The Hvar Wine the Whole World Is Talking About

The village of Pitve on the island of Hvar has only 70 residents. It is from this small place that the wine the whole world is talking about today comes. Winemaker Tonči Marijan, at nearly 58 years old, in a winery that employs only two people, created Plavac Plaža 2021 - a wine that on June 17, 2026, at the Decanter World Wine Awards, the most prestigious wine competition in the world, won a triple crown: gold, platinum, and the Best in Show title.

This recognition, which borders on the impossible, as Marijan himself says, has placed Croatian Plavac among the top 50 out of as many as 17,000 wines entered. Forbes has declared Plaža the most exciting wine of the competition, as reported by Novi list. "We received three awards for Plavac - Best in Show, platinum, and gold. That is the magnitude of this moment on June 17, 2026. And that is why Croatian winemaking will be divided into the time before June 17, 2026, and the time after June 17, 2026," Marijan stated.

Interestingly, despite this historic success, Marijan's wine was omitted from a feature on a long-running public broadcaster show that covered Croatian medals at Decanter. There was no mention of Hvar, Pitve, or the fact that Plavac had won the favor of the world's top experts.

The Road to the Top: Three Weeks of Rigorous Judging

To understand the weight of this achievement, Marijan explains how Decanter works. "At Decanter, gold is 95 points, while at most other competitions, the threshold is much lower. Perhaps I should first explain why Decanter is a big competition, the most important one. Let no one be offended, but people tend to lump everything together, mixing Sabatina with the Grand Prize of Kvarner and the champion of Međimurje."

The process is extremely strict. The wine must first pass a panel of six to seven judges and earn gold. "To get a gold medal, you need 95 or 96 points out of 100. That means you practically have a perfect wine. Elsewhere, at the vast majority of competitions, golds are given from 86 points onward." After gold, the second week of the competition follows, where a new council, composed of hierarchically superior judges, can either return the wine to silver or promote it to platinum.

For the very top, the Best in Show title, a third week is required. "When that cycle is over and if you've earned platinum, you go to the third week. New judges come, usually the chairmen of the competition. They deliberate over that wine among all the platinums, of which there were 196, or 1.18 percent of the 17,000 entries, and they always choose 50 wines that are somehow above platinum. They're looking for that something that makes the wine 'pull you out of your seat.'" The vice-chair of the judging panel kept repeating "Amazing, amazing!", and Marijan reports that from the first sip, they knew the wine would go far.

Marijan also highlights Decanter's added value: "It's also special that wines are judged in different price categories, meaning the judges won't compare my wine to a five-euro wine. We all compete in our own class, and that's why Decanter is the fairest competition and why everyone wants to get there."

Plavac as a Rough Diamond

Marijan believes that Plavac is an exceptional variety in itself, but that's also its biggest flaw. "Plavac from good positions is such good grapes, such a good variety, that literally anyone can make a wine from it that ranks at 85 points or more. That's also its biggest flaw, because we all settle for 'my wine is good.'" He, on the other hand, sought a way to turn good into excellent, to reach Best in Show.

He vividly describes the difference between an average and a top-tier Plavac: "It's like having a large diamond in your hand that is fantastic, valuable in itself as it is, but a master craftsman touches it and makes, say, a butterfly out of it. And then an auction house sells that butterfly for 70 times its value. Plavac is, in itself, a rough diamond."

Innovative Technology and Stubbornness

The secret to his success lies in a completely different production technique. "We make Plavac and all our red wines with a completely different technique than anyone else, and that technology has been recognized and validated through this award." He didn't shy away from maintaining a high alcohol percentage. "We won with a wine at 16 percent alcohol, which is simply unimaginable. Of course, I also used a bit of my stubbornness and didn't try to please anyone, especially not by, God forbid, lowering the alcohol."

His motto is clear: "Don't be afraid of alcohol!" He recounts an anecdote about an American who was wary of his Vron Bod with 16.9 percent alcohol on the label. "When an American comes, he says he won't drink the wine. Then I tell him that's what it says on the label: 'Don't drink! This isn't for you. You don't know how!' Then he takes a glass, drinks, and says: 'This isn't 16.9, it's 13.5.' And that's the biggest compliment you can get."

As an example of his innovative approach, Marijan mentions that he even sends his wine to French barrel makers so they can craft barrels based on it. "That's it, those are the innovative technologies, that's development. I've had the opportunity in life to learn from world-renowned masters and brands, from people it's a privilege to talk to. There aren't millions that are worth as much as the fact that such people are willing to share information with you that you can't get anywhere else."

From 2019 to the World's Top

The road to world recognition wasn't quick. The turning point was 2019, when he won Decanter's first gold for Plavac Mali with his Vron Bod. "That's where you need to start, from 2019 when we first broke that magical psychological barrier of 95 points. That's when Plavac entered their ears and eyes. They realized there are other varieties worth paying attention to because they're fantastic. However, it all went completely under the radar then. People simply weren't aware of the importance of that fact at the time, just as, unfortunately, they aren't now."

Marijan, who was also seriously involved in sports in his youth, draws a football parallel: "Why would I go to the World Cup in America just to participate?" He always, he says, went with the intention of winning.

"I Can't Say I'm from Tungusia When I'm from Hvar"

The world wine scene, he says, still knows little about Croatia. "You'd be surprised how little the world wine scene knows about us. They almost ask me if Plavac is a grape or a banana." The award has opened many doors for him. "We have a million inquiries, both in terms of business and global visibility, it's a fantastic boost. Through Decanter, you enter a whole new sphere that was previously unknown to us."

Despite everything, he remains firmly grounded and proud of his origins. "Does anyone finance me? No. Does everyone understand what I do? Hardly. But I can't go to London in November and say I'm from Tungusia when I'm from Hvar, from Croatia and Dalmatia." With about 40 days having passed since the award ceremony, he admits it's still hard to grasp: "People find it hard to understand that a winery with only two employees, that a father and daughter in a village of 70 people can make a wine that made it into the top 50."

At the winery, alongside Marijan, his two daughters, Dominika and Franka, also work. Of Franka, her father proudly says: "I'm surprised she took to the vine. Living in Pitve, pruning the vineyard, making wine... Hats off." It's Franka, he notes, who is the master of white blends. When asked what to best pair with Plaža, Marijan briefly replies: "Best with nothing. With nothing! Write that down."