The red grape variety comes from the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. The name means "little blue" (Mali = little, Plavac = blue). It was first mentioned in 1841 as a "typical Dalmatian variety". Synonyms are Plavatz Petit Noir(France); Babić, Crljenak, Kaštelanski, Kasteljanac, Kastelka, Kusmanic, Pagadebit, Pagadebit Crni, Pagadebit Mali, Pagadebit Pravi, Pagadebit Veliki, Pagadebit Zelenjak, Plavac Mali Crni, Plavac Mali Kastelanski, Plavac Pravi, Plavac Srednji, Plavac Veliki, Plavac Zelenac, Rodulic, Sarac, Sarak, Viska, Zelenac, Zelenak(Croatia); Plavec Mal(Northern Macedonia). It must not be confused with the varieties Babić, Babica, Dobričić, Glavinuša, Grk, Plavina, Tribidrag or Vranac, despite the fact that synonyms or morphological similarities seem to indicate this. According to DNA analyses carried out in 2003, it comes from a presumably natural cross between Primitivo(Tribidrag) x Dobričić, but there are also genetic relationships with the other varieties. Plavac Mali was the parent of Babica and Ninčuša.
The low yielding vine has thick-skinned, sugar-rich berries and is therefore quite resistant to fungal diseases. It produces deep coloured, alcohol-rich and tannin-rich red wines with vibrant aromas of cherries, plums and blackberries. Amongst others, the branded wines Dingac, Faros, Peljesac, Postup and Prošek are produced from these grapes. The variety is widespread in the south of Croatia on the Dalmatian coast and on many islands and covers a total of 1,664 hectares. In northern Macedonia it is grown on 50 hectares. In 2016, a total of 1,714 hectares of vineyard area were designated (statistics Kym Anderson).
Source: Kym Anderson: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012
Pictures: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI)
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