Guide to wine tasting in Lumbarda, Korcula Island, Croatia
Korcula Island in Croatia is home to a unique and indigenous wine, Grk. Grown in Lumbarda, discover this idyllic pocket of Korcula, where micro vineyards are just minutes from white sand beaches and crystalline sea. This guide will give you everything you need to know to get the most out of wine tasting in Lumbarda.
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Croatia; a country known for the sparkling Adriatic Sea, crumbling historic old towns, and stunning national parks. It’s also home to a sensational viticulture scene. Whether you enjoy the occasional glass of wine or consider yourself a bit of a oenophile (that’s the fancy term for a wine connoisseur) Croatia is a brilliant place to sip.
While you’ll find excellent wines throughout the country, there’s something special about viniculture on Korčula Island. Korčula is home to one of Croatia’s rarest wines. One of the rarest wines in the world in fact – Grk. Beyond the wine bars and restaurants of Korčula’s walled Old Town, explore this history of Grk wine production between the sandy white shores and the verdant grapevines of Lumbarda, Korčula.
Where is Lumbarda, Korčula?
Lumbarda is a small fishing village at the eastern end of Korčula Island in Croatia. Just a few kilometres from Korčula Old Town, it’s best known for its sandy beaches and vineyards. The sheltered bay and clear water make it an ideal location for families and those wanting to make the most of the warm waters of the Adriatic. Lumbarda also hosts eight grk wineries, a variety of white wine indigenous to the island of Korčula.
What is Grk wine?
Grk is a white wine produced in Lumbarda, Korčula Island in Croatia. The word ‘grk’ translates to bitter, but the wine is better described as dry, acidic, and aromatic. Grk is the main wine variety produced in Lumbarda, however, the vineyards also produce some red and rose wines.
The sandy, dry soil in the Lumbarda region paired with high sunshine concentration makes for the ideal climate to produce Grk. The growing conditions result in high sugar and exceptional acidity levels that give Grk its unique finish.
What makes Grk wine so intriguing, is it is one of only a few grapevine varieties in the world that only has female flowers. This means to pollinate, and ultimately grow fruit for wine production, it requires other vine species with male flowers to be planted in close proximity to enable pollination. The variety that is most commonly chosen for this process is the Plavac Mali, a red grape variety also indigenous to Croatia.
The vineyards in Lumbarda are small, which means the yield each year is also much less than other regions in Croatia. If you want to try Grk wine, your best chance is either at a vineyard during a wine tasting in Lumbarda, or at one of the wine bars or restaurants on the island, as it’s not typically produced for export.
How to do wine tasting in Lumbarda, Korčula?
Whether you want to sample the unique Grk wine produced in Lumbarda or just want to explore the flavours of Croatian wine with sweeping views across the mountainous landscape of the mainland, there are a few ways to go about it.
Go wine tasting by bicycle in Lumbarda
Lumbarda, is a small fishing village on the eastern side of Korčula Island and the vineyards are small. This compact landscape makes it ideal for exploring on two wheels, with a self-guided wine tasting bike tour. You can hire bikes in Korčula town and ride approximately 7km to Lumbarda, but word of warning, the road between the two towns is hilly and can be a lot of work for an inexperienced cyclist.
If you’d prefer a more comfortable option, but like the idea of exploring by bike, then this guided wine tasting bike tour of Lumbarda offers return transfers, so you can enjoy cycling among the vines on the flatter roads of Lumbarda, without the strenuous workout before and after.
Visiting the vineyards on foot
If biking and wine aren’t your perfect combo, then you can easily explore the small number of vineyards in Lumbarda on foot. You can easily do a self-guided tour of several of the wineries without a problem, and this is exactly what we did. Due to the smaller size of the vineyards in the area and their close proximity, it is easy to visit a few in a day by walking between them.
There isn’t a lot of motor vehicle traffic on the roads in Lumbarda, however, the roads are narrow and there are few footpaths in the area - something worth noting. There are eight vineyards in Lumbarda, and most are open throughout the day for tastings. So, which should you visit?
I’ll start with the two wineries we visited – Vitis Winery and Popic Winery – then go on to share a few of the others in the region. We tried wine from some of these other producers in Lumbarda, but at the wine bars or with dinner at restaurants in Korčula Town.
VITIS | Vitis is a quaint family-run winery with a garden-style setting at the back of Lumbarda. Surrounded by sunflowers and pomegranate trees, they produce not only wine, but also homemade liqueurs and olive oil. Tastings start from €6, with various options including liqueurs. You can also order by the glass or a bottle. Vitis winery is usually open 10am-8pm daily, but I recommend you check with their website or call ahead to confirm.
POPIC WINERY | Another family-run winery, Popic provides a beautiful terrace with sweeping views across the vineyards and red roofs of Lumbarda, across to the Pelisjac peninsula. Just up the hill from Vitis Winery, you can easily pop next door and sample wines from both. Despite the vineyards sitting side by side, the wines we sampled tasted quite different, even when of the same grape variety. Usually open 4pm-8pm, check ahead of your visit to be sure.
BIRE WINERY | Bire is Korčula’s first organic winery and has a 2,000-year-old history of wine production. As one of the largest wineries in Lumbarda, its wines are commonly found served in restaurants and bars across the island. While Bire Winery produces Grk, its rose which features a blend with Plavac Mali is a much-loved favourite.
ZURE WINERY | Pass by the olive groves after a visit to Bire Winery, and you’ll discover Zure. Yet another family-owned and operated business, they have created a Grk version of the Croatian dessert wine, prosek, as well as a selection of red and white varietals. Zure also has a beautiful vine-covered terrace, making it the perfect spot for lunch.
How to get to Lumbarda?
Lumbarda is located approximately 7km from Korčula Town. A quiet fishing village on the east of Korčula Island, it’s known for sandy beaches and its verdant vineyards. Reaching Lumbarda from Korčula town is possible a few ways via public transport.
Bus from Korčula Town to Lumbarda
Buses operate between Korčula Town and Lumbarda with regular service from 7am - 7pm daily. The journey takes approximately 15 minutes, and tickets cost €2.30 one way. Korčula bus station is located just outside the walled city, and there are two main stops in Lumbarda depending on whether you want to alight at the bay or the beach.
Water taxi from Korčula Town to Lumbarda
The water taxi system in Korčula is fantastic, offering single and return tickets, as well as a hop-on hop-off service. The best value is for the hop-on hop-off service and is great if you plan on visiting nearby islands including Vrnik, Badija, and Stupe. Prices start from €11 one way from Korčula Town to Lumbarda. You can find the water taxis just outside the walled town near the ferry terminal.
