainless steel under strict temperature control, pressed with minimal pressure after several hours of skin contact, and built for freshness with enough grip to develop in bottle. The Dalmatian Dog Pošip draws from all three Smokvica soil types across the family farm network, producing a fuller, rounder expression with a long finish. The Dalmatian Dog also comes in a red wine expression from the same appellation.
In The Glass
Both Pošip wines open with floral aromas over Mediterranean herbs, citrus, and stone fruit. The Merga Victa sits on the lighter side: fresh, with citrus at the fore and enough grip to carry through a few years in bottle. The Dalmatian Dog Pošip shows a bright golden colour with green reflections. Ripe peach, apricot, and citrus rise from the glass alongside Mediterranean herbs. The palate is full-bodied and juicy, with vibrant minerality and a long, harmonious finish.
A Bottle To Understand It
The Dalmatian Dog Pošip is the bottle to open first. It pulls from red, sandy, and rocky soils across the 25 partner farms and ferments to a full-bodied white with ripe stone fruit, citrus, and a mineral finish that carries the limestone character of the Smokvica hillsides. The Merga Victa is the tighter, more linear sibling; starting with the Dalmatian Dog gives a fuller picture of what the island's terraced vineyards put into Pošip.
Anecdote
In 1880, a Smokvica farmer named Marin Tomašić found a wild grapevine growing on a hillside above the village. The variety he discovered was Pošip. By 1967, eighty-seven years after that find, Pošip had become the first white wine variety in Croatia to receive a protected geographic label.
Final Word
Black Island Winery brings 25 Smokvica farming families together around a grape that has grown wild on Korčula hillsides for well over a century, producing Pošip from terraced limestone vineyards where red soil, sand, and rock shape every bottle.